ABSTRACT
Objective To investigate the role of p38 MAPK on gastric ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced injury in mice. Methods C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into three groups; sham+vehicle group, I/R+vehicle group (as control), and I/R+ CNI-1493 group. The gastric I-R injury mice were prepared by occluding the celiac artery for 30 min followed by reperfusion for 1 h. Sham-operated animals underwent the same surgical procedure without clamping. Physiological saline (0.9% NaCl, 10 ml/kg) or CNI-1493(a p38 MAPK inhibitor, 10 ml/kg, 2 mg/ml) was intraperitoneally administered 1 h before ischemia. A picture of the whole stomach was obtained after fixation with formalin, and the bleeding area in the whole stomach was obtained by a digital imaging analyzer (Image J 1. 4. NIH). The levels of phospho- and total-mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs including p38, JNK, and ERK), phospho-nuclear factor-κB (NF-KB) and cleaved Caspase-3 in the injured stomach tissue were determined by Western blotting analysis. Results Compared with sham+vehicle group, I/R group had markedly larger gastric bleeding area (P < 0.05), activated p38, JNK, and ERK (P <0.05), and markedly increased NF-κB p65 and cleaved Caspase-3 expression (P <0.05). Pretreatment with CNI-1493 significantly inhibited the above changes in 1/R group (P < 0. 05). Conclusion Activation of MAPK/NF-KB pathway play a very important role in I/R-induced gastric injury. Pretreatment with p38 MAPK inhibitor, CNI-1493, can inhibit MAPK/NF-κB pathway, decrease expression of apoptosis protein expression, and reduce gastric mucosal bleeding.
ABSTRACT
Melanoma is a malignant neoplasm of melanocytes most frequently arising from the skin, but primary melanoma can also arise from the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Gastrointestinal melanomas are most commonly metastases from a cutaneous melanoma. Primary melanoma of the stomach is rare and carries a poor prognosis. Reported here is the case of a 75-year-old man with a primary gastric melanoma who presented with a melena, abdominal pain, and weight loss. Most cases of melanoma are treated by excision of the primary tumor. Patients with melanoma have been treated with adjuvant chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. None of these modalities has been demonstrated to prolong the survival rate. To improve long-term disease-free survival, early diagnosis and surgical intervention are very important.