Novel radioligands for imaging sigma-1 receptor in brain using positron emission tomography (PET)

The sigma-1 receptor (R) is a unique intracellular protein. R plays a major role in various pathological conditions in the central nervous system (CNS), implicated in several neuropsychiatric disorders. Imaging of R in the brain using positron emission tomography (PET) could serve as a noninvasively tool for enhancing the understanding of the disease's pathophysiology. Moreover, R PET tracers can be used for target validation and quantification in diagnosis. Herein, we describe the radiosynthesis, PET/CT imaging of novel R C-labeled radioligands based on 6-hydroxypyridazinone, [C]HCC0923 and [C]HCC0929. Two radioligands have high affinities to R, with good selectivity. In mice PET/CT imaging, both radioligands showed appropriate kinetics and distributions. Additionally, the specific interactions of two radioligands were reduced by compounds and (self-blocking). Of the two, [C]HCC0929 was further investigated in positive ligands blocking studies, using classic R agonist SA 4503 and R antagonist PD 144418. Both R ligands could extensively decreased the uptake of [C]HCC0929 in mice brain. Besides, the biodistribution of major brain regions and organs of mice were determined . These studies demonstrated that two radioligands, especially [C]HCC0929, possessed ideal imaging properties and might be valuable tools for non-invasive quantification of R in brain.

Study on the role of NALP3 inflammasome in Porphyromonas gingivalis lipopolysaccharide induced RAW264.7 / 中华口腔医学杂志

Objective@#To illuminate the effect of NALP3 inflammasome on regulating the expression of cytokines of macrophages in periodontitis.@*Methods@#RAW264.7 cells were cultured and divided into three groups. The first group stayed normal as control, the second group was stimulated by 1 mg/L Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) lipopolysaccharide (LPS), the third group was pretreated with AC-YVAD-CMK (caspase-1 inhibitor) before stimulated with 1 mg/L Pg LPS. RAW264.7 cells pretreated with various concentrations (0, 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 μmol/L) of AC-YVAD-CMK for 2 h, and stimulated by 1 mg/L Pg LPS for 24 h in the third group. After that, cell survival rate were detected by cell counting kit-8. Every group cells gene transcription of NALP3 and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) after 6 h, protein expression of NALP3 and IL-1β were separately detected by Western blotting and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) after 24 h, respectively.@*Results@#It is observed that treatment with 5, 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 200 μmol/L AC-YVAD-CMK did not significantly affect the viability of RAW264.7 cells. qPCR showed that mRNA expression of IL-1β level (1.03±0.08, 5.48±0.22, 4.31±0.20) and NALP3 level (0.96±0.05, 2.62±0.44, 1.73±0.09). Western blotting showed that protein expression of NALP3 level (1.00±0.10, 2.34±0.04, 1.64±0.04), ELISA showed protein secretion of IL-1β level ([40.20±0.25], [61.50±1.81], [52.40±1.91] ng/L). After stimulated by Pg LPS, mRNA and protein expression of IL-1β (P<0.01, P<0.01) and NALP3 (P<0.01, P<0.01) significantly increased; but the expression of IL-1β (P=0.002, P=0.027) and NALP3 (P<0.01, P<0.01) were decreased when pretreated with AC-YVAD-CMK.@*Conclusions@#NALP3 inflammasome signal pathway can be activated by Pg LPS in RAW264.7. Block of the pathway can inhibit Pg LPS-induced secretion of cytokines.

Root coverage using a coronally advanced flap with or without acellular dermal matrix: a meta-analysis

PURPOSE: Gingival recession is a major esthetic concern and may lead to root sensitivity during periodontal treatment. Coronally advanced flaps (CAFs) with and without acellular dermal matrix (ADM) are widely used in root coverage procedures. The aim of this study was to analyze the efficacy of CAF in combination with ADM in the treatment of gingival recession. METHODS: PubMed, The Cochrane Library, and Embase were used to identify relevant articles. The articles were screened, data were extracted, and the quality of the studies was assessed by three reviewers with expertise in clinical practice, trials, statistics, and biomedical editing. The clinical endpoints of interest included changes in recession, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and keratinized tissue (KT). RESULTS: Ten randomized controlled trials were identified, including six studies that compared CAFs with ADM and CAFs using connective tissue grafting (CTG) and four studies that compared CAFs with or without ADM. No statistically significant differences were found between the use of ADM and CTG, whereas statistically significant differences were found between groups in which ADM and CAF were combined and groups that underwent CAF alone with regard to recession coverage, CAL, and KT. The combination of CAF with an ADM allograft achieved more favorable recession coverage and recovery of CAL and KT than CAF alone. CONCLUSIONS: The results from the ADM and CTG groups suggest that both procedures may be equally effective in clinical practice. Given the limitations of this study, further investigation is needed to clarify the effectiveness of ADM and CAF in clinical practice.