Life sciences
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Comparative Study
Comparison between electronic cigarette refill liquid and nicotine on metabolic parameters in rats.
Nicotine is known to promote body weight loss and to disturb glucose homeostasis and lipoprotein metabolism. Electronic cigarettes, as a substitute to nicotine, are becoming increasingly popular, although there is no evidence regarding their safety. Considering the dearth of information about e-cigarette toxicity, the present study was designed to compare nicotine alone to e-liquid with or without nicotine on metabolic parameters in Wistar rats. ⋯ While some features observed in rats may not be observed in human smokers, most of our data are consistent with, e-liquid per se i.e. without nicotine, not being neutral from a metabolic stand point since disrupting glucose homeostasis in rats.
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In this study we tested the hypothesis that tapentadol inhibits GGRP release from the rat brainstem through a mechanism mediated by the inhibition of NA reuptake; as a second alternative hypothesis, we investigated whether tapentadol inhibits GGRP release via the inhibition of 5-HT reuptake. ⋯ This study provided pharmacological evidence that tapentadol inhibits stimulated CGRP release from the rat brainstem in vitro through a mechanism involving an increase in 5-HT levels in the system and the subsequent activation of 5-HT3 receptors.
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The discovery of different shades of fat has been implicated in the pathogenesis of obesity-related metabolic disorders. However, the effects of early and intermittent exposure to cold temperature on systemic metabolic changes in adult life remain unclear. ⋯ Intermittent exposure to cold temperature in early life may improve systemic glucose homeostasis and induce WAT "browning", suggesting that an ambient cold temperature exposure may serve as a promising intervention to metabolic disorders.
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Although the clinical use of Neurotropin® as an analgesic for chronic pain has been firmly established, its analgesic mechanism is still unclear. In this study, we investigate the direct effects of Neurotropin using an electrophysiological method. ⋯ This study is the first direct demonstration that Neurotropin activates the noradrenergic descending pain inhibitory systems, and this would reinforce the usefulness of Neurotropin in the treatment of human neuropathic pain.
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The effects of exercise on cardiac and skeletal muscle, including the increase on mitochondrial function, dynamics, biogenesis and autophagy signaling are well described. However, these same effects on liver mitochondria, important in the context of hepatocyte ability to mitigate drug-induced injury and obesity-related disorders, are not fully understood. Therefore, the effects of two distinct chronic exercise models (endurance training--ET and voluntary physical activity--VPA) on liver cellular and mitochondrial quality control were analyzed. ⋯ Both chronic exercise models increased proteins related with mitochondrial biogenesis and alteration proteins involved in mitochondrial dynamics and autophagy signaling, suggesting that exercise can induce liver mitochondrial adaptive remodeling and hepatocyte renewal.