No abstract

Growing evidence has implicated glial anomalies in the pathophysiology of major depression disorder (MDD). Gap junctional communication is a main determinant of astrocytic function. However, it is unclear whether gap junction dysfunction is involved in MDD development. This study investigates changes in the function of astrocyte gap junction occurring in the rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) after chronic unpredictable stress (CUS), a rodent model of depression. Animals exposed to CUS and showing behavioral deficits in sucrose preference test (SPT) and novelty suppressed feeding test (NSFT) exhibited significant decreases in diffusion of gap junction channel-permeable dye and expression of connexin 43 (Cx43), a major component of astrocyte gap junction, and abnormal gap junctional ultrastructure in the PFC. Furthermore, we analyzed the effects of typical antidepressants fluoxetine and duloxetine and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist mifepristone on CUS-induced gap junctional dysfunction and depressive-like behaviors. The cellular and behavioral alterations induced by CUS were reversed and/or blocked by treatment with typical antidepressants or mifepristone, indicating that the mechanism of their antidepressant action may involve the amelioration of gap junction dysfunction and the cellular changes may be related to GR activation. We then investigated the effects of pharmacological gap junction blockade in the PFC on depressive-like behaviors. The results demonstrate that carbenoxolone (CBX) infusions induced anhedonia in SPT, and anxiety in NSFT, and Cx43 mimetic peptides Gap27 and Gap26 also induced anhedonia, a core symptom of depression. Together, this study supports the hypothesis that gap junction dysfunction contributes to the pathophysiology of depression.

Twenty-two new lignans and neolignans (1-22), together with 14 known analogues, have been isolated from an ethanolic extract of the stem (with skin removed) of Sinocalamus affinis. Their structures were elucidated by spectroscopic and chemical methods. On the basis of systematic NMR and circular dichroism (CD) data analysis, the validity of J7,8 and ΔδC8-C7 values to distinguish threo and erythro aryl glycerol units in different neolignans and the CD data [particularly the Rh2(OCOCF3)4-induced CD data (the E band)] to determine the absolute configurations at C-8 (C-7) of the aryl glycerol units are discussed. At a concentration of 10 μM, compounds 20 and 22 inhibited NO production in mouse peritoneal macrophages 84.2±5.9% and 71.7±1.0%, respectively. Compounds 19, 20, and 22 showed activity against serum deprivation induced PC12 cell damage by increasing the cell viability from 80.7±2.8% to 91.6±6.4%, 107.2±8.0%, and 97.6±8.5%, respectively.

Many cancer patients suffer from severe fatigue when treated with chemotherapy or radiotherapy; however, the etiology and pathogenesis of this kind of fatigue remains unknown. Fatigue is associated with cancer itself, as well as adjuvant therapies and can persist for a long time. Cancer patients present a high degree of fatigue, which dramatically affects the quality of their everyday life. There are various clinical research studies and reviews that aimed to explore the mechanisms of cancer-related fatigue (CRF). However, there are certain limitations in these studies: For example, some studies have only blood biochemical texts without histopathological examination, and there has been insufficient systemic evaluation of the dynamic changes in relevant indexes. Thus, we present this narrative review to summarize previous studies on CRF and explore promising research directions. Plenty of evidence suggests a possible association between CRF and physiological dysfunction, including skeletal muscular and mitochondrial dysfunction, peripheral immune activation and inflammation dysfunction, as well as central nervous system (CNS) disorder. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial structure, oxidative pressure, and some active factors such as ATP play significant roles that lead to the induction of CRF. Meanwhile, several pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines in the peripheral system, even in the CNS, significantly contribute to the occurrence of CRF. Moreover, CNS function disorders, such as neuropeptide, neurotransmitter, and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis dysfunction, tend to amplify the sense of fatigue in cancer patients through various signaling pathways. There have been few accurate animal models established to further explore the molecular mechanisms of CRF due to different types of cancer, adjuvant therapy schedules, living environments, and physical status. It is imperative to develop appropriate animal models that can mimic human CRF and to explore additional mechanisms using histopathological and biochemical methods. Therefore, the main purpose of this review is to analyze the possible pathogenesis of CRF and recommend future research that will clarify CRF pathogenesis and facilitate the formulation of new treatment options.