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Recent mouse knockout studies identified adapter protein-2 associated kinase 1 (AAK1) as a viable target for treating neuropathic pain. Potent small-molecule inhibitors of AAK1 have been identified and show efficacy in various rodent pain models. (S)-1-((2′,6-Bis(difluoromethyl)-[2,4′-bipyridin]-5-yl)oxy)-2,4-dimethylpentan-2-amine (BMS-986176/LX-9211) (34) was identified as a highly selective, CNS penetrant, potent AAK1 inhibitor from a novel class of bi(hetero)aryl ethers. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) showed excellent efficacy in two rodent neuropathic pain models and excellent central nervous system (CNS) penetration and target engagement at the spinal cord with an average brain to plasma ratio of 20 in rat. The compound exhibited favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties, had an acceptable preclinical toxicity profile, and was chosen for clinical trials. BMS-986176/LX9211 (34) completed phase I trials with good human pharmacokinetics and minimum adverse events and is currently in phase II clinical trials for diabetic peripheral neuropathic pain (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04455633) and postherpetic neuralgia (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04662281).

Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are abnormal in multiple myeloma (MM) and play a critical role by promoting growth, survival, and drug resistance of MM cells. We observed higher Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene expression in MM MSCs than in MSCs from healthy donors. At the clinical level, we highlighted that TLR4 expression in MM MSCs evolves in parallel with the disease stage. Thus, we reasoned that the TLR4 axis is pivotal in MM by increasing the protumor activity of MSCs. Challenging primary MSCs with TLR4 agonists increased the expression of CD54 and interleukin-6 (IL-6), 2 factors directly implicated in MM MSC-MM cell crosstalk. Then, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of a TLR4 antagonist combined or not with conventional treatment in vitro with MSC-MM cell coculture and in vivo with the Vk*MYC mouse model. Selective inhibition of TLR4 specifically reduced the MM MSC ability to support the growth of MM cells in an IL-6-dependent manner and delayed the development of MM in the Vk*MYC mouse model by altering the early disease phase in vivo. For the first time, we demonstrate that specific targeting of the pathological BM microenvironment via TLR4 signaling could be an innovative approach to alter MM pathology development.

Bone marrow (BM) mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are abnormal in multiple myeloma (MM) and play a critical role by promoting growth, survival, and drug resistance of MM cells. We observed higher Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) gene expression in MM MSCs than in MSCs from healthy donors. At the clinical level, we highlighted that TLR4 expression in MM MSCs evolves in parallel with the disease stage. Thus, we reasoned that the TLR4 axis is pivotal in MM by increasing the protumor activity of MSCs. Challenging primary MSCs with TLR4 agonists increased the expression of CD54 and interleukin-6 (IL-6), 2 factors directly implicated in MM MSC-MM cell crosstalk. Then, we evaluated the therapeutic efficacy of a TLR4 antagonist combined or not with conventional treatment in vitro with MSC-MM cell coculture and in vivo with the Vk*MYC mouse model. Selective inhibition of TLR4 specifically reduced the MM MSC ability to support the growth of MM cells in an IL-6-dependent manner and delayed the development of MM in the Vk*MYC mouse model by altering the early disease phase in vivo. For the first time, we demonstrate that specific targeting of the pathological BM microenvironment via TLR4 signaling could be an innovative approach to alter MM pathology development.

Cholecystokinin (CCK), the most abundant brain neuropeptide, is involved in relevant behavioral functions like memory, cognition, and reward through its interactions with the opioid and dopaminergic systems in the limbic system. CCK excites neurons by binding two receptors, CCK1 and CCK2, expressed at low and high levels in the brain, respectively. Historically, CCK2 receptors have been related to the induction of panic attacks in humans. Disturbances in brain CCK expression also underlie the physiopathology of schizophrenia, which is attributed to the modulation by CCK1 receptors of the dopamine flux in the basal striatum. Despite this evidence, neither CCK2 receptor antagonists ameliorate human anxiety nor CCK agonists have consistently shown neuroleptic effects in clinical trials. A neglected aspect of the function of brain CCK is its neuromodulatory role in mental disorders. Interestingly, CCK is expressed in pivotal inhibitory interneurons that sculpt cortical dynamics and the flux of nerve impulses across corticolimbic areas and the excitatory projections to mesolimbic pathways. At the basal striatum, CCK modulates the excitability of glutamate, the release of inhibitory GABA, and the discharge of dopamine. Here we focus on how CCK may reduce rather than trigger anxiety by regulating its cognitive component. Adequate levels of CCK release in the basal striatum may control the interplay between cognition and reward circuitry, which is critical in schizophrenia. Hence, it is proposed that disturbances in the excitatory/ inhibitory interplay modulated by CCK may contribute to the imbalanced interaction between corticolimbic and mesolimbic neural activity found in anxiety and schizophrenia.

We extend some inequalities for normal matrices and positive linear maps related to the Russo-Dye theorem. The results cover the case of some positive linear maps F on a von Neumann algebra Msuch that F(X) is unbounded for all nonzero X? M.

Clinical‐grade mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) can be expanded from bone marrow and adipose tissue to treat inflammatory diseases and degenerative disorders. However, the influence of their tissue of origin on their functional properties, including their immunosuppressive activity, remains unsolved. In this study, we produced paired bone marrow‐derived mesenchymal stromal cell (BM‐MSC) and adipose‐derived stromal cell (ASC) batches from 14 healthy donors. We then compared them using transcriptomic, phenotypic, and functional analyses and validated our results on purified native MSCs to infer which differences were really endowed by tissue of origin. Cultured MSCs segregated together owing to their tissue of origin based on their gene expression profile analyzed using differential expression and weighted gene coexpression network analysis. This translated into distinct immune‐related gene signatures, phenotypes, and functional cell interactions. Importantly, sorted native BM‐MSCs and ASCs essentially displayed the same distinctive patterns than their in vitro‐expanded counterparts. As a whole, ASCs exhibited an immune profile consistent with a stronger inhibition of immune response and a lower immunogenicity, supporting the use of adipose tissue as a valuable source for clinical applications. Clinical‐grade mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue versus bone marrow display tissue‐imprinted gene expression profile, phenotype, and functional properties as highlighted by the comprehensive analysis of paired cultures MSC batches obtained from the same donors and the validation on native sorted MSCs.

The dominant strategy for discovery of new antimalarial drugs relies on cell-free assays on specific biochemical pathways of Plasmodium falciparum. However, it appears that screening directly on the parasite is a more rewarding approach. The “drug to genome to drug” approach consists of testing a small set of structural analogues of a drug acting on human proteins that have plasmodial orthologues. Both man and plasmodium possess cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs) that are key players of cell homeostasis. We synthesized and tested 40 analogues of tadalafil, a human PDE5 inhibitor, on P. falciparumin culture and obtained potent inhibitors of parasite growth. We discuss the structure−activity relationships, which support the hypothesis that our compounds kill the parasite via inhibition of plasmodial PDE activity. We also prove that antiplasmodial derivatives inhibit the hydrolysis of cyclic nucleotides of the parasite, validating the cAMP/cGMP pathways as therapeutic targets against Plasmodium falciparum.

Les métastases cutanées (MC) localisées aux extrémités sont des complications exceptionnelles des cancers solides, au pronostic sévère. Dans la majorité des cas, elles simulent une infection. Nous en rapportons deux nouvelles observations de présentation originale.

3-Aryl-indole and 3-aryl-indazole derivatives were identified as potent and selective Nav1.7 inhibitors. Compound 29was shown to be efficacious in the mouse formalin assay and also reduced complete Freund’s adjuvant (CFA)-induced thermal hyperalgesia and chronic constriction injury (CCI) induced cold allodynia and models of inflammatory and neuropathic pain, respectively, following intraperitoneal (IP) doses of 30 mg/kg. The observed efficacy could be correlated with the mouse dorsal root ganglion exposure and NaV1.7 potency associated with 29.

Introduction: Anxiety disorders manifest in women more than in men by almost twofold. This narrative review aims to summarize the sex-related biological factors, which underpin anxiety, focusing on the interactions of sex and tryptophan/serotonin with anxiety. Methods: A literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and EMBASE databases from inception until December 31, 2017. Results: This review shows that sex may interact with many serotonin functions thereby modulating anxiety, including 5-HT1A and 5-HT2C receptors, 5-HT transporter and central 5-HT concentrations and metabolism. Sex-steroids modulate the expression of serotonin transporter genes, creating a difference in serotonin availability. Sex and estrous cycle phases lead to varying anxiety responses to tryptophan depletion. Testosterone, progesterone and estrogen are important factors in mediating sex differences in serotonin responses to anxiety-generating behavioral tests. At prenatal levels, there are sexrelated differences in the reciprocal relationships between serotonin and the HPA-axis, which modulate anxiety-like behaviors. Activated immune-inflammatory pathways induce indoleamine-2,3-dioxynease (IDO) and the tryptophan catabolite (TRYCAT) pathway thereby increasing tryptophan degradation and increasing the production of TRYCATs including kynurenine and quinolinic acid, which may create an overall anxiogenic effect. The effects of immune activation on IDO are significantly more pronounced in women than men, and therefore, females may show increased levels of anxiogenic TRYCAT following immune challenge. Aberrations in the IDO-activated TRYCAT pathway are found in pregnant females and parturients and are associated with increased anxiety levels in the postnatal period. Conclusion: The results of this review underscore the necessity of studying the associations between serotonin and anxiety in both sexes taking into account the effects of immune activation on IDO and production of anxiogenic TRYCATs. Future anxiety research should focus on the interactions between serotonin/tryptophan and sex, sex hormones, the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, the HPA axis and the immune system through the production of anxiogenic TRYCATs.

Variations in muscle glycogen storage are highly correlated with variations in meat ultimate pH (pHu), a key factor for poultry meat quality. A total of two chicken lines were divergently selected on breast pHu to understand the biological basis for variations in meat quality (i.e., the pHu– and the pHu+ lines that are characterized by a 17% difference in muscle glycogen content). The effects of this selection on bird metabolism were investigated by quantifying muscle metabolites by high-resolution NMR (1H and 31P) and serum metabolites by 1H NMR. A total of 20 and 26 discriminating metabolites between the two lines were identified by orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) in the serum and muscle, respectively. There was over-representation of carbohydrate metabolites in the serum and muscle of the pHu– line, consistent with its high level of muscle glycogen. However, the pHu+ line was characterized by markers of oxidative stress and muscle catabolism, probably because of its low level of energy substrates. After OPLS-DA multiblock analysis, a metabolic set of 15 high-confidence biomarkers was identified that could be used to predict the quality of poultry meat after validation on an independent population.

Contemporary biological psychiatry uses experimental animal models to increase our understanding of affective disorder pathogenesis. Modern anxiolytic drug discovery mainly targets specific pathways and molecular determinants within a single phenotypic domain. However, greater understanding of the mechanisms of action is possible through animal models. Primarily developed with rats, animal models in anxiety have been adapted with mixed success for mice, easy-to-use mammals with better genetic possibilities than rats. In this review, we focus on the three most common animal models of anxiety in mice used in the screening of anxiolytics. Both conditioned and unconditioned models are described, in order to represent all types of animal models of anxiety. Behavioral studies require careful attention to variable parameters linked to environment, handling, or paradigms; this is also discussed. Finally, we focus on the consequences of re-exposure to the apparatus. Test-retest procedures can provide new answers, but should be intensively studied in order to revalidate the entire paradigm as an animal model of anxiety.

The aim of this study was to assess the immune modulatory properties of human mesenchymal stromal cells obtained from bone marrow (BM-MSCs), fat (ASCs), and cord blood (CB-MSCs) in the presence of a hydroxyapatite and tricalcium-phosphate (HA/TCP) biomaterial as a scaffold for MSC delivery. In resting conditions, a short-term culture with HA/TCP did not modulate the anti-apoptotic and suppressive features of the various MSC types toward T, B, and NK cells; in addition, when primed with inflammatory cytokines, MSCs similarly increased their suppressive capacities in the presence or absence of HA/TCP. The long-term culture of BM-MSCs with HA/TCP induced an osteoblast-like phenotype with upregulation of OSTERIXand OSTEOCALCIN, similar to what was obtained with dexamethasone and, to a higher extent, with bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP-4) treatment. MSC-derived osteoblasts did not trigger immune cell activation, but were less efficient than undifferentiated MSCs in inhibiting stimulated T and NK cells. Interestingly, their suppressive machinery included not only the activation of indoleamine-2,3 dioxygenase (IDO), which plays a central role in T-cell inhibition, but also cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) that was not significantly involved in the immune modulatory effect of human undifferentiated MSCs. Since COX-2 is significantly involved in bone healing, its induction by HA/TCP could also contribute to the therapeutic activity of MSCs for bone tissue engineering.

Les bulles d’emphysème sont définies par un espace aérien de plus de 10mm de diamètre. La régression ou la disparition spontanée des bulles est rare, décrite sous le terme d’« autobullectomie ».

Adipose tissue is widely used in plastic surgery. The main obstacle is that it can be used only immediately after liposuction, while reconstruction often requires several procedures to achieve optimal results. This study aimed to develop a cryopreservation protocol directly applicable to clinical situations, allowing repetitive procedures without multiple tissue harvests.

Successful preliminary studies have encouraged a more translational phase for stem cell research. Nevertheless, advances in the culture of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (hBM-MSC) and osteoconductive qualities of combined biomaterials can be undermined if necessary cell transportation procedures prove unviable. We aimed at evaluating the effect of transportation conditions on cell function, including the ability to form bone in vivo, using procedures suited to clinical application. hBM-MSC expanded in current Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) facilities (cGMP-hBM-MSC) to numbers suitable for therapy were transported overnight within syringes and subsequently tested for viability. Scaled-down experiments mimicking shipment for 18 h at 4°C tested the influence of three different clinical-grade transportation buffers (0.9% saline alone or with 4% human serum albumin [HSA] from two independent sources) compared with cell maintenance medium. Cell viability after shipment was >80% in all cases, enabling evaluation of (1) adhesion to plastic flasks and hydroxyapatite tricalcium phosphate osteoconductive biomaterial (HA/β-TCP 3D scaffold); (2) proliferation rate; (3) ex vivoosteogenic differentiation in contexts of 2D monolayers on plastic and 3D HA/β-TCP scaffolds; and (4) in vivoectopic bone formation after subcutaneous implantation of cells with HA/β-TCP scaffold into NOD/SCID mice. Von Kossa staining was used to assess ex vivoosteogenic differentiation in 3D cultures, providing a quantifiable test of 3D biomineralization ex vivoas a rapid, cost-effective potency assay. Near-equivalent capacities for cell survival, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation were found for all transportation buffers. Moreover, cGMP-hBM-MSC transported from a production facility under clinical-grade conditions of 4% HSA in 0.9% saline to a destination 18 h away showed prompt adhesion to HA/β-TCP 3D scaffold and subsequent in vivobone formation. A successfully validated transportation protocol extends the applicability of fresh stem cells involving multicentric trials for regenerative medicine.

Les toxidermies graves, potentiellement létales, posent un problème thérapeutique majeur compte-tenu de l’absence de traitement de référence. Les corticoïdes, les immunoglobulines intraveineuses, la ciclosporine et plus récemment les anti- tumor necrosis factor (anti-TNF) alpha ont été essayés et plusieurs auteurs suggèrent qu’une dose unique d’étanercept pourrait être efficace. Nous rapportons 3 observations de toxidermies graves traitées avec succès par étanercept.

The aim of this paper was to critically review the current treatment of anxiety disorders including general anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. For all these disorders, this paper will suggest treatment guidelines based on literature data as well as personal experience. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) even considered in DSM IV as an anxiety disorder is somewhere different from the other anxiety disorder (almost lack of placebo response, efficacy of cognitive- behavioural therapy and deep brain stimulation).

A test-retest protocol of an animal model of anxiety induces an increase of anxious behaviour and a loss of benzodiazepine induced effect. This effect mainly observed in the elevated plus maze, an ethological model of anxiety in mice, but also in the four plate test, a model based on punishment, was called the one trial tolerance. In the first step, a review of some hypotheses based on behavioural, pharmacological and neurochemical approaches is proposed to explain this benzodiazepines tolerance phenomenon on a test-retest model of anxiety, namely the four-plate test. Aversive memory consists of a diminution of the number of accepted punished passages. “One trial tolerance” is the abolishment of the anxiolytic-like effect of a drug in experimented mice. Diazepam, a usual benzodiazepine affected by one trial tolerance, is used in parallel with DOI, a 5-HT2A agonist that keeps its anxiolytic-like effect during retest, in order to study this phenomenon. Local injection of DOI and diazepam revealed that hippocampus was activated by DOI. Diazepam was active when injected into lateral nuclei of amygdala in naive mice, and into periaqueductal gray matter in experiment mice. These results suggest that aversive memory and one trial tolerance seem triggered via different mechanisms, supported by different structures.

Etifoxine is an anxiolytic compound structurally unrelated to benzodiazepines and neurosteroids but potentiating GABAA receptor function by a dual mode of action including a direct positive allosteric modulation through a site distinct from that of benzodiazepines. Gabapentin is an antiepileptic drug structurally related to GABA but with a mechanism of action that is still unclear. Methods: Using the four-plate test (FPT) model of anxiety in mice the potential anxiolytic-like effect of gabapentin was first evaluated. In a second part, the effects of both drugs were evaluated in a test retest procedure in the FPT. Results: Gabapentin, for non sedative doses, increased significantly the number of punished passages in the FPT as did etifoxine. In the test -retest procedure, etifoxine (40 and 50 mg.kg) increased the number of shocks accepted by the animal as compared with benzodiazepine. The same effect was observed with gabapentin (32 and 64 mg/kg) with an increase in retested mice responding during the second trial. However, the effect was smaller than that achieved with DOI (a 5-HT2A agonist). Those results are of importance as it was the first time that GABAergic like ligands respond, even weakly, in experienced mice in the FPT. Whether this effect is due to stress or anxiety is open to discussion.

Oxidative stress contributes to the pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Although they have been a model for DMD, mdxmice exhibit slowly developing cardiomyopathy. We hypothesized that disease process was delayed owing to the development of an adaptive mechanism against oxidative stress, involving glutathione synthesis. At 15 to 20 weeks of age, mdxmice displayed a 33% increase in blood glutathione levels compared with age-matched C57BL/6 mice. In contrast, cardiac glutathione content was similar in mdxand C57BL/6 mice as a result of the balanced increased expression of glutamate cysteine ligase catalytic and regulatory subunits ensuring glutathione synthesis in the mdxmouse heart, as well as increased glutathione peroxidase-1 using glutathione. Oral administration from 10 weeks of age of the glutamate cysteine ligase inhibitor, l-buthionine(S,R)-sulfoximine (BSO, 5 mmol/L), led to a 33% and 50% drop in blood and cardiac glutathione, respectively, in 15- to 20-week-old mdxmice. Moreover, 20-week-old BSO-treated mdxmice displayed left ventricular hypertrophy associated with diastolic dysfunction, discontinuities in β-dystroglycan expression, micronecrosis and microangiopathic injuries. Examination of the glutathione status in four DMD patients showed that three displayed systemic glutathione deficiency as well. In conclusion, low glutathione resource hastens the onset of cardiomyopathy linked to a defect in dystrophin in mdxmice. This is relevant to the glutathione deficiency that DMD patients may suffer.

Adipose tissue is the final tissue to develop and is strongly involved in energy homeostasis. It can represent up to 50 of body weight in obesity. Beside its metabolic role, endocrine functions appeared to play a key role in interconnecting adipose tissue with other tissues of the organism and in numerous physiological functions. The presence of adipocyte progenitors has long been demonstrated throughout life in the stromal fraction of adipose tissue. Now, it appears that these cells are multipotent and share numerous features with mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) derived from bone marrow. They also display some specificities and a strong pro-angiogenic potential. Altogether, these data emphasize the need to reconsider the potential of adipose tissue. Moreover, since fat pads are easy to sample, numerous and promising perspectives are now opening up in regenerative medicine, particularly in ischemic situations.

Antidepressant drugs modify in different ways the activity of neurons, by increasing monoamines levels and by modulating ion channels. Sodium channels are molecular targets for antiepileptic drugs, which can also be mood stabilizers (i.e. lamotrigine, topiramate, phenytoin, carbamazepine, valproic acid). After a short overview on the sodium channels and the interaction with antidepressants and mood stabilizers, a comparison of the activity of both antidepressants and mood stabilizers with the addition of veratrine (sodium channel opener) on the forced swimming test (FST) in mice was presented. By comparing the antidepressant-like effect of the antidepressants (paroxetine, imipramine and desipramine) with the one of anticonvulsants (lamotrigine, phenytoin and topiramate) on the FST, it seems that the mechanism of action of anticonvulsants and antidepressants is different, because veratrine limits the activity of anticonvulsants but not of antidepressants. The anticonvulsants topiramate and phenytoin reduce the immobility time in the FST in a range of time similar to that induced by antidepressants, suggesting that the FST could be sensitive to both drugs. The magnitude of antidepressant- like effect of the lamotrigine (acting through an increase in monoaminergic neurotransmission and a blockade of sodium channels) in the FST is greater than what is obtained after administration of the other drugs, suggesting that this dual activity could be used as an augmentation strategy. Authors conclude that the development of new drugs acting on sodium channels could potentially be of interest as antidepressants, but also as augmentation strategies for classical antidepressants.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are multipotent adult stem cells harboring a wide range of differentiations and non-human leukocyte antigen-restricted immunosuppressive properties that lead to an increasing use of MSC in immunomodulation and in regenerative medicine. To produce MSC, definitive standards are still lacking. Whatever the starting material used (e.g., bone marrow, adipose tissue, or cord blood), numerous parameters including cell plating density, number of passages, and culture medium, play a major role in the culture process and have to be determined. To date, the different production processes have been effective, and based on phenotypic analysis and differentiation potential, a first set of simple controls have been defined. However, controls of the final product should provide precise data on efficacy and safety. The next challenge will be to develop production processes that reach good manufacturing practices goals and to define more accurate control methods of cultivated MSC.

Agomelatine markedly differs from other classes of antidepressant drugs: its primary molecular targets in vivo are the melatonin MT1 and MT2 receptors, where it acts as a potent agonist, and the 5-HT2C receptors, where it exerts clear-cut antagonist properties. Agomelatine across a wide range of clinical trials suggests that agomelatine offers an important alternative for the treatment of depression, combining efficacy, even in the most severely depressed patients, with a favorable side-effect profile. It will be of interest to see if agomelatine expands the spectrum of treatment for unipolar depression. It shows efficacy in acute phase and in of maintenance treatment compared to reference antidepressants as paroxetine and venlafaxine.

Recent mouse knockout studies identified adapter protein-2-associated kinase 1 (AAK1) as a viable target for treating neuropathic pain. BMS-986176/LX-9211 (4), as a highly selective, CNS-penetrable, and potent AAK1 inhibitor, has advanced into phase II human trials. On exploring the structure–activity relationship (SAR) around this biaryl alkyl ether chemotype, several additional compounds were found to be highly selective and potent AAK1 inhibitors with good druglike properties. Among these, compounds 43and 58showed very good efficacy in two neuropathic pain rat models and had excellent CNS penetration and spinal cord target engagement. Both compounds also exhibited favorable physicochemical and oral pharmacokinetic (PK) properties. Compound 58, a central pyridine isomer of BMS-986176/LX-9211 (4), was 4-fold more potent than 4in vitro and showed lower plasma exposure needed to achieve similar efficacy compared to 4in the CCI rat model. However, both 43and 58showed an inferior preclinical toxicity profile compared to 4.