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The current standard of care in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), as the most morbid brain tumor, is not adequate,
despite substantial progress in cancer therapy. Among patients receiving current standard treatments, including surgery,
irradiation, and chemotherapy, the overall survival (OS) period with GBM is less than one year. The high mortality
frequency of GBM is due to its aggressive nature, including accelerated growth, deregulated apoptosis, and invasion into
surrounding tissues. The understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of GBM is, therefore, crucial for identifying,
designing, and repurposing potential agents in future therapeutic approaches. In recent decades, it has been apparent that
several neurotransmitters, specifically substance P (SP), an undecapeptide in the family of neuropeptides tachykinins, are
found in astrocytes. After binding to the neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R), the SP controls cancer cell growth, exerts
antiapoptotic impacts, stimulates cell invasion/metastasis, and activates vascularization. Since SP/NK-1R signaling pathway
is a growth driver in many cancers, this potential mechanism is proposed as an additional target for treating GBM.
Following an evaluation of the function of both SP and its NK-1R inhibitors in neoplastic cells, we recommend a unique and
promising approach for the treatment of patients with GBM.
In terms of frequency and aggressiveness, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is undoubtedly the most frequent and fatal primary brain tumor. Despite advances in clinical management, the response to current treatments is dismal, with a 2-year survival rate varying between 6 and 12 percent. Metformin, a derivative of biguanide widely used in treating type 2 diabetes, has been shown to extend the lifespan of patients with various malignancies. There is limited evidence available on the long-term survival of GBM patients who have taken metformin. This research examined the literature to assess the connection between metformin's anticancer properties and GBM development. Clinical findings, together with the preclinical data from animal models and cell lines, are included in the present review. This comprehensive review covers not only the association of hyperactivation of the AMPK pathway with the anticancer activity of metformin but also other mechanisms underpinning its role in apoptosis, cell proliferation, metastasis, as well as its chemo-radio-sensitizing behavior against GBM. Current challenges and future directions for developments and applications of metformin-based therapeutics are also discussed.
This study was designed to investigate the effects of separate and combined administration of hypothermia and pentoxifylline to preserve the effects on the testicles in an experimental model of testicular torsion/ detorsion injuries in rats. Forty male adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into five groups, control, torsion/detorsion (TD), torsion/detorsion/hypothermia (TD+ICE), torsion/detorsion received of pentoxifylline (40mg/kg, ip) (TD+PTX) and torsion/detorsion/hypothermia/PTX (TD+ICE+PTX). Left testicular torsion (TT) was performed for 4 and half hours, and ice fragments have been used at the beginning of torsion. After the reperfusion period (a week), oxidative maker's serum levels, testosterone hormone, sperm parameters, and histopathological and gene expression evaluations have been performed. Significant adverse changes were observed in the TD group for histological variables, sperm count, oxidative marker, testosterone hormone, Bax, BCL2 and caspase‐3 expression. The parameters studied in the group receiving PTX improved in comparison with the TD group, while macroscopical parameters of both the hypothermia and PTX+ICE groups were not different compared with the TD group. The results revealed that PTX, as an antioxidant component, was protective against testicular torsion, while hypothermia and hypothermia plus PTX did not exhibit this property, which may have been due to the duration of hypothermia (4 hr) or reperfusion period.
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