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Our results provide evidence that the PPAR-γ agonist rosiglitazone may have potential in the development of therapies for bronchial asthma.

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PDTC attenuated bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats via its anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifibrotic activities.

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Oxytocin (OXT) -"the love hormone"has been involved in the anti-depressant activity of some selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). The exact mechanism underlying the OXT pathway in depression is not fully clear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of OXT analogue, carbetocin (CBT) and the SSRI, escitalopram (ESCIT) on depressive-like behaviors following maternal separation (MS). It is worthy to mention that intranasal CBT has been approved by FDA for Prader-Willi syndrome. Adolescent Wistar albino maternally-separated rats were given CBT, (100 μg/animal/day via inhalation route), and, ESCIT, (20 mg kg -1 , po) either alone or in combination for 7 days. Repeated 3-h MS demonstrated increased immobility time in forced swim test (FST) and decreased locomotor activity in open field test. MS elevated plasma level of adrenocortico-trophic hormone (ACTH) but notably reduced plasma OXT, with no effect on hippocampal OXT-R expression. Following MS, hippocampal contents of 5hydroxytryptamine receptors (5HT1A-R), serotonin transporter (SERT) were increased. CBT and ESCIT corrected the behavioral dysfunction in FST and suppressed the high levels of ACTH. Additionally, both treatments boosted OXT level, reduced 5HT1A-R and normalized SERT contents, which reflects increased availability of serotonin. Finally, CBT markedly ameliorated the histopathological damage induced by MS and suppressed the increased glial fibrillary acidic protein. CBT and ESCIT manage depressive-like behavior by positively affecting serotonergic and oxytocinergic systems. Targeting OXT system -using CBT-ameliorated depressive like behaviors induced by maternal separation most probably via enhancing OXT plasma levels, attenuating hormonal ACTH and restoring the expression of hippocampal oxytocin and serotonin mechanisms.

Since westernized diet-induced insulin resistance is a risk factor in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) development, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) coexists with amyloid β (Aβ)1-42 in these patients, our AD novel model was developed to resemble sporadic AD by injecting LPS into high fat/fructose diet (HFFD)-fed rats. The neuroprotective potential of palonosetron and/or methyllycaconitine, 5-HT3 receptor and α7 nAChR blockers, respectively, was evaluated after 8 days of daily administration in HFFD/LPS rats. All regimens improved histopathological findings and enhanced spatial memory (Morris Water Maze); however, palonosetron alone or with methyllycaconitine promoted animal performance during novel object recognition tests. In the hippocampus, all regimens reduced the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and skewed microglia M1 to M2 phenotype, indicated by the decreased M1 markers and the enhanced M2 related parameters. Additionally, palonosetron and its combination regimen downregulated the expression of ASC/TMS1, as well as levels of inflammasome downstream molecules and abated cleaved caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18 and caspase-11. Furthermore, ACh and 5-HT were augmented after being hampered by the insult. Our study speculates that blocking 5-HT3 receptor using palonosetron overrides methyllycaconitine to combat AD-induced neuroinflammation and inflammasome cascade, as well as to restore microglial function in a HFFD/LPS novel model for sporadic AD.