A hypoxia-activated photothermal agent inhibits multiple heat shock proteins for low-temperature photothermal therapy.

A near-infrared (NIR) organic photothermal agent (PTA) to inhibit three types of heat shock proteins (HSPs) was synthesized, which could be activated under hypoxic conditions for low-temperature photothermal therapy (PTT) of cancer.

A heat shock protein-inhibiting molecular photothermal agent for mild-temperature photothermal therapy.

A heat shock protein-inhibiting photothermal agent (PTA) with endoplasmic reticulum targeting was synthesized to reduce the thermal resistance and enhance the effect of mild-temperature photothermal therapy (PTT).

The Impact of Electroacupuncture Early Intervention on the Brain Lipidome in a Mouse Model of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

The neuroprotective effect of electroacupuncture (EA) treatment has been well studied; growing evidence suggests that changes in lipid composition may be involved in the pathogenesis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and may be a target for treatment. However, the influence of early EA intervention on brain lipid composition in patients with PTSD has never been investigated. Using a modified single prolonged stress (mSPS) model in mice, we assessed the anti-PTSD-like effects of early intervention using EA and evaluated changes in lipid composition in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex (PFC) using a mass spectrometry-based lipidomic approach. mSPS induced changes in lipid composition in the hippocampus, notably in the content of sphingolipids, glycerolipids, and fatty acyls. These lipid changes were more robust than those observed in the PFC. Early intervention with EA after mSPS ameliorated PTSD-like behaviors and partly normalized mSPS-induced lipid changes, notably in the hippocampus. Cumulatively, our data suggest that EA may reverse mSPS-induced PTSD-like behaviors due to region-specific regulation of the brain lipidome, providing new insights into the therapeutic mechanism of EA.

Stimuli-activated molecular photothermal agents for cancer therapy.

Taking advantage of activatable and imaging-guided properties, stimuli-activated molecular photothermal agents (MPTAs) have drawn great attention in photothermal therapy (PTT) over the past decades. In this review, the recent progress in the study of stimuli-activated MPTAs is summarized from different stimuli, including pH, bioactive small molecules, and enzymes. The features and challenges of stimuli-activated MPTAs are also discussed. This review aims to motivate readers to design and synthesise more efficient MPTAs.

Electroacupuncture Pretreatment Ameliorates PTSD-Like Behaviors in Rats by Enhancing Hippocampal Neurogenesis via the Keap1/Nrf2 Antioxidant Signaling Pathway.

Electroacupuncture (EA) pretreatment is a clinically useful therapy for several brain disorders. However, whether and via which exact molecular mechanisms it ameliorates post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) remains unclear. In the present study, rats received EA stimulation for seven consecutive days before exposure to enhanced single prolonged stress (ESPS). Anxiety-like and fear learning behaviors; hippocampal neurogenesis; the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (keap1), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1); and the activity of AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) were evaluated at 14 days after ESPS. EA pretreatment improved hippocampal neurogenesis and ameliorated anxiety-like behaviors in ESPS-treated rats. EA pretreatment also increased the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 and the activity of AMPK. Furthermore, Nrf2 knockdown by a short hairpin RNA affected anxiety-like behaviors and expression of neuroprotective markers (BDNF, DCX) in a manner similar to ESPS alone and dampened the neuroprotective effects of EA pretreatment. In contrast, Keap1 knockdown increased the expression of HO-1, improved hippocampal neurogenesis, and alleviated PTSD-like behaviors. Altogether, our results suggest that EA pretreatment ameliorates ESPS-induced anxiety-like behaviors and prevents hippocampal neurogenesis disruption in a rat model of PTSD possibly through regulation of the keap1/Nrf2 antioxidant defense pathway.

Early intervention with electroacupuncture prevents PTSD-like behaviors in rats through enhancing hippocampal endocannabinoid signaling.

Electroacupuncture (EA) is a clinically useful physiological therapy that has been recently adopted to treat several brain disorders. However, the potential role of early EA intervention in the prevention of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as well as its potential cellular and molecular mechanism has never been investigated previously. In the present study, we used an enhanced single prolonged stress (ESPS) model to access the effects of early EA intervention on the prevention of anxiety-like and fear learning behaviors, as well as the influence of the expression of post-synaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), synaptophysin (Syn), brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), diacylglycerol lipase alpha (DAGLα) and cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1R) in the hippocampus with or without DAGLα or CB1R knockdown by a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) in the hippocampus. Moreover, the effects of electrical stimulation with different parameters on the expression of DAGLα and CB1R in the hippocampal astrocytes were also observed. The results showed that Early EA intervention improved hippocampal synaptic plasticity and ameliorated PTSD-like behaviors and also increased expression of BDNF, DAGLα and CB1R. However, either DAGLα or CB1R knockdown by a short hairpin RNA (shRNA) eliminated the neuroprotective effects of early EA intervention. Furthermore, electrical stimulation with 2/15 Hz 1 mA elevated the expression of DAGLα and CB1R. Altogether, our findings provide new insights regarding the possibility of using early EA intervention in the prevention of PTSD, and the protective effects of EA is involving the activation of DAGLα and CB1R.