The interplay between the microbiota and opioid in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

Neuropathic pain (NP) is characterized by its complex and multifactorial nature and limited responses to opioid therapy; NP is associated with risks of drug resistance, addiction, difficulty in treatment cessation, and psychological disorders. Emerging research on gut microbiota and their metabolites has demonstrated their effectiveness in alleviating NP and augmenting opioid-based pain management, concurrently mitigating the adverse effects of opioids. This review addresses the following key points: (1) the current advances in gut microbiota research and the challenges in using opioids to treat NP, (2) the reciprocal effects and benefits of gut microbiota on NP, and (3) the interaction between opioids with gut microbiota, as well as the benefits of gut microbiota in opioid-based treatment of NP. Through various intricate mechanisms, gut microbiota influences the onset and progression of NP, ultimately enhancing the efficacy of opioids in the management of NP. These insights pave the way for further pragmatic clinical research, ultimately enhancing the efficacy of opioid-based pain management.

Interplay between cyclooxygenase­2 and microRNAs in cancer (Review).

Tumor­associated inflammation and aberrantly expressed biomarkers have been demonstrated to play crucial roles in the cancer microenvironment. Cyclooxygenase­2 (COX­2), a prominent inflammatory factor, is highly expressed in tumor cells and contributes to tumor growth, recurrence and metastasis. Overexpression of COX­2 may occur at both transcriptional and post­transcriptional levels. Thus, an improved understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of COX­2 can facilitate the development of novel antitumor therapies. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a group of small non­coding RNAs that act as translation repressors of target mRNAs, and play vital roles in regulating cancer development and progression. The present review discusses the association between miRNAs and COX­2 expression in different types of cancer. Understanding the regulatory role of miRNAs in COX­2 post­transcription can provide novel insight for suppressing COX­2 expression via gene silencing mechanisms, which offer new perspectives and future directions for the development of novel COX­2 selective inhibitors based on miRNAs.