RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Heroin use disorder (HUD) is a seriously increasing health issue, accounting for most deaths among drug abusers. Studying non-coding ribonucleic acid gene expression among drug abusers is a promising approach, as it may be used in diagnosis and therapeutics. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: A total of 49 male heroin-dependent patients and 49 male control participants were recruited from Kasr Al Ainy Psychiatry and Addiction outpatient clinics, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University. Sera were gathered. qRT-PCR was utilized for the detection of gene expression of non-coding RNAs such as "HOX transcript antisense RNA" (HOTAIR), micro-RNA (miRNA-206), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B (AKT), mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), and Activity Regulated Cytoskeleton Associated Protein (Arc). Sera Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) levels were assessed using ELISA. Using a western blot made it possible to determine the protein expression of PI3K, AKT, and mTOR. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that gene expressions of HOTAIR, AKT, PI3K, and Arc were considerably lowered between cases and controls, while gene expressions of miR-206 and mTOR1 were significantly raised. PI3K and AKT protein expressions were downregulated, while mTOR expressions were upregulated. BDNF levels were significantly decreased in some cases. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that decreased HOTAIR in HUD relieves miR-206 inhibition, which thus increases and affects downstream PI3K/AKT/mTOR, ARC, and BDNF expression. This may be shared in addictive and relapsing behaviors.
Assuntos
Dependência de Heroína , MicroRNAs , Plasticidade Neuronal , RNA Longo não Codificante , Humanos , Masculino , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/genética , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/metabolismo , MicroRNAs/genética , MicroRNAs/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinase/metabolismo , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/genética , Fosfatidilinositol 3-Quinases/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-akt/metabolismo , RNA Longo não Codificante/genética , RNA Longo não Codificante/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/genética , Serina-Treonina Quinases TOR/metabolismo , Dependência de Heroína/genéticaRESUMO
Bisphenol S (BPS) is used as an alternative to bisphenol A (BPA) in polycarbonate plastics, epoxy resins and thermal receipt sheet manufacturing. We examined the toxic effects of BPS on gastric and renal functions, as well as the efficacy of allopurinol as a treatment. Albino rats were given only BPS (30 and 120 mg/kg BW/day), and some were treated with allopurinol prior to sacrifice. Gastric and renal specimens were evaluated histologically and immunohistochemically, and blood from the tail vein was analysed for levels of gastrin, uric acid (UA), erythropoietin and 8-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Gastrin levels decreased while erythropoietin, UA and 8-OHdG levels increased significantly. The severity of gastric and renal damage observed in BPS-treated animals increased with increasing doses. The mean percentage of COX-2 immunoreactivity and the mean number of CD45 immunoreactive cells were significantly increased in the stomach and kidney of BPS rats. Allopurinol ameliorated the biochemical, histological and immunohistochemical alterations induced by BPS, with superior protection at lower doses. Allopurinol can reverse the effects of BPS on the stomach and kidneys.
