Alpha-naphthylisothiocyanate (ANIT) is a toxicant that is widely used in rodents to model human intrahepatic cholestasis. The aim of the study is to investigate whether effects of dioscin on ANIT-induced cholestasis are related to changes in expression of hepatic transporters in rats. Effects of dioscin on cholestasis were examined by histology and biochemical marker levels. The functional changes of hepatic transporters were determined by in vitro, in situ and in vivo. qRT-PCR and western blot were used to assess the expression of hepatic transporters in cholestatic rats. Dioscin administration could ameliorate cholestasis, as evidenced by reduced biochemical markers as well as improved liver pathology. The uptakes of organic anion transporting polypeptide (Oatp) substrates were altered in liver uptake index in vivo, perfused rat liver in situ and isolated rat hepatocytes in vitro in cholestasis rats. qRT-PCR and western blot analysis indicated co-treatment of ANIT with dioscin prevented the adaptive down-regulation of Oatp1a1, 1b2, and prompted the up-regulation of Oatp1a4, multidrug resistance-associated protein (Mrp) 2 and bile salt export pump (Bsep). In addition, concerted effects on Mrp2 and Bsep occurred through up-regulation of small heterodimer partner by activating farnesoid X receptor. Dioscin might prevent impairment of hepatic function by restoring hepatic transporter expression.

Dioscin protects against ANIT-induced cholestasis via regulating Oatps. Mrp2 and Bsep expression in rats

Increasing evidence suggests that neuro-immune and neuro-glial interactions are critically involved in chronic pain sensitization. It is well studied how immune/glial mediators sensitize pain, but how sensory neurons control neuroinflammation remains unclear. We employed Myd88 conditional knockout (CKO) mice, in which Myd88 was deleted in sodium channel subunit Nav1.8-expressing primary sensory neurons, to examine the unique role of neuronal MyD88 in regulating acute and chronic pain, and possible underlying mechanisms. We found that baseline pain and the formalin induced acute inflammatory pain were intact in CKO mice. However, the late phase inflammatory pain following complete Freund’s adjuvant injection and the late phase neuropathic pain following chronic constriction injury (CCI), were reduced in CKO mice. CCI induced up-regulation of MyD88 and chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 expression in DRG neurons and macrophage infiltration into DRGs, and microglia activation in spinal dorsal horns in wild-type mice, but all these changes were compromised in CKO mice. Finally, the pain hypersensitivity induced by intraplantar IL-1β was reduced in CKO mice. Our findings suggest that MyD88 in primary sensory neurons plays an active role in regulating IL-1β signaling and neuroinflammation in the peripheral and the central nervous systems, and contributes to the maintenance of persistent pain.

TLR signaling adaptor protein MyD88 in primary sensory neurons contributes to persistent inflammatory and neuropathic pain and neuroinflammation