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Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) are a class of medications that arecommonly prescribed to treat type-2 diabetes , while fibrates are a structurally-related class of medicationsthat are prescribed to modulate lipid levels in both diabetic andnon-diabetic patients to help reduce the risk of cardiovasculardisease. These drugs work by binding to peroxisomeproliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), with TZDs reducinginsulin resistance and lowering the levels of cytokines thatpromote inflammation, and fibrates reducing low-density lipoprotein(LDL) and triglyceride levels and increasing high-densitylipoprotein (HDL) levels to help prevent the development ofcardiovascular disease. Another effect of TZDs and fibrates is toraise leptin levels, an effect that may reduce appetite. Recentstudies also suggest that PPARs are expressed in the centralnervous system, particularly in brain regions implicated in reward. Two papers recently published in Biological Psychiatry now suggestthat drugs that stimulate two different subclasses of PPARs, PPAR-aand PPAR-g, may play roles in the treatment of nicotine and alcohol addiction by acting in the brain. The first study, by Mascia and colleagues, used a multi-prongedapproach to demonstrate that nicotine's addictive effects can becounteracted by drugs that activate PPAR- . In both rats andmonkeys, these drugs reduced nicotine intake and relapse tonicotine seeking after a period of abstinence. They also preventednicotine from altering electrical activity and neurochemical levelsin addiction-related brain areas. "Although our research involved highly selective experimentaldrugs, there are medications (fibrates) used clinically for thetreatment of high cholesterol and triglyceride levels, which are selective PPAR- ligands,"further explained senior author Dr. Steven Goldberg. "Drugs thatselectively affect PPAR- receptors, possibly including fibrates,might provide a valuable new approach to the treatment of tobaccodependence in humans." In the second study, Stopponi and colleagues used pioglitazone toevaluate its effects on alcohol drinking, relapse-like behavior,and withdrawal in rats. Pioglitazone activates PPAR-g and is anFDA-approved medication for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. Corresponding author Dr. Roberto Ciccocioppo detailed theirfindings, "We demonstrated that activation of PPAR-g receptors bypioglitazone potently reduces alcohol consumption in a rat model ofexcessive drinking. We also found that pioglitazone abolishesalcohol craving elicited by exposure to stress and prevented the expression of somatic signs of alcoholwithdrawal." "As we learn more about the brain, we are seeing a growing numberof examples where medications developed initially for purposesunrelated to psychiatry may have new and otherwise unexpectedapplications within psychiatry. In this case, the identification ofneural PPARs in reward circuits suggested new roles for PPARstimulators. These new data in animal models suggest that TZDsmight be promising new agents in the fight against addiction,"commented Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry. It is important to note that these exciting initial findings areonly the beginning steps in a line of research that will need to beundertaken before TZDs or fibrates could be used in a clinicalsetting to treat people with addictions. Sources: Elsevier, AlphaGalileo Foundation . Additional References Citations. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as PP Spunbond Non Woven Fabric , Boot Supports, and more. For more , please visit Medical Non Woven Fabric today!
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