The central nervous system is involved in regulation of defaecation. It is generally considered that supraspinal regions control the spinal defaecation centre. However, signal transmission from supras Show more
The central nervous system is involved in regulation of defaecation. It is generally considered that supraspinal regions control the spinal defaecation centre. However, signal transmission from supraspinal regions to the spinal defaecation centre is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the regulatory role of an anorexigenic neuropeptide, α-MSH, in the spinal defaecation centre in rats. Intrathecal administration of α-MSH to the L6-S1 spinal cord enhanced colorectal motility. The prokinetic effect of α-MSH was abolished by severing the pelvic nerves. In contrast, severing the colonic nerves or thoracic cord transection at the T4 level had no impact on the effect of α-MSH. RT-PCR analysis revealed MC1R mRNA and MC4R mRNA expression in the L6-S1 spinal cord. Intrathecally administered MC1R agonists, BMS470539 and SHU9119, mimicked the α-MSH effect, but a MC4R agonist, THIQ, had no effect. These results demonstrate that α-MSH binds to MC1R in the spinal defaecation centre and activates pelvic nerves, leading to enhancement of colorectal motility. This is, to our knowledge, the first report showing the functional role of α-MSH in the spinal cord. In conclusion, our findings suggest that α-MSH is a candidate for a neurotransmitter from supraspinal regions to the spinal defaecation centre. Show less
Comparative proteomic analysis was used to search for characteristic alterations in the sera of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who had undergone curative radiofrequency ablation treatment. Se Show more
Comparative proteomic analysis was used to search for characteristic alterations in the sera of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients who had undergone curative radiofrequency ablation treatment. Serum samples collected from eight patients before and after treatment were subjected to 2-DE. Eighty-eight protein spots differentially expressed with the treatment were selected by clustering analysis, and the proteins were identified by MS based on MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis and public database searches. The statistical analysis suggested that four proteins decreased after treatment (pro-apolipoprotein, alpha2-HS glycoprotein, apolipoprotein A-IV precursor, and PRO1708/PRO2044, which is the carboxy terminal fragment of albumin) and that seven proteins were increased after treatment, including leucine-rich alpha2-glycoprotein and alpha1-antitrypsin. These data facilitate the identification of differentially expressed proteins that are involved in HCC carcinogenesis and provide candidate biomarkers for the development of diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Show less