PNAS: Dual roles of aspirin

The popular non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as aspirin, naproxen and ibuprofen, play their roles by inhibiting cyclooxygenase enzyme. Cyclooxygenase can catalyze the generation of prostaglandins which is directly related to the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as headaches, arthritis, menstrual cramps, and wound sepsis.

Recently, researchers from the University of California indicated that aspirin might have a second effect, which could not only inhibit cyclooxygenase activity, block prostaglandins that could cause inflammation and pain sense; but also can prompt the production of compounds that increased the end of inflammation, thus recover the affected cells into the healthy state. This work has been published in PNAS.

The corresponding author of this article, Edward A. Dennis, said that aspirin could increase the accumulation of cyclooxygenase derived 15-Hete. And then 15-HEHE could be converted to lipoxins, which help to reverse the inflammation and restore the body’s health.

In this Article, the researchers studied a kind of white blood cell- macrophageas, which are our immune system’s defense cells that can response to injury and infection. The researchers found that macrophages contain many biochemical tools, so it can not only simulate inflammation reaction, but also restore the health of the body through releasing 15-HETE, at the same time, it will transform the cyclooxygenase into lipoxins with the inflammation process.

This study provided new ideas and hopes for the researchers to develop new targeted drugs based on the lipoxin analogs. Furthermore, if the researchers could discover new method that can promote the recovery inflammation, then they can be more effective in helping humans resisting the infection.

Not long ago, a famous comedian Robin Williams is suspected to suicide due to the depression, this event pushed depression again to the front of the public.

A recent study of American scientists showed that patients with Parkinson's disease were more prone to depression status. Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania counted 423 patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease and tracked their mental condition up to two years. The results showed that nearly 14% of patients with Parkinson's disease appeared depression signs, and this proportion was only 6.6% in the normal population. Meanwhile at the beginning of the study, about 16% of Parkinson's disease patients need to take antidepressants, and two years later, this proportion rises to 25%. Nevertheless, even these patients showed significant anxiety, 65-72% of them still did not ask their doctor for help.

Dr. Daniel Weintraub, involved in this study, said that many people would think of the inconvenience of action when talked about Parkinson's disease patients, but we have all ignored that, as a neurodegenerative disease, Parkinson's disease is beginning from the brain, and is likely to leads to the symptoms of depression in patients through affecting the control part of the brain that causes anxiety. On the other hand, there have been studies suggested that the drugs for Parkinson's disease treatment may also lead to side effects of depression.

Numerologist Warda is hooked on OG-L002 fishing, collecting. And lastly her encouragement comes from socializing along with her companions.