Pioglitazone is a member of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) agonists, particularly used in management of type II diabetes. However it also has effects in some dermatological disorders. The current study was designed to investigate the effects of oral administration of pioglitazone and the association of nitric oxide, in serotonin-induced scratching in mice. In order to ...

Protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2 and PAR-4 are implicated in nonhistaminergic itch. We investigated dose dependence, tachyphylaxis, and cross-tachyphylaxis of itch-associated scratching elicited by intradermal injections of PAR-2 and PAR-4 agonists, serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT), and histamine in ICR mice, as well as mu-opioid modulation of PAR-2 agonist-evoked scratching. Each agent...

We investigated the role of serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine; 5-HT)2 and 5-HT3 receptor subtypes in acute itch-associated scratching behavior as well as in an allergic pruritus model in rats. Intradermal 5-HT evoked hind limb scratching directed toward the injection site in naïve rats. Scratching behavior was significantly reduced by pretreatment with the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin. Int...

It has been shown previously that norbinaltorphimine (norBNI) and 5'-guanidinonaltrindole (5'-GNTI), long-acting kappa opioid receptor (KOPR) antagonists, cause frenzied scratching in mice [1,2]. In the current study, we examined if zyklophin, a short-acting cyclic peptide KOPR antagonist, also elicited scratching behavior. When injected s.c. in the nape of the neck of male Swiss-Webster mice, ...

Locomotion and scratch are characterized by alternation of flexion and extension phases within one hindlimb, which are mediated by rhythm-generating circuitry within the spinal cord. By definition, the rhythm generator controls cycle period, phase durations, and phase transitions. The aim was to determine whether rhythm-generating mechanisms for locomotion and scratch are similar in adult decer...

The kappa-opioid agonist, nalfurafine, has been approved in Japan for treatment of itch in patients with chronic kidney disease. We presently investigated if systemic administration of nalfurafine inhibited ongoing or touch-evoked scratching behavior (alloknesis) following acute intradermal injection of histamine or the non-histaminergic itch mediator, chloroquine, in mice. We also investigated...

Distinct types of rhythmic movements that use the same muscles are typically generated largely by shared multifunctional neurons in invertebrates, but less is known for vertebrates. Evidence suggests that locomotion and scratching are produced partly by shared spinal cord interneuronal circuity, although direct evidence with intracellular recording has been lacking. Here, spinal interneurons we...

Itching of ocular allergy is alleviated but not completely relieved by H(1) histamine receptor antagonists, suggesting that histamine is not the sole itch mediator in ocular allergy. We investigated whether leukotriene B(4) (LTB(4)), a mediator of cutaneous itch, is involved in the itch of ocular allergy in mice. Mice were immunized by the repeated subcutaneous injections of ragweed pollen and ...

let r be a commutative ring and (r) be its zerodivisor graph. in this article, we studywiener index and energy of γ(zn ) where n = pq or n = p2q and p, q are primes. a matlabcode for our calculations is also presented.