A brief guide to good practices in pharmacological experiments: Western blotting

Lu Tie, Han Xiao, Da-lei Wu, Ye Yang & Pei Wang

Western blotting (WB) is an antibody-based experimental technique used to detect and quantify target proteins, which are often within a complex mixture extracted from cells or tissue. WB remains the most commonly used methodology in the lab for protein detection. However, concerns about WB have been voiced by many scientific journals in an effort to reduce potential mistakes and increase reproducibility.

This guide, therefore, aims to provide an updated and more concise and useable reference for future experiments and paper writing.

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The impact of cannabinoid type 2 receptors (CB2Rs) in neuroprotection against neurological disorders

Activation of CB2Rs plays neuroprotective roles, including attenuation of neuroinflammation, amelioration of mitochondrial depolarization and stimulation of neurogenesis, which could eventually reduce deficits in cognition, memory and motor inhibition. In addition, the activation of CB2Rs also modulates ion channel functions, thereby altering neuronal excitability, and leads to neuroprotection.

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FSHR ablation induces depression-like behaviors

The expression of FSHR in depression-related brain regions. a The CA1 region of the mouse hippocampus. b The CA3 region of mouse hippocampus. c The DG of the mouse hippocampus. d The cortex. e The nucleus accumbens. f The amygdala. g The prefrontal cortex. h The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. i The lateral habenula. FSHR (red), NeuN (green, a marker of neurons), and DAPI (blue) immunofluorescence was detected under a fluorescence microscope. See the article in pages 1033–1040.

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Nanomedicine-based immunotherapy for central nervous system disorders

Optimal design of nanoparticle-based delivery of drugs, cargoes/or adjuvants, and immunotherapy of glioblastoma. Diverse types of nanoscale materials can serve as vehicles for targeted delivery of tumor-cytotoxic nanomedicines.

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Mechanisms and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles underlying the low nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity of etimicin

Schematic representation of possible mechanisms of aminoglycosides (AGs)-induced nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. The schematic diagram mainly includes three parts: (1) AGs are predominantly distributed in the mitochondria of renal tubular cells and inner ear hair cell-like cells; (2) AGs inhibit mitochondrial electron transport chain (ETC) complexes I, IV, and V; and (3) AGs inhibit the PGC-1α-NRF1-TFAM pathway, which may repress mitochondrial biosynthesis.

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Importance of integrating nanotechnology with pharmacology and physiology for innovative drug delivery and therapy – an illustration with firsthand examples

Nanotechnology has been applied extensively in drug delivery to improve the therapeutic outcomes of various diseases. Tremendous efforts have been focused on the development of novel nanoparticles and delineation of the physicochemical properties of nanoparticles in relation to their biological fate and functions. However, in the design and evaluation of these nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems,   ...

Discovery and development of NA-1 for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke

Stroke creates a complex interplay of multiple signaing pathways including excitotoxicity, ionic imbalance, inflammation, oxidative stress and apoptosis. There are very few treatments that have been shown to be beneficial in acute stroke. Recent findings have provided insights into the pathophysiology and mechanisms of ischemic stroke, complementing the traditional glutamate hypothesis: the molecular interaction between PSD95 and GluN2B has been identified as a culprit in stroke-mediated excitotoxicity, leading to the discovery of NA-1, a peptide that disrupts that interaction, as a potent neuroprotective agent for the treatment of acute stroke. ...