Cyclosporin A attenuating morphine tolerance through inhibiting NO/ERK signaling pathway in human glioblastoma cell line: the involvement of calcineurin

Authors

  • Asma Rashki Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Faiza Mumtaz Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Farahnaz Jazayeri Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Amir Shadboorestan Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Jamileh Esmaeili Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Shahram Ejtemaei Mehr Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Mohammad Hossein Ghahremani Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Ahmad Reza Dehpour Experimental Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2018-1693

Keywords:

Cyclosporin A, morphine, tolerance, nitric oxide, T98G cells, extracellular signal-regulated kinases

Abstract

Cyclosporin A (CsA) is known to have an immunosuppressive action. However, it is also attracting attention due to its effects on the nervous system, such as inhibiting the development and expression of morphine-induced tolerance and dependence through unknown mechanisms. It has been shown that CsA modulates the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis and extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) activation, which are potentially involved in signaling pathways in morphine-induced tolerance in cellular models. Therefore, the current study was designed to evaluate the modulatory role of CsA on the MOR tolerance, by targeting the downstream signaling pathway of NO and ERK using an in vitro model. For this purpose, T98G cells were pretreated with CsA, calcineurin autoinhibitory peptide (CAIP), and NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) 30 min before 18 h exposure to MOR. Then, we analyzed the intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels and also the expression of phosphorylated ERK and nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) proteins. Our results showed that CsA (1 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM) and CAIP (50 µM) have significantly reduced cAMP and nitrite levels as compared to MOR-treated (2.5 µM) T98G cells. This clearly revealed the attenuation of MOR tolerance by CsA. The expression of nNOS and p-ERK proteins were down-regulated when the T98G cells were pretreated with CsA (1 nM, 10 nM, and 100 nM), CAIP (50 µM), and L-NAME (0.1 mM) as compared to MOR. In conclusion, the CsA pretreatment had a modulatory role in MOR-induced tolerance, which was possibly mediated through NO/ERK signaling pathway.

Published

2018-11-12

How to Cite

Rashki, A., Mumtaz, F., Jazayeri, F., Shadboorestan, A., Esmaeili, J., Ejtemaei Mehr, S., … Dehpour, A. R. (2018). Cyclosporin A attenuating morphine tolerance through inhibiting NO/ERK signaling pathway in human glioblastoma cell line: the involvement of calcineurin. EXCLI Journal, 17, 1137–1151. https://doi.org/10.17179/excli2018-1693

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Section

Original articles

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