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Abnormalities in lipid metabolism induce myocardial structural and functional disorders, leading to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM), which has become a hotspot in current DCM research. The transmembrane glycoprotein CD36 is a multifunctional membrane protein that facilitates fatty acid transport, which is involved in the regulation of cardiac lipid metabolism. CD36 signaling plays a key role in the pathogenesis of DCM mediated cardiac injuries. This article summarizes the structure of CD36 and its role in specific cell types, and further explores the pathophysiological role of CD36 in DCM, proposing that targeting CD36 may prove to be a potential pharmacological strategy in the prevention and treatment of DCM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the effect of acute incisional pain on the expression of connexin 43 in rat spinal cord dorsal horn., Methods: Eighty rats were assigned into control group without any treatment and incisional pain group with incision surgery. For paw incisions, a 1-cm longitudinal incision was made through the skin and fascia of the plantar aspect of the right hind paw. After surgery, the 50% paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) was assessed in response to a tactile stimulus with calibrated von Frey monofilaments at 1, 2, 4 and 24 h, respectively. The spinal cord dorsal horn of rats was isolated at 1, 2, and 4 h after the surgery to assess the expression of connexin 43 using Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay., Results: The 50% PWT of the rats was significantly decreased after the incision surgery, and this decrement was the most obvious at 2 and 4 h. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assay showed that the expression of connexin 43 in the spinal cord dorsal horn was significantly increased in rats receiving the surgery especially at 2 and 4 h after the surgery., Conclusion: Incision surgery induces an significant increase in connexin 43 expression in rat spinal cord dorsal horn, suggestting an potential role of connexin43 in postoperative incisional pain.

Objective: To investigate the protective effect and potential mechanisms of hypertonic sodium chloride hydroxyethyl starch solution (HSH) against the cerebral vasospasm (CVS) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)., Methods: Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly assigned to four groups according to the random number table, with 6 rats in each group. The SAH-CVS model was reproduced by injection of the blood twice through the cisterna magna. Rats in both model and HSH treatment groups received 8 mL/kg normal saline (NS) or HSH treatment everyday via caudal vein. Rats in sham group were injected with 1.5 mL/kg NS into cisterna magna followed by 8 mL/kg NS treatment. Rats in normal group received no treatment. Rats were sacrificed to harvest basilar artery after 7 days. The thickness of vessel wall and lumen area were measured using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining. The rate of apoptosis of vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) was assessed using flow cytometry. Caspase-3 activity was measured by a fluorometric assay. The expressions of Bax and Bcl-2 were determined by Western Blot. Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) was detected by H2DCFDA., Results: Compared with normal group, increased thickness of vessel wall (27.72 ± 1.94 μm vs. 18.30 ± 1.10 μm, P<0.05), decreased lumen area (26 115 ± 1 991 μm² vs. 55 080 ± 2 091 μm², P<0.05), and elevation of rate of apoptosis of VSMCs [(35.05 ± 5.54) % vs. (5.93 ± 1.53) %, P<0.05] were found in model group. Compared with model group, decreased thickness of vessel wall (22.55 ± 1.50 μm vs. 27.72 ± 1.94 μm, P<0.05), increase of lumen area (48 115 ± 2 460 μm² vs. 26 115 ± 1 991 μm², P<0.05), and depressed rate of apoptosis of VSMCs [(16.54 ± 5.94) % vs. (35.05 ± 5.54) %, P<0.05] were found in HSH treatment group. Caspase-3 activity, intracellular ROS level, Bax and Bcl-2 expressions in model group were (188.40 ± 19.35)%, (163.50 ± 17.02)%, (208.71 ± 26.04)% and (44.52 ± 9.61) % of those of normal group, and the differences of these parameters between model and normal groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). Caspase-3 activity, intracellular ROS level, Bax and Bcl-2 expressions in HSH treatment group were (135.05 ± 19.52)%, (119.44 ± 11.50)%, (139.20 ± 18.04)% and (85.35 ± 13.12)% of those of normal group, respectively, and the differences of these parameters between HSH treatment and model groups were statistically significant (all P<0.05). The differences of all measurements between sham and normal groups were not statistically significant., Conclusions: The current results demonstrate that HSH attenuates the SAH-induced CVS, alleviates thickness of vessel wall, and increases lumen area via inhibition of VSMCs apoptosis.