Prostate cancer (PCa) preferentially metastasizes to bone, which remains incurable and contributes significantly to mortality and morbidity. The P2X4 receptor (P2X4R) is a receptor for ATP that is highly expressed in many cancer types including PCa and is positively associated with tumorigenesis. To understand the role of P2X4R in PCa biology, particularly in PCa bone metastasis, P2X4R ( P2RX4 ) was knocked out in human PCa ce...

Ecto-5’-nucleotidase/CD73 enzyme plays a key role in the regulation of extracellular adenosine levels, thereby exerting influence on adenosine homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that perturbations in purines and ecto-5’-nucleotidase activity are associated with an augmented susceptibility to schizophrenia. However, the precise impact of genetic variations in CD73 on individuals with schizophrenia remains poorly understood...

Both microRNAs (miRNAs) and purinergic signalling are widely and respectively expressed in various tissues of different organisms and play vital roles in a variety of physiological and pathological processes. Here, we reviewed the current publications contributed to the relationship of miRNAs and purinergic signalling in cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, neurological diseases, and ophthalmic diseases. We trie...

Increasing evidence suggests that both the occurrence and progression of osteoporosis are associated with inflammation, especially in primary osteoporosis. The maintenance of skeletal homeostasis is dependent on the complex regulation of bone metabolism. Numerous evidence suggested that purinoceptor networks are essential for bone homeostasis. In this review, the relationship between inflammation and the development of osteopo...

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP) is frequent among patients with diabetes. We previously showed that P2X3 upregulation in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) plays a role in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced DNP but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, a rat model of DNP was established by a single injection of STZ (65 mg/kg). Fasting blood glucose was significantly elevated from the 1 st to 3 rd week. Paw withdrawal thresholds (PWTs) a...

Electroacupuncture (EA) can improve myocardial ischemia (MI) injury; nevertheless, the mechanism is not entirely clear. And there were disagreements about whether the effect of EA at acupoint in disease-affected meridian is better than EA at acupoint in non-affected meridian and sham acupoint. Here, we showed that the effect of EA at Neiguan (PC6) is better than EA at Hegu (LI4) and sham acupoint in affecting RPP and ECG, incr...