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Physiological activities of carbon monoxide‐releasing molecules: Ça ira
Author(s) -
Chatterjee P K
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
british journal of pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.432
H-Index - 211
eISSN - 1476-5381
pISSN - 0007-1188
DOI - 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707185
Subject(s) - proinflammatory cytokine , inflammation , chemistry , chemoprotective , carcinogenesis , nitric oxide , nitric oxide synthase , gene expression , carbon monoxide , microbiology and biotechnology , biochemistry , pharmacology , biology , immunology , enzyme , gene , organic chemistry , catalysis
In this issue of British Journal of Pharmacology , Megías and colleagues demonstrate how preincubation of human colonic Caco‐2 cells with CORM‐2, a carbon monoxide releasing molecule (CO‐RM), reduces the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase, interleukin (IL)‐6 and IL‐8 caused by proinflammatory cytokines. A role for IL‐6 in the regulation of metalloproteinase (MMP)‐7 expression by CORM‐2 is described. However, it is the demonstration that CORM‐2 inhibits MMP‐7 or matrilysin expression, which is most intriguing as this small MMP has been implicated in carcinogenesis. Thus, CO‐RMs appear to now possess chemoprotective properties and, in this particular case, may influence inflammation‐induced colon carcinogenesis via modulation of nuclear factors participating in the transcription of genes implicated in the development of intestinal inflammation and cancer. This report opens yet another door for research involving these exciting molecules and it is now clear that further discoveries of the beneficial properties of CO‐RMs will go on. British Journal of Pharmacology (2007) 150 , 961–962. doi: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0707185