Felipe Lima Dario, Maria Luiza Alves Aquino, Maycon Tavares Emílio-Silva, Felipe Leonardo Fagundes, Laura Vitória Fortunato de Oliveira, Isabela Galende Guidolin, Mariana Moraes Fioravanti, Renata Assunção, Vinícius Peixoto Rodrigues, Gabriela Bueno, Catarine Massucato Nishijima, Clelia Akiko Hiruma-Lima
{"title":"Citral exerts a more pronounced antinociceptive effect in obese adult male C57BL/6J mice mediated through the CB2 receptor.","authors":"Felipe Lima Dario, Maria Luiza Alves Aquino, Maycon Tavares Emílio-Silva, Felipe Leonardo Fagundes, Laura Vitória Fortunato de Oliveira, Isabela Galende Guidolin, Mariana Moraes Fioravanti, Renata Assunção, Vinícius Peixoto Rodrigues, Gabriela Bueno, Catarine Massucato Nishijima, Clelia Akiko Hiruma-Lima","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178894","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178894","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Obesity is a prevalent chronic disease strongly associated with pain, primarily due to low-grade systemic inflammation that sensitizes nociceptive neurons.</p><p><strong>Objective: </strong>To evaluate the effects of citral, an acyclic monoterpene, present in essential oils such as Cymbopogon citratus (lemongrass), on nociception in obese mice and identify the mechanisms involved.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Adult male C57BL/6J mice (n=232) were fed a standard diet (SD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Metabolic alterations were confirmed using an oral glucose tolerance test. Nociception was assessed using the formalin test to evaluate both neurogenic (phase I) and inflammatory (phase II) pain. Citral (100 or 300 mg/kg) was orally administered. Carrageenan-induced paw edema was utilized to investigate anti-inflammatory properties. Antagonists for 5-HT2A (ketanserin, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) and CB2 (AM630, 1 mg/kg, i.p.) receptors were used. The vehicle group received 1% Tween 80 (10 mL/kg, orally). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>HFD-fed mice developed obesity, hyperglycemia, and increased thermal sensitivity. Citral (300 mg/kg) significantly reduced nociception in both phases of the formalin test in SD and HFD mice, with a greater effect in the HFD group. CB2 receptor antagonism reversed the antinociceptive effects of citral in both phases of the formalin test, whereas 5-HT2A antagonism produced no change. LPS did not influence citral-induced antinociception only in obese mice, and citral showed no effect in the hot-plate test.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Citral exerts antinociceptive effects in both eutrophic and obese mice, with enhanced efficacy in obese mice. Its action is mediated, at least in part, by CB2 receptor modulation, which reduces both neurogenic and inflammatory pain. These findings suggest that citral is a potential therapeutic candidate for pain management in obesity-related conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"178894"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Bruna Dos Santos Mendonça, Renata Binato, Eliana Abdelhay, Nathalia Silva Lima, Wallace Martins de Araujo, Raquel Ciuvalschi Maia, Renato Sampaio Carvalho, Gabriela Nestal de Moraes
{"title":"Transcriptomic alterations upon nuclear XIAP overexpression reveal IGFBP6/Wnt as a regulatory axis in breast cancer cell survival and chemoresistance.","authors":"Bruna Dos Santos Mendonça, Renata Binato, Eliana Abdelhay, Nathalia Silva Lima, Wallace Martins de Araujo, Raquel Ciuvalschi Maia, Renato Sampaio Carvalho, Gabriela Nestal de Moraes","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178876","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178876","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is an antiapoptotic protein which plays canonical functions in the cytoplasm. However, we have previously demonstrated that nuclear XIAP is associated with increased cell growth and drug resistance as well as unfavorable outcomes in breast cancer. Therefore, this work aimed to investigate the non-canonical molecular functions associated with abnormal XIAP nuclear localization in breast cancer. To address this, we have performed both transcriptomic and proteomic large-scale approaches with breast cancer cell line models overexpressing HA-tagged ectopic XIAP (WT, H467A, ΔRING and NLS mutants) in distinct subcellular locations. Nuclear XIAP overexpressing cells (XIAP<sup>NLS</sup>) have been shown enriched for genes implicated in cellular processes other than apoptosis inhibition, such as proliferation, transport, locomotion, migration, cell motility, and protein phosphorylation. Interestingly, the validation analysis has shown differential expression of genes associated with the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt)/β-catenin pathway, as well as the insulin-like growth factor-binding protein 6 (IGFBP6) tumor suppressor gene. IGFBP6 transcript levels have been found reduced in XIAP<sup>NLS</sup>-overexpressing cells, as well as invasive breast cancer patients. Notably, IGFBP6 knockdown modulated long-term cell proliferation and doxorubicin sensitivity in cells overexpressing nuclear XIAP, further suggesting that nuclear XIAP might indirectly target the IGFBP6 pathway to promote chemoresistance. Finally, Wnt signaling effectors were identified in nuclear XIAP interactomes, closely linked to activation of β-catenin transcriptional activity in XIAP<sup>NLS</sup>-overexpressing cells. Our data establishes a non-canonical role for XIAP in the regulation of pathways related to cell growth in the nucleus, with Wnt/IGFBP6 emerging as a potential regulatory node associated with nuclear XIAP effects in breast cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"178876"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147812339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jian Chen , Xian Lin , Kangdi Liu , Juan He , Xin Li , Chuchu Zhang , Yongxing Deng , Lianxiang Luo , Cheng Tao , Qingwen Wang
{"title":"Corrigendum to “CT2-3 induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in rheumatoid arthritis fibroblast-like synoviocytes through regulating PI3K/AKT pathway” [Eur. J. Pharmacol. 956 (2023) 175871]","authors":"Jian Chen , Xian Lin , Kangdi Liu , Juan He , Xin Li , Chuchu Zhang , Yongxing Deng , Lianxiang Luo , Cheng Tao , Qingwen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178839","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1022 ","pages":"Article 178839"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147671611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Sodium Houttuyfonate Alleviates Monocrotaline-induced Pulmonary Hypertension by Regulating Canonical Transient Receptor Potential Channel Proteins via CHIP.","authors":"Suya Zhang, Gaojia Ju, Jun Zhang, Fang Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178874","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178874","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The influx of extracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> through store-operated Ca<sup>2+</sup> channels (SOCCs), known as store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), significantly contributes to the elevation of intracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration ([Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub>) in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), which plays a crucial role in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Canonical transient receptor potential channel (TRPC) proteins are the crucial constituents of SOCCs. Sodium houttuyfonate (SH) is a compound derived from the combination of sodium bisulfite and houttuynin. Our recent study demonstrates that SH alleviates monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PH (MCT-PH) by suppressing pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (PASMC) proliferation via TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> signaling pathway. In this study, we investigated the contributions of Carboxyl terminus of Hsc70-interacting protein (CHIP) to TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> signaling pathway and PASMC proliferation. Furthermore, based on the actions of CHIP, we explored the mechanism by which SH regulates TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> signaling pathway. The results revealed that: 1) CHIP promotes MCT-induced PASMC proliferation by enhancing TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> signaling pathway; 2) SH significantly downregulates CHIP expression in distal pulmonary arteries (PAs) and cultured PASMCs from MCT-PH rats. 3) Overexpression of CHIP attenuated the inhibitory effect of SH on MCT-elevated TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> signaling pathway and PASMC proliferation. Collectively, these findings provide compelling evidence that SH effectively mitigates MCT-PH by inhibiting PASMC proliferation through the TRPC1,4,6-SOCE-[Ca<sup>2+</sup>]<sub>i</sub> pathway, likely mediated by CHIP.</p>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":" ","pages":"178874"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147722250","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Taotao Zhou , Yang Liu , Rong Xiao , Baodong Xie , Wandong Xie , Xionghai Qin , Xu Zhan , Haobo Sun , Donghui Liu , Sida Qin , Changfu Li , Lihua Sun , Kai Kang
{"title":"Obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation aggravates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through Gls2-mediated ferroptosis","authors":"Taotao Zhou , Yang Liu , Rong Xiao , Baodong Xie , Wandong Xie , Xionghai Qin , Xu Zhan , Haobo Sun , Donghui Liu , Sida Qin , Changfu Li , Lihua Sun , Kai Kang","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178739","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178739","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metabolic diseases, including obesity, are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide. However, the extent to which obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation exacerbates myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury, and its specific impact on the patterns of cell death in this context, remain insufficiently understood. In this study, we demonstrate that obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation leads to more severe cardiac IR injury. This effect is not due to increased IR-mediated myocardial apoptosis, but rather to enhanced IR-induced ferroptosis. Our findings indicate that obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation aggravates cardiac ferroptosis primarily by upregulating glutaminase 2 (Gls2) expression in the heart. Furthermore, inhibition of Gls2 may attenuate IR injury exacerbated by obesity-associated metabolic dysregulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1019 ","pages":"Article 178739"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147443109","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Man Zhang , Yining Zhang , Xiaohong Peng , Anshun He , Yue Wang , Ying Deng , Cheng Cui , Fangkai Xue , Bing Wei , Wancai Xing , Yuzhen Qian , Michelle Mazuranic , Wei Chen
{"title":"Corrigendum to “GZR18, a novel long-acting GLP-1 analog, demonstrated positive in vitro and in vivo pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic characteristics in animal models” [Europ. J. Pharmacol. 928 (2022) 175107]","authors":"Man Zhang , Yining Zhang , Xiaohong Peng , Anshun He , Yue Wang , Ying Deng , Cheng Cui , Fangkai Xue , Bing Wei , Wancai Xing , Yuzhen Qian , Michelle Mazuranic , Wei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178742","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1019 ","pages":"Article 178742"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147431585","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuehua Yu , Zixuan Li , Yuan He , Ji Huang, Zhenxiao Sun
{"title":"Repositioning of nonsedating antihistamine Ebastine for anti-lung adenocarcinoma based on EGFR/ERBB2 dual-targeting strategy","authors":"Yuehua Yu , Zixuan Li , Yuan He , Ji Huang, Zhenxiao Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178774","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178774","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lung adenocarcinoma is a highly fatal carcinoma worldwide with limited therapeutic options. We identified EGFR/ERBB2 as promising dual targets through integrative analysis of clinical data and TCGA database. Molecular docking and cytotoxicity screening of FDA-approved drugs identified Ebastine as a potent dual-targeting agent. Ebastine significantly inhibited NCI-H1975 cell viability (EGFR-mutant with high EGFR/ERBB2 expression), induced ROS elevation, decreased mitochondrial membrane integrity, and triggered apoptosis. Western blot revealed that Ebastine suppressed phosphorylation of EGFR, ERBB2, ERK1/2 and AKT. In xenograft models, Ebastine significantly inhibited NCI-H1975 tumor growth with no significant impact on body weight. Histopathological and immunohistochemical analyses showed reduced Ki67 expression and increased tumor cell apoptosis in Ebastine-treated tumors. Notably, Ebastine promoted macrophage infiltration and M1 polarization both <em>in vivo</em> and <em>in vitro</em>. Our findings establish Ebastine as a promising therapeutic candidate for EGFR/ERBB2-mutant lung adenocarcinoma through a unique dual-targeting approach that combines direct tumor cell inhibition with enhancement of anti-tumor immunity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1019 ","pages":"Article 178774"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147462771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Janney Z. Wang , Yihe Niu , Xue Zhu , Sophie Theresa Gerstlauer , Nguyen Huong Que Hiep Dang , Ling Zhu , Jin-jian Lu , Hong Zhu , Ke Wang , Svetlana Cherepanoff , R. Max Conway , Michele C. Madigan , Christophe Morisseau , Michael Murray , Bruce D. Hammock , Fanfan Zhou
{"title":"UC2288 decreases the viability and metastatic activity of human Uveal melanoma cells via activating the AMPK/eIF2/ATF4 ER stress axis","authors":"Janney Z. Wang , Yihe Niu , Xue Zhu , Sophie Theresa Gerstlauer , Nguyen Huong Que Hiep Dang , Ling Zhu , Jin-jian Lu , Hong Zhu , Ke Wang , Svetlana Cherepanoff , R. Max Conway , Michele C. Madigan , Christophe Morisseau , Michael Murray , Bruce D. Hammock , Fanfan Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178784","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178784","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Uveal melanoma (UM) is the primary intraocular malignancy in adults and has an extremely poor prognosis due to a high rate of metastasis. Because current drug options are generally ineffective, there is an urgent need for new agents with anti-UM efficacy. The phenylcyclohexyl-urea UC2288 was investigated in <em>in vitro</em>, <em>ex vivo</em> and <em>in vivo</em> UM models. The anti-cancer actions of UC2288 were evaluated using cell viability and cell death assays. Tumour migration, invasion and reproductive cell growth assays were used to assess the anti-metastatic potential of UC2288. Such effects were corroborated in primary cultures derived from patient tumours and <em>in vivo</em> in a UM cell xenograft mouse model. UC2288 decreased UM cell proliferation in conventional and 3-dimensional cell culture by disrupting cell cycle progression and modulating cyclin expression. UC2288 also targeted the mitochondrion and increased the production of reactive oxygen species, which promoted necrotic cell death. In mechanistic studies, UC2288 activated AMPK and downstream eIF2/ATF pathways of ER stress and autophagy in UM cells. UC2288 also impaired UM cell migration, invasion and reproductive growth, which is consistent with anti-metastatic activity. These findings were replicated <em>in vivo</em> in a UM cell xenograft model. Taken together, UC2288 represents a promising candidate for further development that targets UM tumours with favourable anti-cancer effects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1019 ","pages":"Article 178784"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147462734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hassiba Benbaibeche , Abdenour Bounihi , Hamza Saidi , Amira Sayed Khan , Asma Bouazza , Aziz Hichami , Elhadj Ahmed Koceir , Naim Akhtar Khan
{"title":"Exogenous glucocorticoids upregulate preference for sweet in sand rat, Psammomys obesus","authors":"Hassiba Benbaibeche , Abdenour Bounihi , Hamza Saidi , Amira Sayed Khan , Asma Bouazza , Aziz Hichami , Elhadj Ahmed Koceir , Naim Akhtar Khan","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178688","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178688","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Psammomys obesus</em>, widely known as sand rat, develops obesity during captivity. To assess the role of confinement stress on metabolic alterations and sweet taste perception, the gustatory cue involved in obesity, we administered corticosterone (CORT) intraperitoneally in male <em>Psammomys obesus</em> to yield a stressful condition. CORT administration was found to increase preference for sweet solutions in a two bottle-choice paradigm in these animals. Moreover, CORT administration increased the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) expression of sweet test receptor in fungiform taste bud cells. As regards liver, CORT increased mRNA expression encoding glucose-6-phosphatase (G-6-P), phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase 1 (PEPCK1) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 (SCD-1). Interestingly, CORT decreased gut peptide YY (PYY), insulin, and triglyceride levels in the blood. Our study demonstrates that corticosterone, known to be released during the captivity period, might play a key role in the development of obesity by influencing sweet taste perception, release of a gut peptide and modifications in lipid/glucidic metabolic enzymatic pathways in <em>Psammomys obesus</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1018 ","pages":"Article 178688"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147321651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ubiquitin-specific proteases in Atherosclerosis: Exploring novel therapeutic strategies beyond conventional approaches","authors":"Yumna Khan , Rabab Fatima , Baby Ilma , Jyoti Maithani Kalra , Mudasir Maqbool , Prasanna Srinivasan Ramalingam , Akash Verma , Nisha Bansal , Sumel Ashique , Md Sadique Hussain","doi":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178676","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ejphar.2026.178676","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atherosclerosis (AS) is one of the primary causes of cardiovascular disease that is already a worldwide issue necessitating a novel therapeutic approach. Recent studies reflect the key functions of ubiquitin-specific proteases (USPs) in AS pathogenesis. The effects of these enzymes on ubiquitination and cell stability control cellular processes including protein degradation, lipid metabolism, inflammation, and cell signaling. Interestingly, USPs have dual and context-specific roles in AS progression. An example is that USP14 enhances AS through the activation of mTOR signaling in smooth muscle cells but suppresses NF-κB in endothelial cells. USP20 enhances hepatic lipogenesis but has the opposite effect on the inflammation of vessels by smooth muscle cells. On this basis, USP9X affects the foam cell formation and stability of the plaque through altering lipid uptake by the CD36. Small-molecule inhibitors, CRISPR-based gene editing, and nanotechnology-based delivery systems are a few of therapeutic USPs targeting approaches that have emerged as an area of interest. Nevertheless, there is a significant gap in existing knowledge about the tissue- and cell-specific roles of USPs because the identical enzyme can have both protective and atherogenic impacts on one cellular environment. The absence of approaches that would allow the accurate, tissue-specific modulation of USPs are a vital obstacle to clinical translation. This review highlights the urgency of accuracy-based medicine approaches that incorporate tissue-selective targeting, advanced delivery mechanisms, and molecular profiling to safely and efficiently apply USP-based therapeutic approaches in AS. Filling these gaps is crucial for advancing USP-targeted interventions beyond traditional AS therapies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":12004,"journal":{"name":"European journal of pharmacology","volume":"1018 ","pages":"Article 178676"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147303811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}