Magic™ Anti-BNP monoclonal antibody, clone CLQ3

Most canine visits to veterinarians are related to skin diseases with itch being the chief complaint. Historically, several itch-inducing molecules and pathways have been identified in mice, but whether or not these are similar in dogs is not yet known. Herein, we set out to study the expression of pruritogenic neuropeptides, their cognate receptors with a limited functional validation thereof using a multidisciplinary approach. We demonstrated the expression of somatostatin and other major neuropeptides and receptors in canine dorsal root ganglia neurons. Next, we showed that interleukin-31, serotonin, and histamine activate such neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrated the physiological release of somatostatin from dog dorsal root ganglia neurons in response to several endogenous itch mediators. In summary, our results provide the first evidence that dogs use similar pruritogenic pathways to those characterized in mice and we thus identify multiple targets for the future treatment of itch in dogs.

Molecular photoswitching, light induced reversible color/fluorescence modulation, has mostly been realized in organic molecules via E/Z isomerization of azobenzenes and stilbenes and ring opening/closing reactions of spiropyrans and diarylethenes. We report here new fluorescent molecular photoswitches based on triphenylamine (TPA)-imidazole derivatives, N-phenyl-N-(4-(1,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)benzenamine (NTPB) and N-phenyl-N-(4-(1-phenyl-1H-phenanthro[9,10-d]imidazol-2-yl)phenyl)benzenamine (NPPB), that exhibited light induced reversible fluorescence switching via conformational change from a twisted molecular structure to more planar. NTPB and NPPB in CHCl3 showed red shift of absorption and fluorescence upon UV light irradiation whereas white light exposure reversed both absorption as well as fluorescence. The role of the TPA-imidazole twisted molecular structure in photoswitching was established based on structure property, computational and photophysical studies. The isobestic point observed in time dependent fluorescence change under UV light irradiation clearly demonstrated the presence of two different conformational isomers. Interestingly, polymorphism and torsion angle () dependent fluorescence of NTPB and NPPB in the solid state also supported the role of the twisted molecular structure of TPA-imidazole in fluorescence switching/tuning. Interestingly, NTPB showed fluorescence photoswitching in the solid state also whereas rigid phenanthrene based NPPB did not show fluorescence photoswitching. Thus the present studies provide structural insight for designing a new type of fluorescent organic molecular photoswitches based on conformational modulation that could be of potential interest in optoelectronic devices.