Abstract
The Journal Editors hereby issue an expression of concern for the following article:
Xie X-J, Ma L-G, Xi K, Fan D-M, Li J-G, Zhang Q, Zhang W. Effects of microRNA-223 on morphine analgesic tolerance by targeting NLRP3 in a rat model of neuropathic pain. Molecular Pain 2017. DOI: 10.1177/1744806917706582
The Editors have been alerted to the following concerns about Figures 2, 4, and 5 in the article.
Figure 2. MicroRNA-223 negatively regulates the NLRP3 expression. The Western blotting bands in Figure 2(d) appear to be post-processed by software, as follows:
The second band in the NLRP3 expression has two visible pasted joints, which indicates it is not an intact band. The first band in the NLRP3 expression and each of the three bands in the β-actin expression appear to be the same band.
Figure 4. The protein expressions of NLRP3, ASC, and Caspase-I in the spinal cord tissues of rats in each group. The Western blotting bands in Figure 4(a) appear to be post-processed by software, as follows:
The first three and eighth bands in the NLRP3 expression, the first two and eighth band in the ASC expression, and the first three and eighth band in the Caspase-I expression appear to be the same bands; The fourth and sixth bands in the NLRP3 expression, the fourth and sixth bands in the ASC expression, and the fourth and sixth bands in the Caspase-I expression appear to be the same bands. In addition, the resolution of these bands appears significantly different than the other bands in the expressions. Each of the eight bands in the β-actin expression appears to be the same band.
Figure 5. The protein expressions of IL-Iβ and IL-I8 in the spinal cord tissues of rats in each group. The Western blotting bands in Figure 5(a) appear to be post-processed by software, as follows:
The first four, sixth, and eighth bands in the IL-Iβ expression and the first three and eighth band in the IL-I8 expression appear to be the same bands. The fifth and seventh bands in the IL-Iβ expression appear to be the same bands. The fourth and sixth bands in the IL-I8 expression appear to be the same bands. In addition, the contrast of these bands appears significantly different than the other bands in the expressions. The bands have a square border, suggesting they may have been pasted on the expression. The fifth and seventh bands in the IL-I8 expression appear to be the same bands. Each of the eight bands in the β-actin expression appears to be the same band.
We asked the authors to address these concerns and to supply the original Western blots referenced in the figures for our review and received no response. As we could not make a definitive conclusion about the images, following Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) recommendations, we would like to alert readers to these issues and allow them to arrive at their own conclusions regarding the figures.
The Editor and SAGE strive to uphold the very highest standards of publication ethics and are committed to supporting the high standards of integrity of Molecular Pain. Authors, reviewers, editors, and interested readers should consult the ethics section of SAGE and the COPE website for guidelines on publication ethics.