0000000001165758
AUTHOR
Fiorella Casamenti
Garcinoic acid prevents β-amyloid (Aβ) deposition in the mouse brain
Garcinoic acid (GA or δ-T3-13'COOH), is a natural vitamin E metabolite that has preliminarily been identified as a modulator of nuclear receptors involved in β-amyloid (Aβ) metabolism and progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we investigated GA's effects on Aβ oligomer formation and deposition. Specifically, we compared them with those of other vitamin E analogs and the soy isoflavone genistein, a natural agonist of peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor γ (PPARγ) that has therapeutic potential for managing AD. GA significantly reduced Aβ aggregation and accumulation in mouse cortical astrocytes. Similarly to genistein, GA up-regulated PPARγ expression and apolipoprote…
EFFECTS OF 4-AMINOPYRIDINE ON ACETYLCHOLINE OUTPUT FROM THE CEREBRAL CORTEX OF THE RAT in vivo
Abstract 1 The effects of 4-aminopyridine (4AP) on the output of acetylcholine (ACh) from the cerebral cortex were investigated in unanaesthetized freely moving rats and in anaesthetized rats by means of the `cup technique'. ACh was determined by bioassay on the dorsal muscle of the leech. 2 In unanaesthetized rats intraperitoneal injection of 4AP (3 mg/kg) had no effect on the cortical output of ACh. 3 After injection of morphine (10 mg/kg s.c.), which depressed the spontaneous output of ACh, 4AP increased the cortical output to a level significantly higher than that determined before morphine injection. 4 In rats anaesthetized with either urethane or pentobarbitone, drugs known to decreas…