Search results for "neuroprotection"

Differential Associations of IL-4 With Hippocampal Subfields in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease

2019

Background/Aims: A bi-directional communication between the immune system and the central nervous system has been recently suggested. Among many cytokines, the role of IL-4 - with anti-inflammatory properties- in counteracting age-related inflammatory changes in the brain is strongly supported among studies. With this study, we aimed at investigating the association between volumetric measures of hippocampal subregions -in healthy older controls (HC), subjects affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)- with circulating levels of IL-4. Methods: From AddNeuroMed Project 113 HC, 101 stable MCI (sMCI), 22 converter MCI (cMCI) and 119 AD were included. Hippocampal …

Heat shock protein (Hsp) regulation by muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) activation in the rat hippocampus.

2018

The cholinergic system plays a crucial role in modulating in the central nervous system physiological responses such as neurogenesis, neuronal differentiation, synaptic plasticity, and neuroprotection. In a recent study, we showed that Oxotremorine-M, a non-selective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor agonist, is able to transactivate the fibroblast growth factor receptor and to produce a significant increase in the hippocampal primary neurite outgrowth. In the present study we aimed to explore in the rat hippocampus the possible effect of acute or chronic treatment with Oxotremorine-M on some heat shock proteins (Hsp60, Hsp70, Hsp90) and on activation of related transcription factor heat sh…

Tocotrienol Affects Oxidative Stress, Cholesterol Homeostasis and the Amyloidogenic Pathway in Neuroblastoma Cells: Consequences for Alzheimer’s Dise…

2016

One of the characteristics of Alzheimer´s disease (AD) is an increased amyloid load and an enhanced level of reactive oxidative species (ROS). Vitamin E has known beneficial neuroprotective effects, and previously, some studies suggested that vitamin E is associated with a reduced risk of AD due to its antioxidative properties. However, epidemiological studies and nutritional approaches of vitamin E treatment are controversial. Here, we investigate the effect of α-tocotrienol, which belongs to the group of vitamin E, on AD-relevant processes in neuronal cell lines. In line with the literature, α-tocotrienol reduced the ROS level in SH-SY5Y cells. In the presence of tocotrienols, cholesterol…

Role of Regular Physical Activity in Neuroprotection against Acute Ischemia

2020

One of the major obstacles that prevents an effective therapeutic intervention against ischemic stroke is the lack of neuroprotective agents able to reduce neuronal damage; this results in frequent evolution towards a long-term disability with limited alternatives available to aid in recovery. Nevertheless, various treatment options have shown clinical efficacy. Neurotrophins such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), widely produced throughout the brain, but also in distant tissues such as the muscle, have demonstrated regenerative properties with the potential to restore damaged neural tissue. Neurotrophins play a significant role in both protection and recovery of function followi…

DHA protects PC12 cells against oxidative stress and apoptotic signals through the activation of the NFE2L2/HO-1 axis

2019

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is an omega‑3 polyunsaturated fatty acid, derived mainly from fish oil. It is well known that DHA is present in high concentrations in nervous tissue and plays an important role in brain development and neuroprotection. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying its role remain to be fully elucidated. In this study, to enhance our understanding of the pathophysiological role of DHA, we investigated the possible neuroprotective mechanisms of action of DHA against hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)‑induced oxidative damage in a rat pheochromocytoma cell line (PC12). Specifically, we evaluated the viability, oxidation potential, and the expression and production of antioxida…

MiRNome of epileptic children suggests the involvement of antioxidant pathways in the neuroprotective role of ketogenic diet

2018

Ketogenic diet (KD) has been used as treatment for refractory epilepsy in children since the 1920s. However, the neuroprotective mechanism of this diet is still unknown. Recent evidence points to a multifactorial effect of KD that involves a decrease of oxidative stress. Mononuclear cells from 14 children with refractory epilepsy, from the Paediatric Hospital “Nino Jesus” in Madrid, were obtained before and after treatment with a ketogenic diet for 6 months. A global analysis of miRNA expression (miRNome) indicates that there are 230 miRNAs which are expressed differently before and after the treatment with KD. If additionally, we restrict the miRNAs with a fold change > |1.3|we obtain 11 r…

2019

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) leading to CNS inflammation and neurodegeneration. Current anti-inflammatory drugs have only limited efficacy on progressive neurodegenerative processes underlining the need to understand immune-mediated neuronal injury. Cell adhesion molecules play an important role for immune cell migration over the blood-brain barrier whereas their role in mediating potentially harmful contacts between invading immune cells and neurons is incompletely understood. Here, we assess the role of the CNS-specific neuronal adhesion molecule ICAM-5 using experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model of …

The cytoprotective protein MANF promotes neuronal survival independently from its role as a GRP78 cofactor

2021

Mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF) is an endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-stress-regulated protein exhibiting cytoprotective properties through a poorly understood mechanism in various in vitro and in vivo models of neuronal and non-neuronal damage. Although initially characterized as a secreted neurotrophic factor for midbrain dopamine neurons, MANF has recently gained more interest for its intracellular role in regulating the ER homeostasis, including serving as a cofactor of the chaperone glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78). We aimed for a better understanding of the neuroprotective mechanisms of MANF. Here we show for the first time that MANF promotes the survival of …

Extracellular vesicles in the oligodendrocyte microenvironment

2019

Abstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) recently took centre stage as mediators of cellular crosstalk modulating the tissue microenvironment. Released by all types of neural cells, EVs may execute a broad spectrum of functions ranging from maintenance of neuronal homeostasis and regulation of neural plasticity to the spread of neurodegenerative agents. Myelinating oligodendrocytes and axons form a highly specialized functional entity that depends on intimate interactions within the oligodendrocyte-neuron niche. EVs released by oligodendrocytes are internalized by neurons in response to neuronal signals and exhibit neuroprotective properties but also may influence other cells present in the mi…

The Guanine-Based Purinergic System: The Tale of An Orphan Neuromodulation.

2016

Guanine-based purines (GBPs) have been recently proposed to be not only metabolic agents but also extracellular signaling molecules that regulate important functions in the central nervous system. In such way, GBPs-mediated neuroprotection, behavioral responses and neuronal plasticity have been broadly described in the literature. However, while a number of these functions (i.e., GBPs neurothophic effects) have been well-established, the molecular mechanisms behind these GBPs-dependent effects are still unknown. Furthermore, no plasma membrane receptors for GBPs have been described so far, thus GBPs are still considered orphan neuromodulators. Interestingly, an intricate and controversial f…