1
|
Aquatic Freshwater Vertebrate Models of Epilepsy Pathology: Past Discoveries and Future Directions for Therapeutic Discovery. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23158608. [PMID: 35955745 PMCID: PMC9368815 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23158608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2022] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/30/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is an international public health concern that greatly affects patients’ health and lifestyle. About 30% of patients do not respond to available therapies, making new research models important for further drug discovery. Aquatic vertebrates present a promising avenue for improved seizure drug screening and discovery. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) and African clawed frogs (Xenopus laevis and tropicalis) are increasing in popularity for seizure research due to their cost-effective housing and rearing, similar genome to humans, ease of genetic manipulation, and simplicity of drug dosing. These organisms have demonstrated utility in a variety of seizure-induction models including chemical and genetic methods. Past studies with these methods have produced promising data and generated questions for further applications of these models to promote discovery of drug-resistant seizure pathology and lead to effective treatments for these patients.
Collapse
|
2
|
Martínez-Guitarte JL, Beltrán EM, González-Doncel M, García-Hortigüela P, Fernández A, Pablos MV. Effect assessment of reclaimed waters and carbamazepine exposure on the thyroid axis of Xenopus laevis: Gene expression modifications. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 291:118226. [PMID: 34563849 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.118226] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Reclaimed water (RW) obtained from wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) is used for irrigation, groundwater recharge, among other potential uses. Although most pollutants are removed, traces of them are frequently found, which can affect organisms and alter the environment. The presence of a myriad of contaminants in RW makes it a complex mixture with very diverse effects and interactions. A previous study, in which tadpoles were exposed to RW and RW spiked with Carbamazepine (CBZ), presented slight thyroid gland stimulation, as suggested by the development acceleration of tadpoles and histological findings in the gland provoked by RW, regardless of the CBZ concentration. To complement this study, the present work analysed the putative molecular working mechanism by selecting six genes coding for the thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHβ), thyroid hormone metabolising enzymes (DIO2, DIO3), thyroid receptors (THRA, THRB), and a thyroid hormone-induced DNA binding protein (Kfl9). Transcriptional activity was studied by Real-Time PCR (RT-PCR) in brains, hind limbs, and tails on exposure days 1, 7, and 21. No significant differences were observed between treatments for each time point, but slight alterations were noted when the time response was analysed. The obtained results indicate that the effects of RW or RW spiked with CBZ are negligible for the genes analysed during the selected exposure periods.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- José Luis Martínez-Guitarte
- Grupo de Biología y Toxicología Ambiental, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia, UNED, Senda del Rey 9, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Eulalia María Beltrán
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA-CSIC, Crta La Coruña Km 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Miguel González-Doncel
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA-CSIC, Crta La Coruña Km 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Pilar García-Hortigüela
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA-CSIC, Crta La Coruña Km 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - Amanda Fernández
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA-CSIC, Crta La Coruña Km 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - María Victoria Pablos
- Laboratory for Ecotoxicology, Department of Environment and Agronomy, National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology, INIA-CSIC, Crta La Coruña Km 7, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yilmaz B, Terekeci H, Sandal S, Kelestimur F. Endocrine disrupting chemicals: exposure, effects on human health, mechanism of action, models for testing and strategies for prevention. Rev Endocr Metab Disord 2020; 21:127-147. [PMID: 31792807 DOI: 10.1007/s11154-019-09521-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 260] [Impact Index Per Article: 65.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) are a global problem for environmental and human health. They are defined as "an exogenous chemical, or mixture of chemicals, that can interfere with any aspect of hormone action". It is estimated that there are about 1000 chemicals with endocrine-acting properties. EDCs comprise pesticides, fungicides, industrial chemicals, plasticizers, nonylphenols, metals, pharmaceutical agents and phytoestrogens. Human exposure to EDCs mainly occurs by ingestion and to some extent by inhalation and dermal uptake. Most EDCs are lipophilic and bioaccumulate in the adipose tissue, thus they have a very long half-life in the body. It is difficult to assess the full impact of human exposure to EDCs because adverse effects develop latently and manifest at later ages, and in some people do not present. Timing of exposure is of importance. Developing fetus and neonates are the most vulnerable to endocrine disruption. EDCs may interfere with synthesis, action and metabolism of sex steroid hormones that in turn cause developmental and fertility problems, infertility and hormone-sensitive cancers in women and men. Some EDCs exert obesogenic effects that result in disturbance in energy homeostasis. Interference with hypothalamo-pituitary-thyroid and adrenal axes has also been reported. In this review, potential EDCs, their effects and mechanisms of action, epidemiological studies to analyze their effects on human health, bio-detection and chemical identification methods, difficulties in extrapolating experimental findings and studying endocrine disruptors in humans and recommendations for endocrinologists, individuals and policy makers will be discussed in view of the relevant literature.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bayram Yilmaz
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Hakan Terekeci
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Suleyman Sandal
- Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Inonu University, Malatya, Turkey
| | - Fahrettin Kelestimur
- Department of Endocrinology, Faculty of Medicine, Yeditepe University, Istanbul, Turkey.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Coperchini F, Croce L, Ricci G, Magri F, Rotondi M, Imbriani M, Chiovato L. Thyroid Disrupting Effects of Old and New Generation PFAS. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne) 2020; 11:612320. [PMID: 33542707 PMCID: PMC7851056 DOI: 10.3389/fendo.2020.612320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 12/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) represent a group of synthetic compounds widely used in industry plants due to their low grade of degradation, surfactant properties, thermic and flame resistance. These characteristics are useful for the industrial production, however they are also potentially dangerous for human health and for the environment. PFAS are persistent pollutants accumulating in waters and soil and recoverable in foods due to their release by food packaging. Humans are daily exposed to PFAS because these compounds are ubiquitous and, when assimilated, they are difficult to be eliminated, persisting for years both in humans and animals. Due to their persistence and potential danger to health, some old generation PFAS have been replaced by newly synthesized PFAS with the aim to use alternative compounds presumably safer for humans and the environment. Yet, the environmental pollution with PFAS remains a matter of concern worldwide and led to large-scale epidemiological studies both on plants' workers and on exposed people in the general population. In this context, strong concern emerged concerning the potential adverse effects of PFAS on the thyroid gland. Thyroid hormones play a critical role in the regulation of metabolism, and thyroid function is related to cardiovascular disease, fertility, and fetal neurodevelopment. In vitro, ex vivo data, and epidemiological studies suggested that PFASs may disrupt the thyroid hormone system in humans, with possible negative repercussions on the outcome of pregnancy and fetal-child development. However, data on the thyroid disrupting effect of PFAS remain controversial, as well as their impact on human health in different ages of life. Aim of the present paper is to review recent data on the effects of old and new generation PFAS on thyroid homeostasis. To this purpose we collected information from in vitro studies, animal models, and in vivo data on exposed workers, general population, and pregnant women.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Coperchini
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Laura Croce
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Gianluca Ricci
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
| | - Flavia Magri
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Mario Rotondi
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Marcello Imbriani
- Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Chiovato
- Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, Unit of Internal Medicine and Endocrinology, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy
- Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
- *Correspondence: Luca Chiovato,
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Nenni MJ, Fisher ME, James-Zorn C, Pells TJ, Ponferrada V, Chu S, Fortriede JD, Burns KA, Wang Y, Lotay VS, Wang DZ, Segerdell E, Chaturvedi P, Karimi K, Vize PD, Zorn AM. Xenbase: Facilitating the Use of Xenopus to Model Human Disease. Front Physiol 2019; 10:154. [PMID: 30863320 PMCID: PMC6399412 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2019.00154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
At a fundamental level most genes, signaling pathways, biological functions and organ systems are highly conserved between man and all vertebrate species. Leveraging this conservation, researchers are increasingly using the experimental advantages of the amphibian Xenopus to model human disease. The online Xenopus resource, Xenbase, enables human disease modeling by curating the Xenopus literature published in PubMed and integrating these Xenopus data with orthologous human genes, anatomy, and more recently with links to the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man resource (OMIM) and the Human Disease Ontology (DO). Here we review how Xenbase supports disease modeling and report on a meta-analysis of the published Xenopus research providing an overview of the different types of diseases being modeled in Xenopus and the variety of experimental approaches being used. Text mining of over 50,000 Xenopus research articles imported into Xenbase from PubMed identified approximately 1,000 putative disease- modeling articles. These articles were manually assessed and annotated with disease ontologies, which were then used to classify papers based on disease type. We found that Xenopus is being used to study a diverse array of disease with three main experimental approaches: cell-free egg extracts to study fundamental aspects of cellular and molecular biology, oocytes to study ion transport and channel physiology and embryo experiments focused on congenital diseases. We integrated these data into Xenbase Disease Pages to allow easy navigation to disease information on external databases. Results of this analysis will equip Xenopus researchers with a suite of experimental approaches available to model or dissect a pathological process. Ideally clinicians and basic researchers will use this information to foster collaborations necessary to interrogate the development and treatment of human diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mardi J Nenni
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Malcolm E Fisher
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Christina James-Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Troy J Pells
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Virgilio Ponferrada
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Stanley Chu
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Joshua D Fortriede
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Kevin A Burns
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Ying Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Vaneet S Lotay
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Dong Zhou Wang
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Erik Segerdell
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, United States
| | - Praneet Chaturvedi
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Kamran Karimi
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Peter D Vize
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Aaron M Zorn
- Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| |
Collapse
|