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Kopáni M, Vraníková B, Kosnáč D, Zeman M, Šišovský V, Polakovičová S, Biró C. Pineal gland calcification under hypoxic conditions. Physiol Res 2019; 68:S405-S413. [DOI: 10.33549/physiolres.934378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The pineal gland (glandula pinealis) is neuroendocrine gland located at the epithalamus of the brain secreting melatonin. The aim of this study was to explore effects of prenatal hypoxia in rats at the age of 33 weeks on the occurrence of pineal gland calcification. Distribution and chemical composition of calcerous material by light, scanning and transmission electron microscopy was investigated. Melatonin concentrations in blood plasma by direct radioimmunoassay were measured. Rats were exposed to prenatal hypoxia for 12 h at day 20 of development and second group to prenatal hypoxia for 2x8 h at days 19 and 20 of development. Vacuoles of intracellular edema in the pineal samples after 12 h hypoxia were found. Their size ranges up to 30 µm. Some of them were filled with the flocculent and fibrous material. Samples of pineal glands after 2 x 8 h hypoxia revealed the pericellular edema of pinealocytes. The amount of calcium rich particles in 2 x 8 h hypoxia group was lower than in 12 h hypoxia group. Plasma melatonin levels did not differ between control and both hypoxia groups. We concluded that calcification is a process induced by osteoblasts and osteocytes with melatonin as a promotor and it is favored under hypoxic conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Kopáni
- , Institute of Medical Physics, Biophysics, Informatics and Telemedicine, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
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Yelamanchi SD, Kumar M, Madugundu AK, Gopalakrishnan L, Dey G, Chavan S, Sathe G, Mathur PP, Gowda H, Mahadevan A, Shankar SK, Prasad TSK. Characterization of human pineal gland proteome. MOLECULAR BIOSYSTEMS 2017; 12:3622-3632. [PMID: 27714013 DOI: 10.1039/c6mb00507a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The pineal gland is a neuroendocrine gland located at the center of the brain. It is known to regulate various physiological functions in the body through secretion of the neurohormone melatonin. Comprehensive characterization of the human pineal gland proteome has not been undertaken to date. We employed a high-resolution mass spectrometry-based approach to characterize the proteome of the human pineal gland. A total of 5874 proteins were identified from the human pineal gland in this study. Of these, 5820 proteins were identified from the human pineal gland for the first time. Interestingly, 1136 proteins from the human pineal gland were found to contain a signal peptide domain, which indicates the secretory nature of these proteins. An unbiased global proteomic profile of this biomedically important organ should benefit molecular research to unravel the role of the pineal gland in neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Soujanya D Yelamanchi
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751 024, India.
| | - Manish Kumar
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal 576 104, India
| | - Anil K Madugundu
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and Centre for Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
| | | | - Gourav Dey
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal 576 104, India
| | - Sandip Chavan
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal 576 104, India
| | - Gajanan Sathe
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and Manipal University, Madhav Nagar, Manipal 576 104, India
| | - Premendu P Mathur
- School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751 024, India. and Centre for Bioinformatics, Pondicherry University, Puducherry 605 014, India
| | - Harsha Gowda
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and School of Biotechnology, KIIT University, Bhubaneswar 751 024, India. and YU-IOB Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya University, Mangalore 575 018, India
| | - Anita Mahadevan
- Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India. and Human Brain Tissue Repository, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India
| | - Susarla K Shankar
- Department of Neuropathology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India. and Human Brain Tissue Repository, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India and Proteomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India
| | - T S Keshava Prasad
- Institute of Bioinformatics, International Technology Park, Bangalore 560 066, India. and YU-IOB Center for Systems Biology and Molecular Medicine, Yenepoya University, Mangalore 575 018, India and Proteomics and Bioinformatics Laboratory, Neurobiology Research Centre, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences, Bangalore 560 029, India
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Hinzmann MF, Lopes-Lima M, Bobos I, Ferreira J, Domingues B, Machado J. Morphological and chemical characterization of mineral concretions in the freshwater bivalveAnodonta cygnea(Unionidae). J Morphol 2014; 276:65-76. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 08/04/2014] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mariana F. Hinzmann
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar; Departamento de Produção Aquática; Universidade do Porto; Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.º 228 4050-313 Porto Portugal
- CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marítima e Ambiental; Universidade do Porto; Rua dos Bragas, n.289 4050-123 Porto Portugal
| | - Manuel Lopes-Lima
- CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marítima e Ambiental; Universidade do Porto; Rua dos Bragas, n.289 4050-123 Porto Portugal
| | - Iulius Bobos
- Departamento Geociências; FCUP - Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto; Rua Campo Alegre 687 4169 - 007 Porto Portugal
| | - Jorge Ferreira
- LNEG - Laboratório Nacional de Energia e Geologia, I.P., Rua da Amieira; 4466-956 S. Mamede de Infesta Portugal
| | - Bernardo Domingues
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar; Departamento de Produção Aquática; Universidade do Porto; Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.º 228 4050-313 Porto Portugal
- CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marítima e Ambiental; Universidade do Porto; Rua dos Bragas, n.289 4050-123 Porto Portugal
| | - Jorge Machado
- ICBAS - Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas de Abel Salazar; Departamento de Produção Aquática; Universidade do Porto; Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira n.º 228 4050-313 Porto Portugal
- CIIMAR - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marítima e Ambiental; Universidade do Porto; Rua dos Bragas, n.289 4050-123 Porto Portugal
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Ongkana N, Zhao XZ, Tohno S, Azuma C, Moriwake Y, Minami T, Tohno Y. High accumulation of calcium and phosphorus in the pineal bodies with aging. Biol Trace Elem Res 2007; 119:120-7. [PMID: 17916935 DOI: 10.1007/s12011-007-0054-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2006] [Revised: 11/30/1999] [Accepted: 12/20/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
To elucidate compositional changes of the pineal body with aging, the authors investigated age-related changes of elements in the pineal body. After the ordinary dissection by medical students was finished, the pineal bodies and seven arteries were resected from the subjects ranging in age from 58 to 94 years. The element contents were determined by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. It was found that a high accumulation of Ca and P occurred in the pineal bodies with aging. Regarding the relationships among the elements, it was found that there were significant direct correlations among the contents of Ca, P, and Mg. With regard to the relationships between the pineal body and the arteries, no significant correlations were found in the Ca content between the pineal body and the arteries, such as the thoracic and abdominal aortas and the coronary, common carotid, pulmonary, splenic, and common iliac arteries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nutcharin Ongkana
- Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Anatomy, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Nara 634-8521, Japan
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Wu YH, Swaab DF. Disturbance and strategies for reactivation of the circadian rhythm system in aging and Alzheimer's disease. Sleep Med 2007; 8:623-36. [PMID: 17383938 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2006.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 182] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2006] [Revised: 11/09/2006] [Accepted: 11/11/2006] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Circadian rhythm disturbances, such as sleep disorders, are frequently seen in aging and are even more pronounced in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Alterations in the biological clock, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), and the pineal gland during aging and AD are considered to be the biological basis for these circadian rhythm disturbances. Recently, our group found that pineal melatonin secretion and pineal clock gene oscillation were disrupted in AD patients, and surprisingly even in non-demented controls with the earliest signs of AD neuropathology (neuropathological Braak stages I-II), in contrast to non-demented controls without AD neuropathology. Furthermore, a functional disruption of the SCN was observed from the earliest AD stages onwards, as shown by decreased vasopressin mRNA, a clock-controlled major output of the SCN. The observed functional disconnection between the SCN and the pineal from the earliest AD stage onwards seems to account for the pineal clock gene and melatonin changes and underlies circadian rhythm disturbances in AD. This paper further discusses potential therapeutic strategies for reactivation of the circadian timing system, including melatonin and bright light therapy. As the presence of melatonin MT1 receptor in the SCN is extremely decreased in late AD patients, supplementary melatonin in the late AD stages may not lead to clear effects on circadian rhythm disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying-Hui Wu
- Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Tutuncu NB, Batur MK, Yildirir A, Tutuncu T, Deger A, Koray Z, Erbas B, Kabakci G, Aksoyek S, Erbas T. Melatonin levels decrease in type 2 diabetic patients with cardiac autonomic neuropathy. J Pineal Res 2005; 39:43-9. [PMID: 15978056 DOI: 10.1111/j.1600-079x.2005.00213.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
The present study has been designed to determine melatonin levels in type 2 diabetic patients and test the relationship between the autonomic nervous system and melatonin dynamics. Thirty-six type 2 diabetic patients and 13 age-matched healthy subjects were recruited for the study. Circadian rhythm of melatonin secretion was assessed by measuring serum melatonin concentrations between 02:00-04:00 and 16:00-18:00 hr. Melatonin dynamics were re-evaluated with respect to autonomic nervous system in diabetic patients with autonomic neuropathy who were diagnosed by the cardiovascular reflex tests, heart rate variability (HRV), and 24-hr blood pressure monitoring. Nocturnal melatonin levels and the nocturnal melatonin surge were low in the diabetic group (P = 0.027 and 0.008 respectively). Patients with autonomic neuropathy revealed decreased melatonin levels both at night and during day when compared with healthy controls (P < 0.001 and 0.004 respectively) while the melatonin dynamics were similar to controls in patients without autonomic neuropathy. Nocturnal melatonin level was positively correlated with nocturnal high and low frequency components of HRV (P = 0.005 and 0.011 respectively) and systolic and diastolic blood pressures at night (P = 0.002 and 0.004 respectively) in patients with autonomic neuropathy. We found a negative correlation between nocturnal melatonin levels and the degree of systolic blood pressure decrease at night (r = -0.478, P = 0.045). As a conclusion this study has shown that circadian rhythm of melatonin secretion is blunted in type 2 diabetic patients and there is a complex relationship between various components of autonomic nervous system and melatonin secretion at night. Among the patients with autonomic neuropathy those with more preserved HRV and the systolic nondippers (<10% reduction in blood pressure during the night relative to daytime values) have more pronounced melatonin surge at night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neslihan B Tutuncu
- Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine, Ankara, Turkey.
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Acharya S, Foletta VC, Lee JW, Rayborn ME, Rodriguez IR, Young WS, Hollyfield JG. SPACRCAN, a novel human interphotoreceptor matrix hyaluronan-binding proteoglycan synthesized by photoreceptors and pinealocytes. J Biol Chem 2000; 275:6945-55. [PMID: 10702256 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.275.10.6945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
The interphotoreceptor matrix is a unique extracellular complex occupying the interface between photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium in the fundus of the eye. Because of the putative supportive role in photoreceptor maintenance, it is likely that constituent molecules play key roles in photoreceptor function and may be targets for inherited retinal disease. In this study we identify and characterize SPACRCAN, a novel chondroitin proteoglycan in this matrix. SPACRCAN was cloned from a human retinal cDNA library and the gene localized to chromosome 3q11.2. Analysis of SPACRCAN mRNA and protein revealed that SPACRCAN is expressed exclusively by photoreceptors and pinealocytes. SPACRCAN synthesized by photoreceptors is localized to the interphotoreceptor matrix where it surrounds both rods and cones. The functional protein contains 1160 amino acids with a large central mucin domain, three consensus sites for glycosaminoglycan attachment, two epidermal growth factor-like repeats, a putative hyaluronan-binding motif, and a potential transmembrane domain near the C-terminal. Lectin and Western blotting indicate an M(r) around 400,000 before and 230,000 after chondroitinase ABC digestion. Removal of N- and O-linked oligosaccharides reduces the M(r) to approximately 160,000, suggesting that approximately 60% of the mass of SPACRCAN is carbohydrate. Finally, we demonstrate that SPACRCAN binds hyaluronan and propose that associations between SPACRCAN and hyaluronan may be involved in organization of the insoluble interphotoreceptor matrix, particularly as SPACRCAN is the major proteoglycan present in this matrix.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Acharya
- Cole Eye Institute, The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA
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Kunz D, Bes F, Schlattmann P, Herrmann WM. On pineal calcification and its relation to subjective sleep perception: a hypothesis-driven pilot study. Psychiatry Res 1998; 82:187-91. [PMID: 9754443 DOI: 10.1016/s0925-4927(98)00013-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
We classified the degree of pineal calcification (DOC) into seven groups using cranial Computer Tomography (cCT) and then correlated pineal DOC to chronic subjective sleep-related disturbances as measured by a sleep questionnaire in 36 patients. Analysed by logistic regression models, age and sex were not, but higher pineal DOC was significantly associated with the presence of daytime tiredness (OR = 4.15, 95% CI: 1.63, 10.54) and sleep disturbance (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.10, 2.74). This study provides initial confirmation of the hypothesis that the increasing degree of pineal calcification (DOC) might indicate a decrease of melatonin production, which consecutively might lead to a disturbed circadian rhythmicity in the sleep-wake cycle, with the principal symptom being daytime tiredness.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Kunz
- Department of Psychiatry, Interdisciplinary Sleep Clinic, Freie Universität Berlin, Germany.
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Herrmann G, Stünitz H, Nitsch C. Composition of ibotenic acid-induced calcifications in rat substantia nigra. Brain Res 1998; 786:205-14. [PMID: 9555015 DOI: 10.1016/s0006-8993(97)01496-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Agonists of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate have neurotoxic properties and are, therefore, frequently used to place locally circumscript brain lesions. In certain vulnerable brain areas, especially the substantia nigra and globus pallidus, the ensuing neurodegeneration is accompanied by the formation of calcium deposits. In the present study, we investigated the structure and chemical composition of calcium deposits formed in rat substantia nigra upon local application of ibotenic acid. Using scanning and transmission electron microscopy in combination with X-ray analysis and analysis of the electron diffraction patterns, we demonstrate that the inorganic components of the calcifications consist of calcium and phosphate. The calcium phosphate is deposited in a polycrystalline manner in degenerating neurons and in a matrix surrounding the degenerated complexes. New matrix is continuously added around the enlarging calcium deposits. Content of inorganic material is always higher in the center of the deposits than in the margin, but in every case the diffraction pattern reveals that the calcium phosphates are present in the form of hydroxyapatite. Thus, organic and inorganic components of the calcifications are subject to a continuous process of growth and maturation. The ibotenic acid-induced calcium deposits in rat substantia nigra provide a reliable model system to study the pathogenesis of non-arteriosclerotic calcifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Herrmann
- Institute of Anatomy, University of Basle, Basle, Switzerland
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Sandyk R. Therapeutic effects of alternating current pulsed electromagnetic fields in multiple sclerosis. J Altern Complement Med 1998; 3:365-86. [PMID: 9449058 DOI: 10.1089/acm.1997.3.365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Multiple sclerosis is the third most common cause of severe disability in patients between the ages of 15 and 50 years. The cause of the disease and its pathogenesis remain unknown. The last 20 years have seen only meager advances in the development of effective treatments for the disease. No specific treatment modality can cure the disease or alter its long-term course and eventual outcome. Moreover, there are no agents or treatments that will restore premorbid neuronal function. A host of biological phenomena associated with the disease involving interactions among genetic, environmental, immunologic, and hormonal factors, cannot be explained on the basis of demyelination alone and therefore require refocusing attention on alternative explanations, one of which implicates the pineal gland as pivotal. The pineal gland functions as a magnetoreceptor organ. This biological property of the gland provided the impetus for the development of a novel and highly effective therapeutic modality, which involves transcranial applications of alternating current (AC) pulsed electromagnetic fields in the picotesla flux density. This review summarizes recent clinical work on the effects of transcranially applied pulsed electromagnetic fields for the symptomatic treatment of the disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Sandyk
- Department of Neuroscience, Institute for Biomedical Engineering and Rehabilitation Services of Touro College, Dix Hills, New York, USA
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