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Cardinali CAEF, Martins YA, Moraes RCM, Costa AP, Alencar MB, Silber AM, Torrão AS. Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Benfotiamine in a Sporadic Alzheimer's-Like Disease Rat Model: Insights into Insulin Signaling and Cognitive function. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024; 15:2982-2994. [PMID: 39007352 PMCID: PMC11342302 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 06/26/2024] [Accepted: 06/27/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative process, also considered a metabolic condition due to alterations in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling pathways in the brain, which share similarities with diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of benfotiamine (BFT), a vitamin B1 analog, in the early stages of the neurodegenerative process in a sporadic model of Alzheimer's-like disease induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Supplementation with 150 mg/kg of BFT for 7 days reversed the cognitive impairment in short- and long-term memories caused by STZ in rodents. We attribute these effects to BFT's ability to modulate glucose transporters type 1 and 3 (GLUT1 and GLUT3) in the hippocampus, inhibit GSK3 activity in the hippocampus, and modulate the insulin signaling in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, as well as reduce the activation of apoptotic pathways (BAX) in the hippocampus. Therefore, BFT emerges as a promising and accessible intervention in the initial treatment of conditions similar to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila A. E. F. Cardinali
- Departamento
de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Yandara A. Martins
- Departamento
de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ruan C. M. Moraes
- Departamento
de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
- Department
of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Andressa P. Costa
- Departamento
de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Mayke B. Alencar
- Laboratory
of Biochemistry of Tryps−LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ariel M. Silber
- Laboratory
of Biochemistry of Tryps−LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de
Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Andrea S. Torrão
- Departamento
de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
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Alves SS, de Oliveira JAC, Lazarini-Lopes W, Servilha-Menezes G, Grigório-de-Sant'Ana M, Del Vecchio F, Mazzei RF, Sousa Almeida S, da Silva Junior RMP, Garcia-Cairasco N. Audiogenic Seizures in the Streptozotocin-Induced Rat Alzheimer's Disease Model. J Alzheimers Dis 2023:JAD230153. [PMID: 37393501 DOI: 10.3233/jad-230153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative and progressive disorder with no cure and constant failures in clinical trials. The main AD hallmarks are amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles, and neurodegeneration. However, many other events have been implicated in AD pathogenesis. Epilepsy is a common comorbidity of AD and there is important evidence indicating a bidirectional link between these two disorders. Some studies suggest that disturbed insulin signaling might play an important role in this connection. OBJECTIVE To understand the effects of neuronal insulin resistance in the AD-epilepsy link. METHODS We submitted the streptozotocin (STZ) induced rat AD Model (icv-STZ AD) to an acute acoustic stimulus (AS), a known trigger of seizures. We also assessed animals' performance in the memory test, the Morris water maze and the neuronal activity (c-Fos protein) induced by a single audiogenic seizure in regions that express high levels of insulin receptors. RESULTS We identified significant memory impairment and seizures in 71.43% of all icv-STZ/AS rats, in contrast to 22.22% of the vehicle group. After seizures, icv-STZ/AS rats presented higher number of c-Fos immunopositive cells in hippocampal, cortical, and hypothalamic regions. CONCLUSION STZ may facilitate seizure generation and propagation by impairment of neuronal function, especially in regions that express high levels of insulin receptors. The data presented here indicate that the icv-STZ AD model might have implications not only for AD, but also for epilepsy. Finally, impaired insulin signaling might be one of the mechanisms by which AD presents a bidirectional connection to epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suélen Santos Alves
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Willian Lazarini-Lopes
- Department of Pharmacology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Gabriel Servilha-Menezes
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Flavio Del Vecchio
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Focosi Mazzei
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto - University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Sebastião Sousa Almeida
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, Sciences and Letters of Ribeirão Preto - University of São Paulo (FFCLRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
| | | | - Norberto Garcia-Cairasco
- Department of Neurosciences and Behavioral Sciences, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
- Department of Physiology, Ribeirão Preto Medical School - University of São Paulo (FMRP-USP), São Paulo, Brazil
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3
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Latina V, Giacovazzo G, Calissano P, Atlante A, La Regina F, Malerba F, Dell’Aquila M, Stigliano E, Balzamino BO, Micera A, Coccurello R, Amadoro G. Tau Cleavage Contributes to Cognitive Dysfunction in Strepto-Zotocin-Induced Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease (sAD) Mouse Model. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms222212158. [PMID: 34830036 PMCID: PMC8618605 DOI: 10.3390/ijms222212158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Revised: 11/04/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Tau cleavage plays a crucial role in the onset and progression of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), a widespread neurodegenerative disease whose incidence is expected to increase in the next years. While genetic and familial forms of AD (fAD) occurring early in life represent less than 1%, the sporadic and late-onset ones (sAD) are the most common, with ageing being an important risk factor. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) infusion of streptozotocin (STZ)—a compound used in the systemic induction of diabetes due to its ability to damage the pancreatic β cells and to induce insulin resistance—mimics in rodents several behavioral, molecular and histopathological hallmarks of sAD, including memory/learning disturbance, amyloid-β (Aβ) accumulation, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress and brain glucose hypometabolism. We have demonstrated that pathological truncation of tau at its N-terminal domain occurs into hippocampi from two well-established transgenic lines of fAD animal models, such as Tg2576 and 3xTg mice, and that it’s in vivo neutralization via intravenous (i.v.) administration of the cleavage-specific anti-tau 12A12 monoclonal antibody (mAb) is strongly neuroprotective. Here, we report the therapeutic efficacy of 12A12mAb in STZ-infused mice after 14 days (short-term immunization, STIR) and 21 days (long-term immunization regimen, LTIR) of i.v. delivery. A virtually complete recovery was detected after three weeks of 12A12mAb immunization in both novel object recognition test (NORT) and object place recognition task (OPRT). Consistently, three weeks of this immunization regimen relieved in hippocampi from ICV-STZ mice the AD-like up-regulation of amyloid precursor protein (APP), the tau hyperphosphorylation and neuroinflammation, likely due to modulation of the PI3K/AKT/GSK3-β axis and the AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activities. Cerebral oxidative stress, mitochondrial impairment, synaptic and histological alterations occurring in STZ-infused mice were also strongly attenuated by 12A12mAb delivery. These results further strengthen the causal role of N-terminal tau cleavage in AD pathogenesis and indicate that its specific neutralization by non-invasive administration of 12A12mAb can be a therapeutic option for both fAD and sAD patients, as well as for those showing type 2 diabetes as a comorbidity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Latina
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.L.); (P.C.); (F.L.R.); (F.M.)
| | - Giacomo Giacovazzo
- IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Fosso del Fiorano 64-65, 00143 Rome, Italy;
| | - Pietro Calissano
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.L.); (P.C.); (F.L.R.); (F.M.)
| | - Anna Atlante
- Institute of Biomembranes, Bioenergetics and Molecular Biotechnologies (IBIOM)-CNR, Via Amendola 122/O, 70126 Bari, Italy;
| | - Federico La Regina
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.L.); (P.C.); (F.L.R.); (F.M.)
| | - Francesca Malerba
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.L.); (P.C.); (F.L.R.); (F.M.)
| | - Marco Dell’Aquila
- Area of Pathology, Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Istituto di Anatomia Patologica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito, 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (M.D.); (E.S.)
| | - Egidio Stigliano
- Area of Pathology, Department of Woman and Child Health and Public Health, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS, Istituto di Anatomia Patologica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito, 1, 00168 Rome, Italy; (M.D.); (E.S.)
| | - Bijorn Omar Balzamino
- Research Laboratories in Ophthalmology, IRCCS-Fondazione Bietti, Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, 6I, 00184 Rome, Italy; (B.O.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Alessandra Micera
- Research Laboratories in Ophthalmology, IRCCS-Fondazione Bietti, Via Santo Stefano Rotondo, 6I, 00184 Rome, Italy; (B.O.B.); (A.M.)
| | - Roberto Coccurello
- IRCSS Santa Lucia Foundation, Via Fosso del Fiorano 64-65, 00143 Rome, Italy;
- Institute for Complex System (ISC)-CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (R.C.); (G.A.)
| | - Giuseppina Amadoro
- European Brain Research Institute (EBRI), Viale Regina Elena 295, 00161 Rome, Italy; (V.L.); (P.C.); (F.L.R.); (F.M.)
- Institute of Translational Pharmacology (IFT)-CNR, Via Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Rome, Italy
- Correspondence: (R.C.); (G.A.)
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4
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Ueda H. Review of Kyotorphin Research: A Mysterious Opioid Analgesic Dipeptide and Its Molecular, Physiological, and Pharmacological Characteristics. FRONTIERS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY 2021; 3:662697. [PMID: 35047919 PMCID: PMC8757751 DOI: 10.3389/fmedt.2021.662697] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine-arginine (kyotorphin), an opioid analgesic dipeptide, was discovered more than 40 years ago in 1979. The evidence accumulated during this period has established the physiological significance of kyotorphin as a neuromodulating peptide, and pharmacological applications. Some of the following important findings have been discussed in this review: (1) kyotorphin is unevenly distributed in the brain; it is found in high concentrations in the pain pathway, which involves the regions associated with morphine analgesia; (2) kyotorphin is subcellularly localized in the synaptosome fraction or nerve-ending particles; (3) a specific synthetase generates kyotorphin from tyrosine and arginine; (4) kyotorphin may be also processed from calpastatin by a novel calcium-activated neutral protease or calpain; (5) kyotorphin preloaded into the synaptosome is released by high K+ depolarization in a Ca2+-dependent manner; (6) kyotorphin has a specific G protein coupled receptor, which mediates the activation of phospholipase C (PLC) and inhibition of adenylyl cyclase through Gi; (7) leucine-arginine works as a specific kyotorphin receptor antagonist; 8) membrane-bound aminopeptidase or excretion through a peptide transporter, PEPT2, may contribute to the inactivation of kyotorphin; and (9) kyotorphin causes increased Met-enkephalin release from brain and spinal slices. It is also known that the opening of plasma membrane Ca2+ channels through a conformational coupling of the InsP3 receptor with the transient receptor potential C1, which is downstream of the kyotorphin receptor-mediated activation of Gi and PLC, could be a potential underlying mechanism of Met-enkephalin release. Considering these findings, translational research is an exciting domain that can be explored in the future. As kyotorphin is a small molecule, we could design function-added kyotorphin derivatives. These studies would include not only the brain-permeable kyotorphin derivatives but also hybrid kyotorphin derivatives conjugated with small compounds that have additional pharmacological actions. Further, since there are reports of kyotorphin being involved in either the etiology or treatment of Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, inflammation, and chronic pain, studies on the beneficial effects of kyotorphin derivatives should also be expected in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Ueda
- Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
- Research Institute for Production Development, Kyoto, Japan
- *Correspondence: Hiroshi Ueda
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5
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Belo RF, Martins MLF, Shvachiy L, Costa-Coelho T, de Almeida-Borlido C, Fonseca-Gomes J, Neves V, Vicente Miranda H, Outeiro TF, Coelho JE, Xapelli S, Valente CA, Heras M, Bardaji E, Castanho MARB, Diógenes MJ, Sebastião AM. The Neuroprotective Action of Amidated-Kyotorphin on Amyloid β Peptide-Induced Alzheimer's Disease Pathophysiology. Front Pharmacol 2020; 11:985. [PMID: 32733240 PMCID: PMC7363954 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2020.00985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Kyotorphin (KTP, l-tyrosyl-l-arginine) is an endogenous dipeptide initially described to have analgesic properties. Recently, KTP was suggested to be an endogenous neuroprotective agent, namely for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In fact, KTP levels were shown to be decreased in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with AD, and recent data showed that intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of KTP ameliorates memory impairments in a sporadic rat model of AD. However, this administration route is far from being a suitable therapeutic strategy. Here, we evaluated if the blood-brain permeant KTP-derivative, KTP-NH2, when systemically administered, would be effective in preventing memory deficits in a sporadic AD animal model and if so, which would be the synaptic correlates of that action. The sporadic AD model was induced in male Wistar rats through i.c.v. injection of amyloid β peptide (Aβ). Animals were treated for 20 days with KTP-NH2 (32.3 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (i.p.), starting at day 3 after Aβ administration) before memory testing (Novel object recognition (NOR) and Y-maze (YM) tests). Animals were then sacrificed, and markers for gliosis were assessed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot analysis. Synaptic correlates were assessed by evaluating theta-burst induced long term potentiation (LTP) of field excitatory synaptic potentials (fEPSPs) recorded from hippocampal slices and cortical spine density analysis. In the absence of KTP-NH2 treatment, Aβ-injected rats had clear memory deficits, as assessed through NOR or YM tests. Importantly, these memory deficits were absent in Aβ-injected rats that had been treated with KTP-NH2, which scored in memory tests as control (sham i.c.v. injected) rats. No signs of gliosis could be detected at the end of the treatment in any group of animals. LTP magnitude was significantly impaired in hippocampal slices that had been incubated with Aβ oligomers (200 nM) in the absence of KTP-NH2. Co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM) rescued LTP toward control values. Similarly, Aβ caused a significant decrease in spine density in cortical neuronal cultures, and this was prevented by co-incubation with KTP-NH2 (50 nM). In conclusion, the present data demonstrate that i.p. KTP-NH2 treatment counteracts Aβ-induced memory impairments in an AD sporadic model, possibly through the rescuing of synaptic plasticity mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita F Belo
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida L F Martins
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Liana Shvachiy
- Cardiovascular Autonomic Function Lab, Centro Cardiovascular da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Tiago Costa-Coelho
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Carolina de Almeida-Borlido
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - João Fonseca-Gomes
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Vera Neves
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Hugo Vicente Miranda
- CEDOC, Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Tiago F Outeiro
- CEDOC, Chronic Diseases Research Center, NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.,Department of Experimental Neurodegeneration, Center for Biostructural Imaging of Neurodegeneration, University Medical Center Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.,Max Planck Institute for Experimental Medicine, Göttingen, Germany.,Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Joana E Coelho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Sara Xapelli
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Cláudia A Valente
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Montserrat Heras
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Eduard Bardaji
- Laboratori d'Innovació en Processos i Productes de Síntesi Orgànica (LIPPSO), Departament de Química, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Miguel A R B Castanho
- Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Bioquímica, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Maria José Diógenes
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Ana M Sebastião
- Instituto de Farmacologia e Neurociências, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal.,Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
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6
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Song L, Piao Z, Yao L, Zhang L, Lu Y. Schisandrin ameliorates cognitive deficits, endoplasmic reticulum stress and neuroinflammation in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced Alzheimer's disease rats. Exp Anim 2020; 69:363-373. [PMID: 32336744 PMCID: PMC7445059 DOI: 10.1538/expanim.19-0146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Schisandrin, an active component extracted from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill has
been reported to alleviate the cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative disorder like
Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the mechanism by which schisandrin regulates the
cognitive decline is still unclear. In our study, intracerebroventricular injection of
streptozotocin (STZ) was employed to establish AD model in male Wistar rats, and indicated
dose of schisandrin was further administered. The Morris water maze test was performed to
evaluate the ability of learning and memory in rats with schisandrin treatment. The
results indicated that schisandrin improved the capacity of cognition in STZ-induced rats.
The contents of pro-inflammatory cytokines in brain tissue were determined by ELISA, and
the expressions of these cytokines were assessed by western-blot and immunohistochemistry.
The results showed that treatment of schisandrin significantly reduced the production of
inflammation mediators including tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β and
interleukin-6. Further study suggested a remarkable decrease in the expressions of ER
stress maker proteins like C/EBP-homologous protein, glucose-regulated protein 78 and
cleaved caspase-12 in the presence of schisandrin, meanwhile the up-regulation of sirtuin
1 (SIRT1) was also observed in the same group. Additionally, the results of western-blot
and EMSA demonstrated that schisandrin inhibited NF-κB signaling in the brain of
STZ-induced rats. In conclusion, schisandrin ameliorated STZ-induced cognitive
dysfunction, ER stress and neuroinflammation which may be associated with up-regulation of
SIRT1. Our study provides novel mechanisms for the neuroprotective effect of schisandrin
in AD treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Song
- School of Life Sciences, Huizhou University, 46 Yanda Avenue, Huizhou, Guangdong 516007, P.R. China
| | - Zhongyuan Piao
- Department of Neurology, Huizhou Third People's Hospital, Huizhou Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 1 Xuebei Street, Huizhou, Guangdong 516002, P.R. China
| | - Lifen Yao
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 23 Youzheng Street, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150001, P.R. China
| | - Limei Zhang
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Huizhou Third People's Hospital, Huizhou Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, 1 Xuebei Street, Huizhou, Guangdong 516002, P.R. China
| | - Yichan Lu
- Department of Chinese Medicine, Dalian Maternity and Child Health Care Hospital, 321 Jiefang Road, Dalian, Liaoning 116033, People's Republic of China
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