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Sefiani A, Rusyn I, Geoffroy CG. Novel adult cortical neuron processing and screening method illustrates sex- and age-dependent effects of pharmaceutical compounds. Sci Rep 2022; 12:13125. [PMID: 35908049 PMCID: PMC9338961 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-17389-4] [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: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases and neurotraumatic injuries are typically age-associated disorders that can reduce neuron survival, neurite outgrowth, and synaptic plasticity leading to loss of cognitive capacity, executive function, and motor control. In pursuit of reducing the loss of said neurological functions, novel compounds are sought that promote neuron viability, neuritogenesis, and/or synaptic plasticity. Current high content in vitro screenings typically use cells that are iPSC-derived, embryonic, or originate from post-natal tissues; however, most patients suffering from neurodegenerative diseases and neurotrauma are of middle-age and older. The chasm in maturity between the neurons used in drug screens and those in a target population is a barrier for translational success of in vitro results. It has been historically challenging to culture adult neurons let alone conduct screenings; therefore, age-appropriate drug screenings have previously not been plausible. We have modified Miltenyi’s protocol to increase neuronal yield, neuron purity, and neural viability at a reduced cost to expand our capacity to screen compounds directly in primary adult neurons. To our knowledge, we developed the first morphology-based screening system using adult cortical neurons and the first to incorporate age and sex as biological variables in a screen using adult cortical neurons. By using primary adult cortical neurons from mice that were 4 to 48 weeks old for screening pharmaceutical agents, we have demonstrated age- and sex-dependent effects on neuritogenesis and neuron survival in vitro. Utilizing age- and sex-appropriate in vitro models to find novel compounds increasing neuron survival and neurite outgrowth, made possible by our modified adult neuron processing method, will greatly increase the relevance of in vitro screening for finding neuroprotective compounds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arthur Sefiani
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA
| | - Ivan Rusyn
- Department of Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Cédric G Geoffroy
- Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Texas A&M University, Bryan, TX, 77807, USA.
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Myorelaxant Effect of the Dysphania ambrosioides Essential Oil on Sus scrofa domesticus Coronary Artery and Its Toxicity in the Drosophila melanogaster Model. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26072041. [PMID: 33918492 PMCID: PMC8038241 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26072041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Alternative methods for the use of animals in research have gained increasing importance, due to assessments evaluating the real need for their use and the development of legislation that regulates the subject. The principle of the 3R's (replacement, reduction and refinement) has been an important reference, such that in vitro, ex vivo and cord replacement methods have achieved a prominent place in research. METHODS Therefore, due to successful results from studies developed with these methods, the present study aimed to evaluate the myorelaxant effect of the Dysphania ambrosioides essential oil (EODa) using a Sus scrofa domesticus coronary artery model, and the toxicity of both the Dysphania ambrosioides essential oil and its major constituent, α-terpinene, against Drosophila melanogaster in toxicity and negative geotaxis assays. RESULTS The EODa relaxed the smooth muscle of swine coronary arteries precontracted with K+ and 5-HT in assays using Sus scrofa domesticus coronary arteries. The toxicity results presented LC50 values of 1.546 mg/mL and 2.282 mg/mL for the EODa and α-terpinene, respectively, thus showing the EODa and α-terpinene presented toxicity to these dipterans, with the EODa being more toxic. CONCLUSIONS Moreover, the results reveal the possibility of using the EODa in vascular disease studies since it promoted the relaxation of the Sus scrofa domesticus coronary smooth muscle.
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Menezes PMN, Brito MC, de Paiva GO, Dos Santos CO, de Oliveira LM, de Araújo Ribeiro LA, de Lima JT, Lucchese AM, Silva FS. Relaxant effect of Lippia origanoides essential oil in guinea-pig trachea smooth muscle involves potassium channels and soluble guanylyl cyclase. JOURNAL OF ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY 2018; 220:16-25. [PMID: 29609011 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.03.040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2017] [Revised: 03/17/2018] [Accepted: 03/29/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE Lippia origanoides H.B.K. is an aromatic species used in folk medicine to treat respiratory diseases, including asthma. AIM OF THE STUDY The aim of this work was to evaluate the relaxing potential and mechanism of action of the L. origanoides (LOO) essential oil in isolated guinea-pig trachea. MATERIALS AND METHODS Leaves from L. origanoides were collected at experimental fields under organic cultivation, at the Forest Garden of Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. Essential oil was extracted by hydrodistillation, analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS and the volatile constituents were identified. Spasmolytic activity and relaxant mechanism of LOO were assayed in isolated guinea-pig trachea contracted with histamine, carbachol or hyperpolarizing KCl. RESULTS Chemical analysis revealed the presence of carvacrol (53.89%) as major constituent. LOO relaxed isolated guinea-pig trachea pre-contracted with KCl 60 mM [EC50 = 30.02 μg/mL], histamine 1 µM [EC50 = 9.28 μg/mL] or carbachol 1 µM [EC50 = 51.80 μg/mL]. The pre-incubation of glibenclamide, CsCl, propranolol, indomethacin, hexamethonium, aminophylline or L-NAME in histamine-induced contractions did not alter significantly the relaxant effect of LOO. However, the presence of 4-aminopyridine, tetraethylammonium or methylene blue reduced LOO effect, while the presence of dexamethasone or atropine potentialized the LOO relaxant effect. LOO pre-incubation inhibited carbachol-evoked contractions, with this effect potentialized in the presence of sodium nitroprusside and blocked in the presence of ODQ. CONCLUSIONS The relaxant mechanism of LOO on the tracheal smooth muscle possibly involves stimulating of soluble guanylyl cyclase with consequent activation of the voltage-gated and Ca2+-activated K+ channels.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mariana Coelho Brito
- Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil.
| | | | | | - Lenaldo Muniz de Oliveira
- Horto Florestal, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Brazil.
| | - Luciano Augusto de Araújo Ribeiro
- Pós-graduação em Recursos Naturais do Semiárido, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil; Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil.
| | - Julianeli Tolentino de Lima
- Pós-graduação em Recursos Naturais do Semiárido, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil; Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil.
| | - Angélica Maria Lucchese
- Laboratório de Química de Produtos Naturais e Bioativos, Departamento de Ciências Exatas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (UEFS), Brazil.
| | - Fabrício Souza Silva
- Pós-graduação em Recursos Naturais do Semiárido, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil; Colegiado de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Vale do São Francisco (UNIVASF), Brazil.
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Huang Y, Smith CA, Chen G, Sharma B, Miner AS, Barbee RW, Ratz PH. The AMP-Dependent Protein Kinase (AMPK) Activator A-769662 Causes Arterial Relaxation by Reducing Cytosolic Free Calcium Independently of an Increase in AMPK Phosphorylation. Front Pharmacol 2017; 8:756. [PMID: 29093683 PMCID: PMC5651270 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2017.00756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Although recent studies reveal that activation of the metabolic and Ca2+ sensor AMPK strongly inhibits smooth muscle contraction, there is a paucity of information about the potential linkage between pharmacological AMPK activation and vascular smooth muscle (VSM) contraction regulation. Our aim was to test the general hypothesis that the allosteric AMPK activator A-769662 causes VSM relaxation via inhibition of contractile protein activation, and to specifically determine which activation mechanism(s) is(are) affected. The ability of A-769662 to cause endothelium-independent relaxation of contractions induced by several contractile stimuli was examined in large and small musculocutaneous and visceral rabbit arteries. For comparison, the structurally dissimilar AMPK activators MET, SIM, and BBR were assessed. A-769662 displayed artery- and agonist-dependent differential inhibitory activities that depended on artery size and location. A-769662 did not increase AMPK-pT172 levels, but did increase phosphorylation of the downstream AMPK substrate, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC). A-769662 did not inhibit basal phosphorylation levels of several contractile protein regulatory proteins, and did not alter the activation state of rhoA. A-769662 did not inhibit Ca2+- and GTPγS-induced contractions in β-escin-permeabilized muscle, suggesting that A-769662 must act by inhibiting Ca2+ signaling. In intact artery, A-769662 immediately reduced basal intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i), inhibited a stimulus-induced increase in [Ca2+]i, and inhibited a cyclopiazonic acid (CPA)-induced contraction. MET increased AMPK-pT172, and caused neither inhibition of contraction nor inhibition of [Ca2+]i. Together, these data support the hypothesis that the differential inhibition of stimulus-induced arterial contractions by A-769662 was due to selective inhibition of a Ca2+ mobilization pathway, possibly involving CPA-dependent Ca2+ entry via an AMPK-independent pathway. That MET activated AMPK without causing arterial relaxation suggests that AMPK activation does not necessarily cause VSM relaxation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Huang
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Corey A Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Grace Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Bharti Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Amy S Miner
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Robert W Barbee
- Department of Emergency Medicine and Physiology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
| | - Paul H Ratz
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, United States
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Xia Y, Khalil RA. Pregnancy-associated adaptations in [Ca2+]i-dependent and Ca2+ sensitization mechanisms of venous contraction: implications in pregnancy-related venous disorders. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2016; 310:H1851-65. [PMID: 27199130 DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.00876.2015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2015] [Accepted: 04/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Pregnancy is associated with significant adaptations in the maternal hemodynamics and arterial circulation, but the changes in the venous mechanisms during pregnancy are less clear. We hypothesized that pregnancy is associated with alterations in venous function, intracellular free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)]i), and Ca(2+)-dependent mechanisms of venous contraction. Circular segments of inferior vena cava (IVC) from virgin and late pregnant (Preg, day 19) Sprague-Dawley rats were suspended between two hooks, labeled with fura-2, and placed in a cuvet inside a spectrofluorometer for simultaneous measurement of contraction and [Ca(2+)]i (fura-2 340/380 ratio). KCl (96 mM), which stimulates Ca(2+) influx, caused less contraction (35.6 ± 6.3 vs. 92.6 ± 19.9 mg/mg tissue) and smaller increases in [Ca(2+)]i (1.67 ± 0.12 vs. 2.19 ± 0.11) in Preg vs. virgin rat IVC. The α-adrenergic receptor agonist phenylephrine (Phe; 10(-5) M) caused less contraction (23.8 ± 3.4 vs. 70.9 ± 12.9 mg/mg tissue) and comparable increases in [Ca(2+)]i (1.76 ± 0.10 vs. 1.89 ± 0.08) in Preg vs. virgin rat IVC. At increasing extracellular Ca(2+) concentrations ([Ca(2+)]e) (0.1, 0.3, 0.6, 1, and 2.5 mM), KCl and Phe induced [Ca(2+)]e-contraction and [Ca(2+)]e-[Ca(2+)]i curves that were reduced in Preg vs. virgin IVC, supporting reduced Ca(2+) entry mechanisms. The [Ca(2+)]e-contraction and [Ca(2+)]e-[Ca(2+)]i curves were used to construct the [Ca(2+)]i-contraction relationship. Despite reduced contraction and [Ca(2+)]i in Preg IVC, the Phe-induced [Ca(2+)]i-contraction relationship was greater than that of KCl and was enhanced in Preg vs. virgin IVC, suggesting parallel activation of Ca(2+)-sensitization pathways. The Ca(2+) channel blocker diltiazem, protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor GF-109203X, and Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitor Y27632 inhibited KCl- and Phe-induced contraction and abolished the shift in the Phe [Ca(2+)]i-contraction relationship in Preg IVC, suggesting an interplay between the decrease in Ca(2+) influx and possible compensatory activation of PKC- and ROCK-mediated Ca(2+)-sensitization pathways. The reduced [Ca(2+)]i and [Ca(2+)]i-dependent contraction in Preg rat IVC, despite the parallel rescue activation of Ca(2+)-sensitization pathways, suggests that the observed reduction in [Ca(2+)]i-dependent contraction mechanisms is likely underestimated, and that the veins without the rescue Ca(2+)-sensitization pathways could be even more prone to dilation during pregnancy. These pregnancy-associated reductions in Ca(2+) entry-dependent mechanisms of venous contraction, if occurring in human lower extremity veins and if not adequately compensated by Ca(2+)-sensitization pathways, may play a role in pregnancy-related venous disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yin Xia
- Vascular Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and Department of General Surgery, Fuzhou General Hospital, Fuzhou, Fujian, P. R. China
| | - Raouf A Khalil
- Vascular Surgery Research Laboratories, Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; and
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Kitazawa T, Kitazawa K. Size-dependent heterogeneity of contractile Ca2+ sensitization in rat arterial smooth muscle. J Physiol 2012; 590:5401-23. [PMID: 22930267 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2012.241315] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Each segment along arterial vessels adapts to different circumstances, including blood pressure and sympathetic innervation. PKC and Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) Ca(2+)-sensitizing pathways leading to myosin phosphatase inhibition are critically involved in α(1)-adrenoceptor-mediated vascular smooth muscle contraction in distinctive time-dependent manners. We tested whether the amplitude and time course of each pathway varies dynamically between arterial segments. Using pharmacological approaches, we determined the time-dependent roles of Ca(2+) release, Ca(2+) influx, PKC and ROCK in α(1)-agonist-induced contraction and phosphorylation of key proteins in denuded rat small mesenteric artery, midsized caudal artery and thoracic aorta. SR Ca(2+) release and voltage-dependent Ca(2+) influx were essential for the initial rising and late sustained phases, respectively, of phenylephrine-induced contraction, regardless of arterial size. In small mesenteric arteries, α(1A)-subtype-specific antagonists and inhibitors of PKC, but not ROCK, markedly reduced the initial and late phases of contraction in a non-additive manner and suppressed phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) and CPI-17, but not myosin targeting subunit of myosin light chain phosphatase (MYPT1). In aorta, an α(1D)-specific antagonist reduced both the initial and late phases of contraction with a significant decrease in MLC but not CPI-17 or MYPT1 phosphorylation. ROCK inhibitors, but not PKC inhibitors, suppressed the sustained phase of contraction with a decrease in MLC and MYPT1 phosphorylation in the aorta. The effect of ROCK inhibitors was additive with the α(1D)-antagonist. The results for midsized arteries were intermediate. Thus, the PKC-CPI-17 Ca(2+)-sensitizing pathway, which is dependent on PKC subtype and a Ca(2+)-handling mechanism, and is downstream of α(1A) receptors, plays a major role in α(1)-agonist-induced contraction of small resistance arteries in the splanchnic vascular beds. The effect of PKC and ROCK increases and decreases, respectively, with decreasing arterial size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toshio Kitazawa
- Boston Biomedical Research Institute, 64 Grove Street, Watertown, MA 02472, USA.
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