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Ning Z, Zhong X, Wu Y, Wang Y, Hu D, Wang K, Deng M. β-asarone improves cognitive impairment and alleviates autophagy in mice with vascular dementia via the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway. PHYTOMEDICINE : INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHERAPY AND PHYTOPHARMACOLOGY 2024; 123:155215. [PMID: 38039902 DOI: 10.1016/j.phymed.2023.155215] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 10/01/2023] [Accepted: 11/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Vascular dementia (VD) is the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. β-asarone, a major component of Acorus tatarinowii Schott, is important in neurodegenerative and neurovascular diseases. Studies have confirmed that β-asarone can mitigate autophagy and reduce damage in hypoxic cells. We also reported that β-asarone improves learning and memory. This study further clarifies whether β-asarone attenuates cerebral ischaemic injury by acting through the cAMP/PKA/CREB pathway in VD model mice. METHODS Here, genes and potential pathways that may be targeted by β-asarone for the treatment of transient cerebral ischaemia (TCI) and cognitive impairment (CI) were obtained using network pharmacology. The two-vessel occlusion method was used to establish the VD model. The Morris water maze test was used to evaluate the effects on memory. Then, the protein levels of mitofusin-2 (Mfn2), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), optic atrophy 1 (OPA1), cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), myelin basic protein (MBP), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) and neuron specific enolase (NSE) were determined by ELISA. The levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malonaldehyde (MDA) were measured using commercial kits. Then, qRT-PCR was employed to investigate the expression of the candidate genes screened from the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network. Furthermore, the expression of the autophagy-related proteins Beclin-1, (microtubule-associated protein light chain 3) LC3, p62, postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95), protein kinase A (PKA), pPKA, cyclic-AMP response binding protein (CREB), and pCREB was determined by western blotting. The expression of autophagy-related proteins, PSD95 and translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane 20 (TOM20) was determined by immunofluorescence analyses. RESULTS The network pharmacological analysis showed 234 targets related to β-asarone, 1,118 genes related to TCI and 2,039 genes associated with CI. Our results confirm that β-asarone treatment not only alleviated brain damage in the VD model by improving mitochondrial and synaptic function, reducing neuronal injury and upregulating the expression of antioxidants but also effectively improved the cognitive behaviour of VD model mice. Moreover, β-asarone downregulated VD-induced RELA and CCND1 mRNA expression. In addition, we validated that β-asarone increased the phosphorylation of PKA and CREB and upregulated cAMP protein expression. The results showed that the cAMP/PKA/CREB signalling pathway was upregulated. Moreover, β-asarone administration decreased the protein expression levels of Beclin-1 and LC3 and increased the expression levels of p62 in VD model mice. CONCLUSIONS β-asarone inhibits Beclin-1-dependent autophagy and upregulates the cAMP/PKA/CREB signalling pathway to attenuate mitochondrial and synaptic damage from cerebral ischaemia and improve learning and cognitive abilities in VD model mice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenqiu Ning
- State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome/ Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China; The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Xiaoqin Zhong
- The First Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510405, China
| | - Yanan Wu
- Department of Anaesthesiology, Guangdong Cardiovascular Institute, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital, Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences, Guangzhou 510080, China
| | - Yu Wang
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Dafeng Hu
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Kai Wang
- The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China
| | - Minzhen Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome/ Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510006, China; The Second Clinical Medical College of Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou 510120, China; Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Research on Emergency in TCM, Guangzhou 510120, PR China.
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Dulaglutide Improves Gliosis and Suppresses Apoptosis/Autophagy Through the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Signaling Pathway in Vascular Dementia Rats. Neurochem Res 2022; 48:1561-1579. [PMID: 36571662 DOI: 10.1007/s11064-022-03853-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Revised: 12/11/2022] [Accepted: 12/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Dulaglutide is a new type of hypoglycemic agent that agonizes glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1RA). It can be concluded from previous studies that a GLP-1RA can reduce apoptosis and regulate autophagy in the nervous system, while related research on dulaglutide in vascular dementia (VD) has not been reported. In our study, the VD rat model was established by bilateral carotid artery occlusion, and the results of the Morris water maze test (MWM) and open-field test showed that the application of dulaglutide could effectively reduce the cognitive decline of VD rats without changing the behavior in the open-field test, which was used to assess an anxiety-like phenotype. We applied HE staining and immunofluorescence labeling to show that dulaglutide treatment significantly alleviated neuronal damage in the hippocampal region of VD rats, and reduced microglial and astrocyte proliferation. Western blot results showed that dulaglutide reduced VD-induced neuronal apoptosis (BCL2/BAX, c-caspase3) and autophagy (P62, LC3B, Beclin-1), and upregulated phosphorylation of PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway. KEGG pathway analysis of RNA-Sequence results showed that the differentially expressed genes in the dulaglutide treatment group were significantly enriched in the mTOR signaling pathway, and the repressor of mTOR, Deptor, was down-regulated. In conclusion, this study suggested that dulaglutide may alleviate learning and memory impairment and neuron damage in VD rats by attenuating apoptosis, regulating autophagy, and activating the PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in neurons, which may make it a promising candidate for the simultaneous treatment of VD and diabetes.
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Impellizzeri D, D’Amico R, Fusco R, Genovese T, Peritore AF, Gugliandolo E, Crupi R, Interdonato L, Di Paola D, Di Paola R, Cuzzocrea S, Siracusa R, Cordaro M. Açai Berry Mitigates Vascular Dementia-Induced Neuropathological Alterations Modulating Nrf-2/Beclin1 Pathways. Cells 2022; 11:cells11162616. [PMID: 36010690 PMCID: PMC9406985 DOI: 10.3390/cells11162616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The second-most common cause of dementia is vascular dementia (VaD). The majority of VaD patients experience cognitive impairment, which is brought on by oxidative stress and changes in autophagic function, which ultimately result in neuronal impairment and death. In this study, we examine a novel method for reversing VaD-induced changes brought on by açai berry supplementation in a VaD mouse model. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of açai berries on the molecular mechanisms underlying VaD in a mouse model of the disease that was created by repeated ischemia-reperfusion (IR) of the whole bilateral carotid artery. Here, we found that açai berry was able to reduce VaD-induced behavioral alteration, as well as hippocampal death, in CA1 and CA3 regions. These effects are probably due to the modulation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and Beclin-1, suggesting a possible crosstalk between these molecular pathways. In conclusion, the protective effects of açai berry could be a good supplementation in the future for the management of vascular dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Impellizzeri
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Ramona D’Amico
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Roberta Fusco
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Tiziana Genovese
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Alessio Filippo Peritore
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Enrico Gugliandolo
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Rosalia Crupi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
| | - Livia Interdonato
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Davide Di Paola
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Rosanna Di Paola
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, 98168 Messina, Italy
- Correspondence: (R.D.P.); (S.C.)
| | - Salvatore Cuzzocrea
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
- Department of Pharmacological and Physiological Science, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA
- Correspondence: (R.D.P.); (S.C.)
| | - Rosalba Siracusa
- Department of Chemical, Biological, Pharmaceutical and Environmental Sciences, University of Messina, Viale Ferdinando Stagno D’Alcontres 31, 98166 Messina, Italy
| | - Marika Cordaro
- Department of Biomedical, Dental and Morphological and Functional Imaging, University of Messina, Via Consolare Valeria, 98125 Messina, Italy
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Xu R, He Q, Wang Y, Yang Y, Guo ZN. Therapeutic Potential of Remote Ischemic Conditioning in Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:706759. [PMID: 34413726 PMCID: PMC8370253 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.706759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2021] [Accepted: 06/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) is a heterogeneous disease caused by a variety of cerebrovascular diseases. Patients with VCI often present with slower cognitive processing speed and poor executive function, which affects their independence in daily life, thus increasing social burden. Remote ischemic conditioning (RIC) is a non-invasive and efficient intervention that triggers endogenous protective mechanisms to generate neuroprotection. Over the past decades, evidence from basic and clinical research has shown that RIC is promising for the treatment of VCI. To further our understanding of RIC and improve the management of VCI, we summarize the evidence on the therapeutic potential of RIC in relation to the risk factors and pathobiologies of VCI, including reducing the risk of recurrent stroke, decreasing high blood pressure, improving cerebral blood flow, restoring white matter integrity, protecting the neurovascular unit, attenuating oxidative stress, and inhibiting the inflammatory response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui Xu
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Qianyan He
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Yi Yang
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
| | - Zhen-Ni Guo
- Department of Neurology, Stroke Center & Clinical Trial and Research Center for Stroke, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.,China National Comprehensive Stroke Center, Changchun, China.,Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Cerebrovascular Disease, Changchun, China
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Autophagy in vascular dementia and natural products with autophagy regulating activity. Pharmacol Res 2021; 170:105756. [PMID: 34237440 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2021.105756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion(CCH)-induced vascular dementia(VD) is a common neurodegenerative disease which seriously affects the patient's quality of life. Therefore, it is critical to find an effective treatment of VD. Autophagy is a natural regulated mechanism that can remove dysfunctional proteins and organelles, however, over-activation or under-activation can of autophagy can induce the apoptosis of cells. Although autophagy plays a role in the central nervous system is unquestionable, the effects of autophagy in the ischemic brain are still controversial. Some autophagy regulators have been tested, suggesting that both activation and inhibition of autophagy can improve the cognitive function. This article reviews the role of autophagy in CCH-induced VD to discuss whether autophagy has the potential to become a target for drug development and provides several potential compounds for treating vascular dementia.
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