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Moosavi M, Soukhaklari R, Bagheri-Mohammadi S, Firouzan B, Javadpour P, Ghasemi R. Nanocurcumin prevents memory impairment, hippocampal apoptosis, Akt and CaMKII-α signaling disruption in the central STZ model of Alzheimer's disease in rat. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115129. [PMID: 38942084 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2024] [Revised: 06/16/2024] [Accepted: 06/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/30/2024]
Abstract
The central route of streptozotocin (STZ) administration has been introduced as a rat model of sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). Curcumin was suggested to possess possible neuroprotective effects, which may be profitable in AD. However, the low bioavailability of curcumin hinders its beneficial effects in clinical studies. Earlier studies suggested that a bovine serum albumin-based nanocurcumin, produces superior neuroprotective effects compared to natural curcumin. In the present study, the protective effect of nanocurcumin in rat model of central STZ induced memory impairment was assessed. In addition, due to the importance of the hippocampus in memory, the amounts of hippocampal active caspase-3, Akt, and CaMKII-α were evaluated. Adult male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g were used. STZ (icv) was injected during days 1 and 3 (3 mg/kg in divided), and nanocurcumin or curcumin 50 mg/kg/oral gavage was administered daily during days 4-14. Morris water maze training was performed on days 15-17, and the retention memory test was achieved on the 18th day. Following memory assessment, the rats were sacrificed and the hippocampi were used to assess caspase-3 cleavage, Akt, and CaMKII-α signaling. The findings revealed that nanocurcumin ingestion (but not natural curcumin) in the dose of 50 mg/kg was capable to prevent the impairment of water maze learning and memory induced by central STZ. Molecular assessments indicated that STZ treatment increased the caspase-3 cleavage in the hippocampus while deactivating Akt and CaMKII-α. Nanocurcumin reduced caspase-3 cleavage to a non-significant level compared to control group and restored Akt and CaMKII-α within the hippocampus while natural curcumin exerted no significant effect. These findings might suggest that nanocurcumin can restore memory deficit, hippocampal apoptosis as well as Akt and CaMKII-α signaling disruption associated with brain insulin resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maryam Moosavi
- Nanomedicine and Nanobiology Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran.
| | - Roksana Soukhaklari
- Shiraz Neuroscience Research Centre, Shiraz University of Medical sciences, Shiraz, Iran; Department of Cardiology, Medical University of Graz, Graz, Austria
| | - Saeid Bagheri-Mohammadi
- Department of Paramedicine, Amol School of Paramedical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Immunogenetics Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
| | - Bita Firouzan
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Pegah Javadpour
- Neuroscience Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Rasoul Ghasemi
- Department of Physiology and Neurophysiology Research Center, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
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Ataei B, Hokmabadi M, Asadi S, Asadifard E, Aghaei Zarch SM, Najafi S, Bagheri-Mohammadi S. A review of the advances, insights, and prospects of gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease: A novel target for therapeutic medicine. Gene 2024; 912:148368. [PMID: 38485038 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2023] [Revised: 02/24/2024] [Accepted: 03/11/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are still an important issue for scientists because it is difficult to cure with the available molecular medications and conventional treatments. Due to the complex nature of the brain structures and heterogeneous morphological and physiological properties of neuronal cells, interventions for cerebral-related disorders using surgical approaches, and classical and ongoing treatments remain hard for physicians. Furthermore, the development of newly designed medications attempts to target AD are not successful in improving AD, because abnormalities of tau protein, aggregation of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide, inflammatory responses, etc lead to advanced neurodegeneration processes that conventional treatments cannot stop them. In recent years, novel diagnostic strategies and therapeutic approaches have been developed to identify and cure early pathological events of AD. Accordingly, many gene-based therapies have been developed and introduce the therapeutic potential to prevent and cure AD. On the other hand, genetic investigations and postmortem assessments have detected a large number of factors associated with AD pathology. Also, genetically diverse animal models of AD help us to detect and prioritize novel resilience mechanisms. Hence, gene therapy can be considered an effective and powerful tool to identify and treat human diseases. Ultimately, gene study and gene-based therapy with a critical role in the detection and cure of various human disorders will have a fundamental role in our lives forever. This scientific review paper discusses the present status of different therapeutic strategies, particularly gene-based therapy in treating AD, along with its challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bahar Ataei
- Department of Genetics, Faculty of Basic Science, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
| | - Mahsa Hokmabadi
- Department of Molecular Diagnosis, Armin Pathobiology and Medical Genetics Laboratory, Tehran, Iran; Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Sahar Asadi
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, School of Medicine, Ardabil University of Medical Sciences, Ardabil, Iran
| | - Elnaz Asadifard
- Medical Genomics Research Center, Tehran Medical Sciences Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Seyed Mohsen Aghaei Zarch
- Department of Medical Genetics, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Sajad Najafi
- Department of Medical Biotechnology, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Cellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
| | - Saeid Bagheri-Mohammadi
- Department of Paramedicine, Amol School of Paramedical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran; Immunogenetics Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran.
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Pan Y, Li Z, Zhao X, Du Y, Zhang L, Lu Y, Yang L, Cao Y, Qiu J, Qian Y. Screening of Active Substances Regulating Alzheimer's Disease in Ginger and Visualization of the Effectiveness on 6-Gingerol Pathway Targets. Foods 2024; 13:612. [PMID: 38397589 PMCID: PMC10888025 DOI: 10.3390/foods13040612] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2024] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Ginger has been reported to potentially treat Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the specific compounds responsible for this biological function and their mechanisms are still unknown. In this study, a combination of network pharmacology, molecular docking, and dynamic simulation technology was used to screen active substances that regulate AD and explore their mechanisms. The TCMSP, GeneCards, OMIM, and DisGeNET databases were utilized to obtain 95 cross-targets related to ginger's active ingredients and AD as key targets. A functional enrichment analysis revealed that the pathways in which ginger's active substances may be involved in regulating AD include response to exogenous stimuli, response to oxidative stress, response to toxic substances, and lipid metabolism, among others. Furthermore, a drug-active ingredient-key target interaction network diagram was constructed, highlighting that 6-Gingerol is associated with 16 key targets. Additionally, a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was mapped for the key targets, and HUB genes (ALB, ACTB, GAPDH, CASP3, and CAT) were identified. Based on the results of network pharmacology and cell experiments, 6-Gingerol was selected as the active ingredient for further investigation. Molecular docking was performed between 6-Gingerol and its 16 key targets, and the top three proteins with the strongest binding affinities (ACHE, MMP2, and PTGS2) were chosen for molecular dynamics analysis together with the CASP3 protein as the HUB gene. The findings indicate that 6-Gingerol exhibits strong binding ability to these disease targets, suggesting its potential role in regulating AD at the molecular level, as well as in abnormal cholinesterase metabolism and cell apoptosis, among other related regulatory pathways. These results provide a solid theoretical foundation for future in vitro experiments using actual cells and animal experiments to further investigate the application of 6-Gingerol.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yecan Pan
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Zishu Li
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Xiaoyu Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yang Du
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yushun Lu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Ling Yang
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yilin Cao
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Jing Qiu
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Yongzhong Qian
- Key Laboratory of Agro-Product Quality and Safety, Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China; (Y.P.); (Z.L.); (X.Z.); (Y.D.); (L.Z.); (Y.L.); (L.Y.); (Y.C.); (J.Q.)
- Key Laboratory of Agri-Food Quality and Safety, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Beijing 100081, China
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Li W, Li HL, Wang JZ, Liu R, Wang X. Abnormal protein post-translational modifications induces aggregation and abnormal deposition of protein, mediating neurodegenerative diseases. Cell Biosci 2024; 14:22. [PMID: 38347638 PMCID: PMC10863199 DOI: 10.1186/s13578-023-01189-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/23/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Protein post-translational modifications (PPTMs) refer to a series of chemical modifications that occur after the synthesis of protein. Proteins undergo different modifications such as phosphorylation, acetylation, ubiquitination, and so on. These modifications can alter the protein's structure, function, and interaction, thereby regulating its biological activity. In neurodegenerative diseases, several proteins undergo abnormal post-translational modifications, which leads to aggregation and abnormal deposition of protein, thus resulting in neuronal death and related diseases. For example, the main pathological features of Alzheimer's disease are the aggregation of beta-amyloid protein and abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein. The abnormal ubiquitination and loss of α-synuclein are related to the onset of Parkinson's disease. Other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and so on are also connected with abnormal PPTMs. Therefore, studying the abnormal PPTMs in neurodegenerative diseases is critical for understanding the mechanism of these diseases and the development of significant therapeutic strategies. This work reviews the implications of PPTMs in neurodegenerative diseases and discusses the relevant therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Hong-Lian Li
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, JS, China
| | - Rong Liu
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Shenzhen Huazhong University of Science and Technology Research Institute, Wuhan, China.
| | - Xiaochuan Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226001, JS, China.
- Shenzhen Huazhong University of Science and Technology Research Institute, Wuhan, China.
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Spisni E, Valerii MC, Massimino ML. Essential Oil Molecules Can Break the Loop of Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1504. [PMID: 38132330 PMCID: PMC10740714 DOI: 10.3390/biology12121504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) are mixtures of volatile compounds, extracted from aromatic plants, with multiple activities including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ones. EOs are complex mixtures easy to find on the market and with low costs. In this mini narrative review, we have collected the results of in vitro and in vivo studies, which tested these EOs on validated models of neurodegeneration and in particular of the two main neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) that afflict humans: Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Since EO compositions can vary greatly, depending on the environmental conditions, plant cultivar, and extraction methods, we focused our attention to studies involving single EO molecules, and in particular those that have demonstrated the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier. These single EO molecules, alone or in defined mixtures, could be interesting new therapies to prevent or slow down oxidative and inflammatory processes which are common mechanisms that contribute to neuronal death in all NDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enzo Spisni
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
- CIRI Life Sciences and Health Technologies, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Chiara Valerii
- Department of Biological, Geological, and Environmental Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy;
- CIRI Life Sciences and Health Technologies, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy
| | - Maria Lina Massimino
- Neuroscience Institute, Italian National Research Council (CNR), 35131 Padova, Italy
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