Dynamic Variations in Brain Glycogen are Involved in Modulating Isoflurane Anesthesia in Mice

Metabolomic Footprint of Disrupted Energetics and Amino Acid Metabolism in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Perspectives for Early Diagnosis and Monitoring of Therapy

The prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is increasing due to the aging population and improved longevity. They are characterized by a range of pathological hallmarks, including protein aggregation, mitochondrial dysfunction, and oxidative stress. The aim of this review is to summarize the alterations in brain energy and amino acid metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and Huntington’s disease (HD). Based on our findings, we proposed a group of selected metabolites related to disturbed energy or mitochondrial metabolism as potential indicators or predictors of disease. We also discussed the hidden challenges of metabolomics studies in NDs and proposed future directions in this field. We concluded that biochemical parameters of brain energy metabolism disruption (obtained with metabolomics) may have potential application as a diagnostic tool for the diagnosis, prediction, and monitoring of the effectiveness of therapies for NDs. However, more studies are needed to determine the sensitivity of the proposed candidates. We suggested that the most valuable biomarkers for NDs studies could be groups of metabolites combined with other neuroimaging or molecular techniques. To attain clinically applicable results, the integration of metabolomics with other “omic” techniques might be required.

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists in Neurodegeneration: Neurovascular Unit in the Spotlight

Defects in brain energy metabolism and proteopathic stress are implicated in age-related degenerative neuronopathies, exemplified by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). As the currently available drug regimens largely aim to mitigate cognitive decline and/or motor symptoms, there is a dire need for mechanism-based therapies that can be used to improve neuronal function and potentially slow down the underlying disease processes. In this context, a new class of pharmacological agents that achieve improved glycaemic control via the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor has attracted significant attention as putative neuroprotective agents. The experimental evidence supporting their potential therapeutic value, mainly derived from cellular and animal models of AD and PD, has been discussed in several research reports and review opinions recently. In this review article, we discuss the pathological relevance of derangements in the neurovascular unit and the significance of neuron–glia metabolic coupling in AD and PD. With this context, we also discuss some unresolved questions with regard to the potential benefits of GLP-1 agonists on the neurovascular unit (NVU), and provide examples of novel experimental paradigms that could be useful in improving our understanding regarding the neuroprotective mode of action associated with these agents.

Isoflurane inhibition of endocytosis is an anesthetic mechanism of action

The mechanisms of volatile anesthetic action remain among the most perplexing mysteries of medicine. Across phylogeny, volatile anesthetics selectively inhibit mitochondrial complex I, and they also depress presynaptic excitatory signaling. To explore how these effects are linked, we studied isoflurane effects on presynaptic vesicle cycling and ATP levels in hippocampal cultured neurons from wild-type and complex I mutant (Ndufs4(KO)) mice. To bypass complex I, we measured isoflurane effects on anesthetic sensitivity in mice expressing NADH dehydrogenase (NDi1). Endocytosis in physiologic concentrations of glucose was delayed by effective behavioral concentrations of isoflurane in both wild-type (τ [unexposed] 44.8 ± 24.2 s; τ [exposed] 116.1 ± 28.1 s; p < 0.01) and Ndufs4(KO) cultures (τ [unexposed] 67.6 ± 16.0 s; τ [exposed] 128.4 ± 42.9 s; p = 0.028). Increasing glucose, to enhance glycolysis and increase ATP production, led to maintenance of both ATP levels and endocytosis (τ [unexposed] 28.0 ± 14.4; τ [exposed] 38.2 ± 5.7; reducing glucose worsened ATP levels and depressed endocytosis (τ [unexposed] 85.4 ± 69.3; τ [exposed] > 1,000; p < 0.001). The block in recycling occurred at the level of reuptake of synaptic vesicles into the presynaptic cell. Expression of NDi1 in wild-type mice caused behavioral resistance to isoflurane for tail clamp response (EC₅₀ Ndi1(-) 1.27% ± 0.14%; Ndi1(+) 1.55% ± 0.13%) and halothane (EC₅₀ Ndi1(-) 1.20% ± 0.11%; Ndi1(+) 1.46% ± 0.10%); expression of NDi1 in neurons improved hippocampal function, alleviated inhibition of presynaptic recycling, and increased ATP levels during isoflurane exposure. The clear alignment of cell culture data to in vivo phenotypes of both isoflurane-sensitive and -resistant mice indicates that inhibition of mitochondrial complex I is a primary mechanism of action of volatile anesthetics.

Brain-Type Glycogen Phosphorylase Is Crucial for Astrocytic Glycogen Accumulation in Chronic Social Defeat Stress-Induced Depression in Mice

Astrocytic glycogen plays an important role in brain energy metabolism. However, the contribution of glycogen metabolism to stress-induced depression remains unclear. Chronic social defeat stress was used to induce depression-like behaviors in mice, assessed with behavioral tests. Glycogen concentration in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the expression of key enzymes of the glycogen metabolism were investigated using Western blots, immunofluorescent staining, electron microscopy, and biochemical assays. Stereotaxic surgery and viral-mediated gene transfer were applied to knockdown or overexpress brain-type glycogen phosphorylase (PYGB) in the mPFC. The glycogen content increased in the mPFC after stress. Glycogenolytic dysfunction due to inactivation of PYGB was responsible for glycogen accumulation. Behavioral tests on astrocyte-specific PYGB overexpression mice showed that augmenting astrocytic PYGB reduces susceptibility to depression when compared with stress-susceptible mice. Conversely, PYGB genetic down-regulation in the mPFC was sufficient to induce glycogen accumulation and depression-like behaviors. Furthermore, PYGB overexpression in the mPFC decreases susceptibility to depression, at least partially by rescuing glycogen phosphorylase activity to maintain glycogen metabolism homeostasis during stress. These findings indicate that (1) glycogen accumulation occurs in mice following stress and (2) glycogenolysis reprogramming leads to glycogen accumulation in astrocytes and PYGB contributes to stress-induced depression-like behaviors. Pharmacological tools acting on glycogenolysis might constitute a promising therapy for depression.

Putative Roles of Astrocytes in General Anesthesia

General anesthetics are a mainstay of modern medicine, and although much progress has been made towards identifying molecular targets of anesthetics and neural networks contributing to endpoints of general anesthesia, our understanding of how anesthetics work remains unclear. Reducing this knowledge gap is of fundamental importance to prevent unwanted and life-threatening side-effects associated with general anesthesia. General anesthetics are chemically diverse, yet they all have similar behavioral endpoints, and so for decades, research has sought to identify a single underlying mechanism to explain how anesthetics work. However, this effort has given way to the 'multiple target hypothesis' as it has become clear that anesthetics target many cellular proteins, including GABAA receptors, glutamate receptors, voltage-independent K+ channels, and voltagedependent K+, Ca2+ and Na+ channels, to name a few. Yet, despite evidence that astrocytes are capable of modulating multiple aspects of neural function and express many anesthetic target proteins, they have been largely ignored as potential targets of anesthesia. The purpose of this brief review is to highlight the effects of anesthetic on astrocyte processes and identify potential roles of astrocytes in behavioral endpoints of anesthesia (hypnosis, amnesia, analgesia, and immobilization).

Wdfy3 regulates glycophagy, mitophagy, and synaptic plasticity

Autophagy is essential to cell function, as it enables the recycling of intracellular constituents during starvation and in addition functions as a quality control mechanism by eliminating spent organelles and proteins that could cause cellular damage if not properly removed. Recently, we reported on Wdfy3's role in mitophagy, a clinically relevant macroautophagic scaffold protein that is linked to intellectual disability, neurodevelopmental delay, and autism spectrum disorder. In this study, we confirm our previous report that Wdfy3 haploinsufficiency in mice results in decreased mitophagy with accumulation of mitochondria with altered morphology, but expanding on that observation, we also note decreased mitochondrial localization at synaptic terminals and decreased synaptic density, which may contribute to altered synaptic plasticity. These changes are accompanied by defective elimination of glycogen particles and a shift to increased glycogen synthesis over glycogenolysis and glycophagy. This imbalance leads to an age-dependent higher incidence of brain glycogen deposits with cerebellar hypoplasia. Our results support and further extend Wdfy3's role in modulating both brain bioenergetics and synaptic plasticity by including glycogen as a target of macroautophagic degradation.