miR-142 downregulation alleviates the impairment of spatial learning and memory, reduces the level of apoptosis, and upregulates the expression of pCaMKII and BAI3 in the hippocampus of APP/PS1 transgenic mice

Serum exosomal hsa-miR-142-5p, hsa-miR-1908-5p, and hsa-miR-450b-5p as candidate biomarkers for recurrent depressive disorder diagnosis and ECT treatment response: A preliminary investigation

PURPOSE

This study investigated the differential expression of serum exosomal miRNAs in female patients with recurrent depressive disorder (RDD) before and after non-convulsive electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), aiming to explore potential diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers.

METHOD

Serum samples were collected from three groups: healthy female volunteers aged 30-50, female patients with RDD prior to ECT, and female patients post-ECT who had achieved remission. Exosomes were isolated from serum, identified through transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, and Western blot analysis of exosomal markers. Total RNA was extracted from exosomes, and miRNA sequencing was conducted to identify differentially expressed miRNAs. Gene target prediction, Gene Ontology, and KEGG pathway enrichment analyses were also performed.

RESULTS

miRNA sequencing revealed significant differences in exosomal miRNA profiles among the three groups. Compared to controls, 69 miRNAs were upregulated and 98 downregulated in the model group, while the recovery group showed 41 upregulated and 51 downregulated miRNAs compared to the model group. Furthermore, the recovery group exhibited 35 upregulated and 59 downregulated miRNAs compared to controls. Analysis identified hsa-miR-142-5p, hsa-miR-1908-5p, and hsa-miR-450b-5p as potential biomarkers for RDD diagnosis and ECT treatment response, with functional roles likely related to inflammation, neurotransmission, and synaptic plasticity.

CONCLUSION

Serum exosomal miRNAs, particularly hsa-miR-142-5p, hsa-miR-1908-5p, and hsa-miR-450b-5p, emerged as promising candidates for further investigation as biomarkers for RDD diagnosis and treatment monitoring. Larger, multi-center studies are warranted to validate these findings.

Alkaloid-rich fraction from Luffa cylindrica Linn fruit enhances memory and mitigates oxidative stress in hippocampus of ozone-exposed sprague Dawley rat via LCMS and network pharmacology approach

Luffa cylindrica (L.), is a medicinal plant aimed to investigate the efficacy of the alkaloid-rich fraction (ARF) extracted from L. cylindrica. The study employed behavioural analysis of rat using Morris water maze (MWM), biochemical analysis of apoptotic proteins, Immunohistochemistry of caspase 3 protein and network pharmacology approach. The ozone-induced group exhibited complex behavioral changes. Western blot analysis revealed altered expression of SOD2, Caspase 3, and Cytochrome C which play integral roles in oxidative stress, apoptosis, and mitochondrial function. Histopathological analysis of the hippocampus further supported the neuroprotective potential of L. cylindrica, demonstrating a reduction in neuropathological lesions and improved memory processes. Network Pharmacology showed the implication of GSK3β in neuronal damage. ARF showed promise in preventing further neuronal damage. In summary, this comprehensive study sheds light on its potential in neuroprotective applications by in vivo behavioral and molecular analyses. It provides a holistic understanding of the medicinal properties of ARF, encouraging further exploration for potential therapeutic interventions in neurological diseases.

MiRNA research-The potential for understanding the multiple facets of anorexia nervosa

Anorexia nervosa (AN) has a multifaceted and complex pathology, yet major gaps remain in our understanding of factors involved in AN pathology. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a regulatory role in translating genes into proteins and help understand and treat diseases. An extensive literature review on miRNAs with AN and comorbidities has uncovered a significant lack in miRNA research. To demonstrate the importance of understanding miRNA deregulation, we surveyed the literature on depression and obesity providing examples of relevant miRNAs. For AN, no miRNA sequencing or array studies have been found, unlike other psychiatric disorders. For depression and obesity, screenings and mechanistic studies were conducted, leading to clinical studies to improve understanding of their regulatory influences. MiRNAs are promising targets for studying AN due to their role as signaling molecules, involvement in psychiatric-metabolic axes, and potential as biomarkers. These characteristics offer valuable insights into the disease's etiology and potential new treatment options. The first miRNA-based treatment for rare metabolic disorders has been approved by the FDA and it is expected that these advancements will increase in the next decade. MiRNA research in AN is essential to examine its role in the development, manifestation, and progression of the disease. PUBLIC SIGNIFICANCE: The current understanding of the development and treatment of AN is insufficient. miRNAs are short regulatory sequences that influence the translation of genes into proteins. They are the subject of research in various diseases, including both metabolic and psychiatric disorders. Studying miRNAs in AN may elucidate their causal and regulatory role, uncover potential biomarkers, and allow for future targeted treatments.

NcRNAs: A synergistically antiapoptosis therapeutic tool in Alzheimer's disease

AIMS

The aim of this review is to systematically summarize and analyze the noncoding RNAs (ncRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs), long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs), and circular RNAs (circRNAs), in the cell apoptosis among Alzheimer's disease (AD) in recent years to demonstrate their value in the diagnosis and treatment of AD.

METHODS

We systematically summarized in vitro and in vivo studies focusing on the ncRNAs in the regulation of cell apoptosis among AD in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar.

RESULTS

We discover three patterns of ncRNAs (including 'miRNA-mRNA', 'lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA', and 'circRNA-miRNA-mRNA') form the ncRNA-based regulatory networks in regulating cell apoptosis in AD.

CONCLUSIONS

This review provides a future diagnosis and treatment strategy for AD patients based on ncRNAs.

Decoding the secrets of longevity: unraveling nutraceutical and miRNA-Mediated aging pathways and therapeutic strategies

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short RNA molecules that are not involved in coding for proteins. They have a significant function in regulating gene expression after the process of transcription. Their participation in several biological processes has rendered them appealing subjects for investigating age-related disorders. Increasing data indicates that miRNAs can be influenced by dietary variables, such as macronutrients, micronutrients, trace minerals, and nutraceuticals. This review examines the influence of dietary factors and nutraceuticals on the regulation of miRNA in relation to the process of aging. We examine the present comprehension of miRNA disruption in age-related illnesses and emphasize the possibility of dietary manipulation as a means of prevention or treatment. Consolidating animal and human research is essential to validate the significance of dietary miRNA control in living organisms, despite the abundance of information already provided by several studies. This review elucidates the complex interaction among miRNAs, nutrition, and aging, offering valuable insights into promising areas for further research and potential therapies for age-related disorders.

The role of microRNAs in understanding sex-based differences in Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND

The incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-the most frequent cause of dementia-is expected to increase as life expectancies rise across the globe. While sex-based differences in AD have previously been described, there remain uncertainties regarding any association between sex and disease-associated molecular mechanisms. Studying sex-specific expression profiles of regulatory factors such as microRNAs (miRNAs) could contribute to more accurate disease diagnosis and treatment.

METHODS

A systematic review identified six studies of microRNA expression in AD patients that incorporated information regarding the biological sex of samples in the Gene Expression Omnibus repository. A differential microRNA expression analysis was performed, considering disease status and patient sex. Subsequently, results were integrated within a meta-analysis methodology, with a functional enrichment of meta-analysis results establishing an association between altered miRNA expression and relevant Gene Ontology terms.

RESULTS

Meta-analyses of miRNA expression profiles in blood samples revealed the alteration of sixteen miRNAs in female and 22 miRNAs in male AD patients. We discovered nine miRNAs commonly overexpressed in both sexes, suggesting a shared miRNA dysregulation profile. Functional enrichment results based on miRNA profiles revealed sex-based differences in biological processes; most affected processes related to ubiquitination, regulation of different kinase activities, and apoptotic processes in males, but RNA splicing and translation in females. Meta-analyses of miRNA expression profiles in brain samples revealed the alteration of six miRNAs in female and four miRNAs in male AD patients. We observed a single underexpressed miRNA in female and male AD patients (hsa-miR-767-5p); however, the functional enrichment analysis for brain samples did not reveal any specifically affected biological process.

CONCLUSIONS

Sex-specific meta-analyses supported the detection of differentially expressed miRNAs in female and male AD patients, highlighting the relevance of sex-based information in biomedical data. Further studies on miRNA regulation in AD patients should meet the criteria for comparability and standardization of information.

Dissecting the Relationship Between Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) and neuropsychiatric disorders (NPDs) are two common causes of death in elderly people, which includes progressive neuronal cell death and behavioral changes. NDDs include Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and motor neuron disease, characterized by cognitive defects and memory impairment, whereas NPDs include depression, seizures, migraine headaches, eating disorders, addictions, palsies, major depressive disorders, anxiety, and schizophrenia, characterized by behavioral changes. Mounting evidence demonstrated that NDDs and NPDs share an overlapping mechanism, which includes post-translational modifications, the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and signaling events. Mounting evidence demonstrated that various drug molecules, namely, natural compounds, repurposed drugs, multitarget directed ligands, and RNAs, have been potentially implemented as therapeutic agents against NDDs and NPDs. Herein, we highlighted the overlapping mechanism, the role of anxiety/stress-releasing factors, cytosol-to-nucleus signaling, and the microbiota-gut-brain axis in the pathophysiology of NDDs and NPDs. We summarize the therapeutic application of natural compounds, repurposed drugs, and multitarget-directed ligands as therapeutic agents. Lastly, we briefly described the application of RNA interferences as therapeutic agents in the pathogenesis of NDDs and NPDs. Neurodegenerative diseases and neuropsychiatric diseases both share a common signaling molecule and molecular phenomenon, namely, pro-inflammatory cytokines, γCaMKII and MAPK/ERK, chemokine receptors, BBB permeability, and the gut-microbiota-brain axis. Studies have demonstrated that any alterations in the signaling mentioned above molecules and molecular phenomena lead to the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases, namely, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and neuropsychiatric disorders, such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, depression, anxiety, autism spectrum disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

LncRNA FTX Inhibits Ferroptosis of Hippocampal Neurons Displaying Epileptiform Discharges In vitro Through the miR-142-5p/GABPB1 Axis

Epilepsy is a disabling and drug-refractory neurological disorder. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play a vital role in neuronal function and central nervous system development. This study aimed to explore the regulatory mechanism of lncRNA five prime to Xist (FTX) in cell ferroptosis following epilepsy to provide a theoretical foundation for epilepsy management. Hippocampal neurons were isolated from brain tissues of healthy male SD rats, and an in vitro cell model of epilepsy was established using magnesium-free (MGF) induction. Patch-clamp technique was used to determine the action potentials of neurons. Neuronal viability and apoptosis were assessed by CCK-8 assay and flow cytometry. Levels of FTX, miR-142-5p, and GABPB1 were determined by RT-qPCR and Western blot, respectively. The cellular location of FTX was predicted and validated by RNA immunoprecipitation. Dual-luciferase assay verified targeting relationships among FTX, miR-142-5p, and GAPBP1. Levels of ferroptosis indicators and ferroptosis-related proteins were measured using Western blot and corresponding kits. Neuronal ferroptosis and apoptosis increased after MGF induction, and FTX was weakly-expressed in MGF-induced neurons. FTX overexpression attenuated ferroptosis and apoptosis of MGF-induced neurons. miR-142-5p was upregulated after MGF induction and downregulated after FTX overexpression, and FTX targeted miR-142-5p. miR-142-5p overexpression partially negated the inhibitory action of FTX overexpression on ferroptosis of MGF-induced neurons. FTX regulated GABPB1 expression by targeting miR-142-5p. In conclusion, FTX overexpression mitigated ferroptosis of MGF-induced neurons through the miR-142-5p/GABPB1 axis. In conclusion, lncRNA FTX inhibited ferroptosis of MGF-induced rat hippocampal neurons via the miR-142-5p/GABPB1 axis.

The protective effects of Esculentoside A through AMPK in the triple transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease

BACKGROUND

Neurofibrillary tangles comprising hyperphosphorylated tau are vital factors associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The elimination or reduction of hyperphosphorylated and abnormally aggregated tau is a valuable measure in AD therapy. Esculentoside A (EsA), isolated from Phytolacca esculenta, exhibits pharmacotherapeutic efficacy in mice with amyloid beta-induced AD. However, whether EsA affects tau pathology and its specific mechanism of action in AD mice remains unclear.

PURPOSE

To investigate the roles and mechanisms of EsA in cognitive decline and tau pathology in a triple transgenic AD (3 × Tg-AD) mouse model.

METHODS

EsA (5 and 10 mg/kg) was administered via intraperitoneal injection to 8-month-old AD mice for eight consecutive weeks. Y-maze and novel object recognition tasks were used to evaluate the cognitive abilities of mice. Potential signaling pathways and targets in EsA-treated AD mice were assessed using quantitative proteomic analysis. The NFT levels and hippocampal synapse numbers were investigated using Gallyas-Braak silver staining and transmission electron microscopy, respectively. Western blotting and immunofluorescence assays were used to measure the expression of tau-associated proteins.

RESULTS

EsA administration attenuated memory and recognition deficits and synaptic damage in AD mice. Isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation proteomic analysis of the mouse hippocampus revealed that EsA modulated the expression of some critical proteins, including brain-specific angiogenesis inhibitor 3, galectin-1, and Ras-related protein 24, whose biological roles are relevant to synaptic function and autophagy. Further research revealed that EsA upregulated AKT/GSK3β activity, in turn, inhibited tau hyperphosphorylation and promoted autophagy to clear abnormally phosphorylated tau. In hippocampus-derived primary neurons, inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity through dorsomorphin could eliminate the effect of EsA, as revealed by increased tau hyperphosphorylation, downregulated activity AKT/GSK3β, and blocked autophagy.

CONCLUSIONS

To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that EsA attenuates cognitive decline by targeting the pathways of both tau hyperphosphorylation and autophagic clearance in an AMPK-dependent manner and it shows a high reference value in AD pharmacotherapy research.

MicroRNA Networks in Cognition and Dementia

The change from viewing noncoding RNA as “junk” in the genome to seeing it as a critical epigenetic regulator in almost every human condition or disease has forced a paradigm shift in biomedical and clinical research. Small and long noncoding RNA transcripts are now routinely evaluated as putative diagnostic or therapeutic agents. A prominent role for noncoding microRNAs in the central nervous system has uncovered promising new clinical candidates for dementia-related disorders, treatments for which currently remain elusive even as the percentage of diagnosed patients increases significantly. Cognitive decline is a core neurodegenerative process in Alzheimer’s Disease, Frontotemporal Dementia, Lewy body dementia, vascular dementia, Huntington’s Disease, Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, and a significant portion of Parkinson’s Disease patients. This review will discuss the microRNA-associated networks which influence these pathologies, including inflammatory and viral-mediated pathways (such as the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus implicated in COVID-19), and their current status in clinical trials.

Human cytomegalovirus IE2 may impair the cognitive ability of the hippocampus through the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway in the Rosa26-LSL-IE2/Cre mouse

Nowadays, there are few studies in vivo to explore the effects of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) single gene such as immediate early protein 2 (IE2) on the nervous system, let alone the mechanism that IE2 causes cognitive impairment. In this study, the Rosa26-LSL-IE2/Cre mouse was used to show the effects of IE2 on the cognitive ability and the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway in the hippocampus. We divided the mice into experimental and control groups based on the results of PCR firstly. After that, the cognitive abilities of the two groups were compared through new object recognition (NOR) and Morris water maze (MWM) tests. The results of the behavioral tests showed that the cognitive ability of the experimental mice was lower than that of the control group. It is known that changes in the expression levels of N-methyl D-aspartate receptor 1, 2A, and 2B (GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B) affect synaptic plasticity and cause cognitive changes. Finally, we analyzed the expression levels of GluN1, GluN2A, GluN2B, and related signaling pathway molecules by qPCR and western blot. We found that the expression levels of the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway were decreased in the experimental group. These results indicated that IE2 could affect the expression levels of GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway, which was closely related to the cognitive impairment of the experimental group. In summary, we used this novel mouse model to show that IE2 could cause cognitive impairment in the hippocampus, which might be related to the GluNRs/CaMKIIα/CREB signaling pathway. It is helpful to further understand the mechanism of the cognitive impairment induced by HCMV IE2.