Famotidine has a neuroprotective effect on MK-801 induced toxicity via the Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin signaling pathway in the SH-SY5Y cell line

Therapeutic Potential Effect of Glycogen Synthase Kinase 3 Beta (GSK-3β) Inhibitors in Parkinson Disease: Exploring an Overlooked Avenue

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of the brain due to degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) is implicated in the pathogenesis of PD. Therefore, the purpose of the present review was to revise the mechanistic role of GSK-3β in PD neuropathology, and how GSK-3β inhibitors affect PD neuropathology. GSK-3 is a conserved threonine/serine kinase protein that is intricate in the regulation of cellular anabolic and catabolic pathways by modulating glycogen synthase. Over-expression of GSK-3β is also interconnected with the development of different neurodegenerative diseases. However, the underlying mechanism of GSK-3β in PD neuropathology is not fully clarified. Over-expression of GSK-3β induces the development of PD by triggering mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in the dopaminergic neurons of the SN. NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome are activated in response to dysregulated GSK-3β in PD leading to progressive neuronal injury. Higher expression of GSK-3β in the early stages of PD neuropathology might contribute to the reduction of neuroprotective brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Thus, GSK-3β inhibitors may be effective in PD by reducing inflammatory and oxidative stress disorders which are associated with degeneration of dopaminergic in the SN.

Effect of famotidine on cognitive and behavioral dysfunctions induced in post-COVID-19 infection: A randomized, double-blind, and placebo-controlled study

OBJECTIVES

This is an investigation of the efficacy and safety of famotidine, a selective histamine H2 receptor antagonist, on improvement of cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety symptoms developing post-COVID-19, in a 12-week, randomized controlled trial.

METHODS

A total of 50 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 and a score ≤ 23 on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test or a score ≤ 22 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were randomly assigned to either the famotidine (40 mg twice daily) or the placebo group. Changes in MMSE scores at weeks 6 and 12 were the primary outcome, while changes in other scales were the secondary outcomes. Participants and evaluators were blinded.

RESULTS

At weeks 6 and 12, patients in the famotidine group had significantly higher MMSE scores (p = 0.014, p < 0.001, respectively). Regarding the MoCA scale, the famotidine group had a significantly higher score at weeks 6 and 12 (p = 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). Considering the HAM-D scale (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale), at weeks 6 and 12, the famotidine group experienced a larger reduction (p = 0.009, p = 0.02, respectively). Additionally, comparison of the HAM-A scale scores (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale) at weeks 6 and 12 showed a statistically significant larger reduction in the famotidine group (p = 0.04, p = 0.02, respectively). The two groups did not differ in the frequency of adverse effects.

CONCLUSION

Our study supports safety and efficacy of famotidine in treating cognitive impairment, depression and anxiety symptoms induced by COVID-19.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was registered at the Iranian registry of clinical trials (IRCT: www.irct.ir; registration number: IRCT20090117001556N138).

A novel pharmacological mechanism of anti-cancer drugs that induce pyroptosis

Pyroptosis is an inflammasome-induced lytic form of programmed cell death, and its main effect involves the release of inflammatory mediators when a cell dies, resulting in an inflammatory response in the body. The key to pyroptosis is the cleavage of GSDMD or other gasdermin families. Some drugs can cause cleavage GSDMD or other gasdermin members cause pyroptosis and suppress cancer growth and development. This review explores several drugs that may induce pyroptosis, thereby contributing to tumor treatment. Pyroptosis-inducing drugs, such as arsenic, platinum, and doxorubicin, were used originally in cancer treatment. Other pyroptosis-inducing drugs, such as metformin, dihydroartemisinin, and famotidine, were used to control blood glucose, treat malaria, and regulate blood lipid levels and are effective tumor treatments. By summarizing drug mechanisms, we provide a valuable basis for treating cancers by inducing pyroptosis. In future, the use of these drugs may contribute to new clinical treatments.

Effects of antipsychotics, haloperidol and olanzapine, on the expression of apoptosis-related genes in mouse mHippoE-2 cells and rat hippocampus

Objective. Modified levels of pro- (caspase3, Bax) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2) regulatory proteins have been detected in certain brain areas of schizophrenic patients indicating a possible dysregulation of apoptosis. In the present study, effects of antipsychotics, haloperidol (HAL) and olanzapine (OLA), on the gene expression of caspase3 (casp3), Bax and Bcl-2 were studied in vitro in mouse hippocampal mHippoE-2 cell line and in vivo in the hippocampus of MK-801 animal schizophrenia model with the aim to provide evidence that antipsychotics may affect the activity of apoptosis-related markers. Methods. mHippoE-2 cells were incubated with MK-801 (20 µM), HAL (10 µM), and OLA (10 µM) alone or combined, MK-801+HAL/OLA, for 24, 48, and 72 h. Male Sprague Dawley rats were injected with saline or MK-801 (0.5 mg/kg) for 6 days and since the 7th day, they were treated with vehicle (VEH), HAL (1 mg/kg) or OLA (2 mg/kg) for the next 7 days. The casp3, Bax and Bcl-2 gene expression in mHippoE-2 cells and rat hippocampus was measured by RT-PCR. Results. In mHippoE-2 cells, casp3 gene expression was increased by MK-801 and OLA treatments alone for 48 h, HAL treatment alone for 24 and 72 h, and co-treatment with MK-801+OLA for 24 and 72 h compared to controls. HAL and OLA suppressed the stimulatory effect of MK-801 on casp3 mRNA levels in cells after 48 h of incubation. Bax mRNA levels in mHippoE-2 cells were decreased after HAL treatment for 24 and 48 h, and also after co-treatment with MK-801+HAL for 72 h. In vivo, MK-801 decreased mRNA levels of both pro-apoptotic markers, casp3 and Bax, in hippocampus of VEH-treated rats and Bax mRNA levels in hippocampus of HAL-treated animals. OLA reversed the inhibitory effect of MK-801 on casp3 expression in the VEH-treated animals. Neither MK-801 nor antipsychotics induced changes in the gene expression of anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-2 in mHippoE-2 cells as well as hippocampus of rats. Conclusions. The results of the present study demonstrate that antipsychotics, HAL and OLA, may affect mRNA levels of pro-apoptotic markers in hippocampal cells in vitro, but not in vivo. The obtained data do not clearly support the assumed potentiating role of MK-801 in inducing apoptosis in specific brain areas and a possible protective role of antipsychotics against induction of apoptosis. The obtained data may contribute to a deeper insight into the neurodevelopmental changes connected with schizophrenia.

Revisiting the Role of GSK3, A Modulator of Innate Immunity, in Idiopathic Inclusion Body Myositis

Idiopathic or sporadic inclusion body myositis (IBM) is the leading age-related (onset >50 years of age) autoimmune muscular pathology, resulting in significant debilitation in affected individuals. Once viewed as primarily a degenerative disorder, it is now evident that much like several other neuro-muscular degenerative disorders, IBM has a major autoinflammatory component resulting in chronic inflammation-induced muscle destruction. Thus, IBM is now considered primarily an inflammatory pathology. To date, there is no effective treatment for sporadic inclusion body myositis, and little is understood about the pathology at the molecular level, which would offer the best hopes of at least slowing down the degenerative process. Among the previously examined potential molecular players in IBM is glycogen synthase kinase (GSK)-3, whose role in promoting TAU phosphorylation and inclusion bodies in Alzheimer’s disease is well known. This review looks to re-examine the role of GSK3 in IBM, not strictly as a promoter of TAU and Abeta inclusions, but as a novel player in the innate immune system, discussing some of the recent roles discovered for this well-studied kinase in inflammatory-mediated pathology.

Famotidine promotes inflammation by triggering cell pyroptosis in gastric cancer cells

BACKGROUND

Cell pyroptosis has been characterized by cell swelling and pro-inflammatory factors release to aggravate inflammatory reaction., such as interlukin-1 beta (IL-1β) and interlukin18 (IL-18). However, the function of famotidine, an antagonist of histamine H2-receptor antagonists, in cell pyroptosis remained unknown.

METHODS

Real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), western blotting (WB), LDH release assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa) combined with inhibitor were performed to analyze the effect of famotidine on cell pyroptosis-related gene expression.

RESULTS

In this study, we found that famotidine (300 μm) treatment led to a phenomenon of cell pyroptosis as confirmed by LDH assay. Further results showed that famotidine triggered cell pyroptosis in gastric cancer cells by activation of NLPR3 inflammasomes including ASC, Caspase-1 and NLRP, leading to enhanced IL-18, not IL-1β, mature and secretion. What's more, the results also showed GSDME, not GSDMD, was increased in response to famotidine stimulation in BGC823 and AGS cells. Mechanically, phosphorylation of ERK1/2 was drastically enhanced in present with famotidine treatment, while inhibition of ERK1/2 activity by U0126 could reverse the promotion of famotidine in IL-18 secretion.

CONCLUSION

These findings revealed a novel role of famotidine in cell pyroptosis in patients with gastric cancer, a comprehensive consideration is needed in treatment of gastric cancer.

Cellular Models in Schizophrenia Research

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a prevalent functional psychosis characterized by clinical behavioural symptoms and underlying abnormalities in brain function. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of schizophrenia have revealed many loci that do not directly identify processes disturbed in the disease. For this reason, the development of cellular models containing SZ-associated variations has become a focus in the post-GWAS research era. The application of revolutionary clustered regularly interspaced palindromic repeats CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing tools, along with recently developed technologies for cultivating brain organoids in vitro, have opened new perspectives for the construction of these models. In general, cellular models are intended to unravel particular biological phenomena. They can provide the missing link between schizophrenia-related phenotypic features (such as transcriptional dysregulation, oxidative stress and synaptic dysregulation) and data from pathomorphological, electrophysiological and behavioural studies. The objectives of this review are the systematization and classification of cellular models of schizophrenia, based on their complexity and validity for understanding schizophrenia-related phenotypes.

Role of Neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Emergence of Brain Histaminergic System. Lessons Also for BPSD?

Many behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) share similarities in executive functioning and communication deficits with those described in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), epilepsy, schizophrenia (SCH), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Numerous studies over the last four decades have documented altered neuroinflammation among individuals diagnosed with ASD. The purpose of this review is to examine the hypothesis that central histamine (HA) plays a significant role in the regulation of neuroinflammatory processes of microglia functions in numerous neuropsychiatric diseases, i.e., ASD, AD, SCH, and BPSD. In addition, this review summarizes the latest preclinical and clinical results that support the relevance of histamine H1-, H2-, and H3-receptor antagonists for the potential clinical use in ASD, SCH, AD, epilepsy, and BPSD, based on the substantial symptomatic overlap between these disorders with regards to cognitive dysfunction. The review focuses on the histaminergic neurotransmission as relevant in these brain disorders, as well as the effects of a variety of H3R antagonists in animal models and in clinical studies.