Pharmacological screening of a new alpha-2 adrenergic receptor agonist, mafedine, in zebrafish

Methods: A bioinformatic protocol for rapid analysis of zebrafish embryo photo-motory responses (PMR) in neurotoxicity testing

Chemobehavioural phenotyping presents unique opportunities for analyzing neurotoxicants and discovering behavior-modifying neuroceuticals in small aquatic model organisms such as zebrafish (Danio rerio). A recently popularized approach in this field involves the utilization of zebrafish embryos for a photo-motor response (PMR) bioassay. The PMR bioassay entails stimulating zebrafish embryos between 24 and 36 h post fertilization (hpf) with a high-intensity light stimulus, inducing a transient increase in the frequency of photo-induced embryo body flexions. These flexions can be computationally analyzed to derive behavioral signatures, enabling the categorization of neuromodulating chemicals. Despite the significant advantages of the PMR bioassay, its widespread implementation is hindered by lack of well described and straightforward high-throughput bioinformatic analysis of behavioral data. In this methods article, we present an easily implementable bioinformatics protocol specifically designed for rapid behavioral analysis of large cohorts of zebrafish specimens in PMR bioassays. We also address common pitfalls encountered during PMR analysis, discuss its limitations, and propose future directions for developing next-generation biometric analysis techniques in chemobehavioural assays utilizing zebrafish embryos.

Evolution and divergence of teleost adrenergic receptors: why sometimes 'the drugs don't work' in fish

Adrenaline and noradrenaline, released as hormones and/or neurotransmitters, exert diverse physiological functions in vertebrates, and teleost fishes are widely used as model organisms to study adrenergic regulation; however, such investigations often rely on receptor subtype-specific pharmacological agents (agonists and antagonists; see Glossary) developed and validated in mammals. Meanwhile, evolutionary (phylogenetic and comparative genomic) studies have begun to unravel the diversification of adrenergic receptors (ARs) and reveal that whole-genome duplications and pseudogenization events in fishes results in notable distinctions from mammals in their genomic repertoire of ARs, while lineage-specific gene losses within teleosts have generated significant interspecific variability. In this Review, we visit the evolutionary history of ARs (including α1-, α2- and β-ARs) to highlight the prominent interspecific differences in teleosts, as well as between teleosts and other vertebrates. We also show that structural modelling of teleost ARs predicts differences in ligand binding affinity compared with mammalian orthologs. To emphasize the difficulty of studying the roles of different AR subtypes in fish, we collate examples from the literature of fish ARs behaving atypically compared with standard mammalian pharmacology. Thereafter, we focus on specific case studies of the liver, heart and red blood cells, where our understanding of AR expression has benefited from combining pharmacological approaches with molecular genetics. Finally, we briefly discuss the ongoing advances in 'omics' technologies that, alongside classical pharmacology, will provide abundant opportunities to further explore adrenergic signalling in teleosts.

Effects of Alpha-2 Adrenergic Agonist Mafedine on Brain Electrical Activity in Rats after Traumatic Brain Injury

The search for and development of new neuroprotective (or cerebroprotective) drugs, as well as suitable methods for their preclinical efficacy evaluation, are priorities for current biomedical research. Alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, such as mafedine and dexmedetomidine, are a highly appealing group of drugs capable of reducing neurological deficits which result from brain trauma and vascular events in both experimental animals and human patients. Thus, our aim was to assess the effects of mafedine and dexmedetomidine on the brain’s electrical activity in a controlled cortical-impact model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. The functional status of the animals was assessed by electrocorticography (ECoG), using ECoG electrodes which were chronically implanted in different cortical regions. The administration of intraperitoneal mafedine sodium at 2.5 mg∙kg⁻¹ at 1 h after TBI induction, and daily for the following 6 days, restored interhemispheric connectivity in remote brain regions and intrahemispheric connections within the unaffected hemisphere at post-TBI day 7. Animals that had received mafedine sodium also demonstrated an improvement in cortical responses to photic and somatosensory stimulation. Dexmedetomidine at 25 μg∙kg⁻¹ did not affect the brain’s electrical activity in brain-injured rats. Our results confirm the previously described neuroprotective effects of mafedine sodium and suggest that ECoG registration and analysis are a viable method evaluating drug efficacy in experimental animal models of TBI.

Potential Antioxidant Properties of Enzymatic Hydrolysates from Stichopus japonicus against Hydrogen Peroxide-Induced Oxidative Stress

A comprehensive antioxidant evaluation was performed on enzymatic hydrolysates of Stichopus japonicus (S. japonicus) using Vero cells and zebrafish models for in vitro and in vivo studies, respectively. S. japonicus was hydrolyzed with food-grade enzymes (alcalase, α-chymotrypsin, flavourzyme, kojizyme, neutrase, papain, pepsin, protamex, and trypsin), and the free radical scavenging activities were screened via electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy. According to the results, the enzymatic hydrolysates contained high protein and relatively low polysaccharide and sulfate contents. Among these hydrolysates, the α-chymotrypsin assisted hydrolysate from S. japonicus (α-chy) showed high yield and protein content, and strong hydroxyl radical scavenging activity. Therefore, α-chy was chosen for further purification. The α-chy was fractionated by ultrafiltration into three ultrafiltration (UF) fractions based on their molecular weight: >10 kDa (α-chy-I), 5-10 kDa (α-chy-II), and <5 kDa (α-chy-III), and we evaluated their antioxidant properties in H₂O₂ exposed Vero cells. The α-chy and its UF fractions significantly decreased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and increased cell viability in H₂O₂ exposed Vero cells. Among them, α-chy-III effectively declined the intracellular ROS levels and increased cell viability and exhibited protection against H₂O₂ induced apoptotic damage. Furthermore, α-chy-III remarkably attenuated the cell death, intracellular ROS and lipid peroxidation in H₂O₂ exposed zebrafish embryos. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that α-chy and its α-chy-III from S. japonicus possess strong antioxidant activities that could be utilized as a bioactive ingredient for functional food industries.