1
|
Nataraj K, Schonfeld M, Rodriguez A, Tikhanovich I. Protective role of 17β-estradiol in alcohol-associated liver fibrosis is mediated by suppression of integrin signaling. Hepatol Commun 2024; 8:e0428. [PMID: 38704651 PMCID: PMC11073774 DOI: 10.1097/hc9.0000000000000428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alcohol-associated liver disease is a complex disease regulated by genetic and environmental factors such as diet and sex. The combination of high-fat diet and alcohol consumption has synergistic effects on liver disease progression. Female sex hormones are known to protect females from liver disease induced by high-fat diet. In contrast, they promote alcohol-mediated liver injury. We aimed to define the role of female sex hormones on liver disease induced by a combination of high-fat diet and alcohol. METHODS Wild-type and protein arginine methyltransferase (Prmt)6 knockout female mice were subjected to gonadectomy (ovariectomy, OVX) or sham surgeries and then fed western diet and alcohol in the drinking water. RESULTS We found that female sex hormones protected mice from western diet/alcohol-induced weight gain, liver steatosis, injury, and fibrosis. Our data suggest that these changes are, in part, mediated by estrogen-mediated induction of arginine methyltransferase PRMT6. Liver proteome changes induced by OVX strongly correlated with changes induced by Prmt6 knockout. Using Prmt6 knockout mice, we confirmed that OVX-mediated weight gain, steatosis, and injury are PRMT6 dependent, while OVX-induced liver fibrosis is PRMT6 independent. Proteomic and gene expression analyses revealed that estrogen signaling suppressed the expression of several components of the integrin pathway, thus reducing integrin-mediated proinflammatory (Tnf, Il6) and profibrotic (Tgfb1, Col1a1) gene expression independent of PRMT6 levels. Integrin signaling inhibition using Arg-Gly-Asp peptides reduced proinflammatory and profibrotic gene expression in mice, suggesting that integrin suppression by estrogen is protective against fibrosis development. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, estrogen signaling protects mice from liver disease induced by a combination of alcohol and high-fat diet through upregulation of Prmt6 and suppression of integrin signaling.
Collapse
|
2
|
Collier AD, Abdulai AR, Leibowitz SF. Utility of the Zebrafish Model for Studying Neuronal and Behavioral Disturbances Induced by Embryonic Exposure to Alcohol, Nicotine, and Cannabis. Cells 2023; 12:2505. [PMID: 37887349 PMCID: PMC10605371 DOI: 10.3390/cells12202505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/28/2023] Open
Abstract
It is estimated that 5% of pregnant women consume drugs of abuse during pregnancy. Clinical research suggests that intake of drugs during pregnancy, such as alcohol, nicotine and cannabis, disturbs the development of neuronal systems in the offspring, in association with behavioral disturbances early in life and an increased risk of developing drug use disorders. After briefly summarizing evidence in rodents, this review focuses on the zebrafish model and its inherent advantages for studying the effects of embryonic exposure to drugs of abuse on behavioral and neuronal development, with an emphasis on neuropeptides known to promote drug-related behaviors. In addition to stimulating the expression and density of peptide neurons, as in rodents, zebrafish studies demonstrate that embryonic drug exposure has marked effects on the migration, morphology, projections, anatomical location, and peptide co-expression of these neurons. We also describe studies using advanced methodologies that can be applied in vivo in zebrafish: first, to demonstrate a causal relationship between the drug-induced neuronal and behavioral disturbances and second, to discover underlying molecular mechanisms that mediate these effects. The zebrafish model has great potential for providing important information regarding the development of novel and efficacious therapies for ameliorating the effects of early drug exposure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Yasmin N, Collier AD, Abdulai AR, Karatayev O, Yu B, Fam M, Leibowitz SF. Role of Chemokine Cxcl12a in Mediating the Stimulatory Effects of Ethanol on Embryonic Development of Subpopulations of Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons and Their Projections. Cells 2023; 12:1399. [PMID: 37408233 PMCID: PMC10216682 DOI: 10.3390/cells12101399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies in zebrafish and rats show that embryonic ethanol exposure at low-moderate concentrations stimulates hypothalamic neurons expressing hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) that promote alcohol consumption, effects possibly involving the chemokine Cxcl12 and its receptor Cxcr4. Our recent studies in zebrafish of Hcrt neurons in the anterior hypothalamus (AH) demonstrate that ethanol exposure has anatomically specific effects on Hcrt subpopulations, increasing their number in the anterior AH (aAH) but not posterior AH (pAH), and causes the most anterior aAH neurons to become ectopically expressed further anterior in the preoptic area (POA). Using tools of genetic overexpression and knockdown, our goal here was to determine whether Cxcl12a has an important function in mediating the specific effects of ethanol on these Hcrt subpopulations and their projections. The results demonstrate that the overexpression of Cxcl12a has stimulatory effects similar to ethanol on the number of aAH and ectopic POA Hcrt neurons and the long anterior projections from ectopic POA neurons and posterior projections from pAH neurons. They also demonstrate that knockdown of Cxcl12a blocks these effects of ethanol on the Hcrt subpopulations and projections, providing evidence supporting a direct role of this specific chemokine in mediating ethanol's stimulatory effects on embryonic development of the Hcrt system.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Kharbanda KK, Chokshi S, Tikhanovich I, Weinman SA, New-Aaron M, Ganesan M, Osna NA. A Pathogenic Role of Non-Parenchymal Liver Cells in Alcohol-Associated Liver Disease of Infectious and Non-Infectious Origin. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:255. [PMID: 36829532 PMCID: PMC9953685 DOI: 10.3390/biology12020255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Now, much is known regarding the impact of chronic and heavy alcohol consumption on the disruption of physiological liver functions and the induction of structural distortions in the hepatic tissues in alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD). This review deliberates the effects of alcohol on the activity and properties of liver non-parenchymal cells (NPCs), which are either residential or infiltrated into the liver from the general circulation. NPCs play a pivotal role in the regulation of organ inflammation and fibrosis, both in the context of hepatotropic infections and in non-infectious settings. Here, we overview how NPC functions in ALD are regulated by second hits, such as gender and the exposure to bacterial or viral infections. As an example of the virus-mediated trigger of liver injury, we focused on HIV infections potentiated by alcohol exposure, since this combination was only limitedly studied in relation to the role of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) in the development of liver fibrosis. The review specifically focusses on liver macrophages, HSC, and T-lymphocytes and their regulation of ALD pathogenesis and outcomes. It also illustrates the activation of NPCs by the engulfment of apoptotic bodies, a frequent event observed when hepatocytes are exposed to ethanol metabolites and infections. As an example of such a double-hit-induced apoptotic hepatocyte death, we deliberate on the hepatotoxic accumulation of HIV proteins, which in combination with ethanol metabolites, causes intensive hepatic cell death and pro-fibrotic activation of HSCs engulfing these HIV- and malondialdehyde-expressing apoptotic hepatocytes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kusum K. Kharbanda
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Shilpa Chokshi
- Institute of Hepatology, Foundation for Liver Research, London SE5 9NT, UK
- Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King’s College London, London SE5 8AF, UK
| | - Irina Tikhanovich
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 66160, USA
| | - Steven A. Weinman
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 66160, USA
- Research Service, Kansas City Veterans Administration Medical Center, Kansas City, MO 64128, USA
| | - Moses New-Aaron
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Murali Ganesan
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| | - Natalia A. Osna
- Research Service, Veterans Affairs Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, NE 68105, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198, USA
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Collier AD, Yasmin N, Chang GQ, Karatayev O, Khalizova N, Fam M, Abdulai AR, Yu B, Leibowitz SF. Embryonic ethanol exposure induces ectopic Hcrt and MCH neurons outside hypothalamus in rats and zebrafish: Role in ethanol-induced behavioural disturbances. Addict Biol 2022; 27:e13238. [PMID: 36301208 PMCID: PMC9625080 DOI: 10.1111/adb.13238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Embryonic exposure to ethanol increases the risk for alcohol use disorder in humans and stimulates alcohol-related behaviours in different animal models. Evidence in rats and zebrafish suggests that this phenomenon induced by ethanol at low-moderate concentrations involves a stimulatory effect on neurogenesis and density of hypothalamic neurons expressing the peptides, hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), known to promote alcohol consumption. Building on our report in zebrafish showing that ethanol induces ectopic expression of Hcrt neurons outside the hypothalamus, we investigated here whether embryonic ethanol exposure also induces ectopic peptide neurons in rats similar to zebrafish and affects their morphological characteristics and if these ectopic neurons are functional and have a role in the ethanol-induced disturbances in behaviour. We demonstrate in rats that ethanol at a low-moderate dose, in addition to increasing Hcrt and MCH neurons in the lateral hypothalamus where they are normally concentrated, induces ectopic expression of these peptide neurons further anterior in the nucleus accumbens core and ventromedial caudate putamen where they have not been previously observed and causes morphological changes relative to normally located hypothalamic neurons. Similar to rats, embryonic ethanol exposure at a low-moderate dose in zebrafish induces ectopic Hcrt neurons anterior to the hypothalamus and alters their morphology. Notably, laser ablation of these ectopic Hcrt neurons blocks the behavioural effects induced by ethanol exposure, including increased anxiety and locomotor activity. These findings suggest that the ectopic peptide neurons are functional and contribute to the ethanol-induced behavioural disturbances related to the overconsumption of alcohol.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam D. Collier
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Nushrat Yasmin
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Guo-Qing Chang
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Olga Karatayev
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Milisia Fam
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Abdul R. Abdulai
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Boyi Yu
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| | - Sarah F. Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Schonfeld M, Averilla J, Gunewardena S, Weinman SA, Tikhanovich I. Alcohol-associated fibrosis in females is mediated by female-specific activation of lysine demethylases KDM5B and KDM5C. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:2042-2057. [PMID: 35468265 PMCID: PMC9315128 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease is a major cause of alcohol-related mortality. However, the mechanisms underlying disease progression are not fully understood. Recently we found that liver molecular pathways are altered by alcohol consumption differently in males and females. We were able to associate these sex-specific pathways with two upstream regulators: H3K4-specific demethylase enzymes KDM5B and KDM5C. Mice were fed the Lieber-DeCarli alcohol liquid diet for 3 weeks or a combination of a high-fat diet with alcohol in water for 16 weeks (western diet alcohol model [WDA] model). To assess the role of histone demethylases, mice were treated with AAV-shControl, AAV-shKdm5b, and/or AAV-shKdm5c and/or AAV-shAhR vectors. Gene expression and epigenetic changes after Kdm5b/5c knockdown were assessed by RNA-sequencing and H3K4me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis. We found that less than 5% of genes affected by Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown were common between males and females. In females, Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown prevented fibrosis development in mice fed the WDA alcohol diet for 16 weeks and decreased fibrosis-associated gene expression in mice fed the Lieber-DeCarli alcohol liquid diet. In contrast, fibrosis was not affected by Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown in males. We found that KDM5B and KDM5C promote fibrosis in females through down-regulation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) pathway components in hepatic stellate cells. Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown resulted in an up-regulation of Ahr, Arnt, and Aip in female but not in male mice, thus preventing fibrosis development. Ahr knockdown in combination with Kdm5b/Kdm5c knockdown restored profibrotic gene expression. Conclusion: KDM5 demethylases contribute to differences between males and females in the alcohol response in the liver. The KDM5/AhR axis is a female-specific mechanism of fibrosis development in alcohol-fed mice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schonfeld
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
| | - Janice Averilla
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
| | - Sumedha Gunewardena
- Department of Molecular and Integrative PhysiologyUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
| | - Steven A. Weinman
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
- Liver CenterUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
- Kansas City VA Medical CenterKansas CityMissouriUSA
| | - Irina Tikhanovich
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKansasUSA
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fibroblast growth factor 2: Role in prenatal alcohol-induced stimulation of hypothalamic peptide neurons. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2022; 116:110536. [PMID: 35176416 PMCID: PMC8920779 DOI: 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2022.110536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 02/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) increases alcohol consumption and risk for alcohol use disorder. This phenomenon in rodents is suggested to involve a stimulatory effect of PAE, in female more than male offspring, on neurogenesis and density of neurons expressing neuropeptides in lateral hypothalamus (LH), including melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), known to promote alcohol intake. With evidence suggesting a role for fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) and its receptor FGFR1 in stimulating neurogenesis and alcohol drinking, we investigated here whether the FGF2-FGFR1 system is involved in the PAE-induced increase in MCH neurons, in postnatal offspring of pregnant rats given ethanol orally (embryonic day 10-15) at a low-moderate (2 g/kg/day) or high (5 g/kg/day) dose. Our results demonstrate that PAE at the low-moderate but not high dose stimulates FGF2 and FGFR1 gene expression and increases the density of MCH neurons co-expressing FGF2, only in females, but FGFR1 in both sexes. PAE induces this effect in the dorsal but not ventral area of the LH. Further analysis of FGF2 and FGFR1 transcripts within individual MCH neurons reveals an intracellular, sex-dependent effect, with PAE increasing FGF2 transcripts positively related to FGFR1 in the nucleus as well as cytoplasm of females but transcripts only in the cytoplasm of males. Peripheral injection of FGF2 itself (80 μg/kg, s.c.) in pregnant rats mimics these effects of PAE. Together, these results support the involvement of the FGF2-FGFR1 system in mediating the PAE-induced, sex dependent increase in density of MCH neurons, possibly contributing to increased alcohol consumption in the offspring.
Collapse
|
8
|
Schonfeld M, Averilla J, Gunewardena S, Weinman SA, Tikhanovich I. Male-Specific Activation of Lysine Demethylases 5B and 5C Mediates Alcohol-Induced Liver Injury and Hepatocyte Dedifferentiation. Hepatol Commun 2022; 6:1373-1391. [PMID: 35084807 PMCID: PMC9134811 DOI: 10.1002/hep4.1895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) is a major cause of alcohol-related mortality. Sex differences in sensitivity to ALD are well described, but these are often disregarded in studies of ALD development. We aimed to define sex-specific pathways in liver exposed to alcohol. Mice were fed the Lieber-DeCarli alcohol liquid diet or a combination of a high-fat diet with alcohol in water. Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-Seq) was performed on liver cells from male and female mice. Mice were treated with adeno-associated virus (AAV)-short hairpin (sh)Control or AAV-sh lysine demethylase 5b (shKdm5b) and/or AAV-shKdm5c vectors. Changes after Kdm5b/5c knockdown were assessed by RNA-Seq and histone H3 lysine K4 (H3K4)me3 chromatin immunoprecipitation-Seq analysis. Using scRNA-Seq analysis, we found several sex-specific pathways induced by alcohol, including pathways related to lipid metabolism and hepatocyte differentiation. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that two epigenetic regulators, H3K4-specific lysine demethylases KDM5B and KDM5C, contribute to sex differences in alcohol effects. We found that in alcohol-fed male mice, KDM5B and KDM5C are involved in hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (Hnf4a) down-regulation, hepatocyte dedifferentiation, and an increase in fatty acid synthesis. This effect is mediated by alcohol-induced KDM5B and KDM5C recruitment to Hnf4a and other gene promoters in male but not in female mice. Kdm5b and Kdm5c knockdown or KDM5-inhibitor treatment prevented alcohol-induced lipid accumulation and restored levels of Hnf4a and other hepatocyte differentiation genes in male mice. In addition, Kdm5b knockdown prevented hepatocellular carcinoma development in male mice by up-regulating Hnf4a and decreasing tumor cell proliferation. Conclusion: Alcohol specifically activates KDM5 demethylases in male mice to promote alcohol-induced hepatocyte dedifferentiation and tumor development.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Schonfeld
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
| | - Janice Averilla
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
| | - Sumedha Gunewardena
- Department of Molecular and Integrative PhysiologyUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
| | - Steven A. Weinman
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
- Liver CenterUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
- Kansas City VA Medical CenterKansas CityMOUSA
| | - Irina Tikhanovich
- Department of Internal MedicineUniversity of Kansas Medical CenterKansas CityKSUSA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Wang R, Martin CD, Lei AL, Hausknecht KA, Ishiwari K, Oubraim S, Wang AL, Richards JB, Haj-Dahmane S, Shen RY. Moderate prenatal ethanol exposure leads to attention deficits in both male and female rats. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2021; 45:1122-1135. [PMID: 33730380 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14599] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 02/22/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Attention deficits caused by prenatal ethanol (EtOH) exposure (PE) are a prevalent condition in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). Importantly, the deficits are observed in individuals with FASD who have normal IQs and show no dysmorphic facial features caused by heavy PE. These observations suggest that even moderate PE could lead to attention deficits. This possibility was investigated in the present study using a rat model. METHODS Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were administered EtOH (3 g/kg/day) or vehicle via intragastric gavage on gestational days 8 to 20. The blood EtOH concentration (BEC) in EtOH-treated rats was 87.7 ± 1.2 mg/dl (1 h after the gavage), similar to the BECs reported in other moderate PE studies in rodents. Moderate PE did not produce teratogenic effects on birthweight or litter size. The adult offspring underwent a 2-choice reaction time task. RESULTS Moderate PE led to augmented action impulsivity in both sexes, indicated by more rapid response initiation and more premature responses. Deficits were more marked in males than in females. No greater lapses of attention, assessed by incorrect or relatively slow responses, were observed in rats of either sex with moderate PE. In addition, no deficits in learning or motor function were detected after moderate PE. Interestingly, rats with moderate PE completed more trials than controls. CONCLUSIONS Our results confirm that moderate PE leads to attention deficits in both sexes, which is demonstrated by greater action impulsivity, but not more lapses of attention. This effect differs from that of heavy PE, as shown in our previous study, which is manifested as impaired action impulsivity and lapses of attention in both sexes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ruixiang Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Connor D Martin
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Anna L Lei
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Kathryn A Hausknecht
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Keita Ishiwari
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Saida Oubraim
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - An-Li Wang
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Jerry B Richards
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Samir Haj-Dahmane
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | - Roh-Yu Shen
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacob School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Prenatal Alcohol Exposure in Rats Diminishes Postnatal Cxcl16 Chemokine Ligand Brain Expression. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120987. [PMID: 33333834 PMCID: PMC7765294 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2020] [Revised: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 12/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy is one of the main causes of Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) produces several adverse manifestations. Even low or moderate intake has been associated with long-lasting behavioral and cognitive impairment in offspring. In this study we examined the gene expression profile in the rat nucleus accumbens using microarrays, comparing animals exposed prenatally to ethanol and controls. Microarray gene expression showed an overall downward regulatory effect of PAE. Gene cluster analysis reveals that the gene groups most affected are related to transcription regulation, transcription factors and homeobox genes. We focus on the expression of the C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 16 (Cxcl16) which was differentially expressed. There is a significant reduction in the expression of this chemokine throughout the brain under PAE conditions, evidenced here by quantitative polymerase chain reaction qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Chemokines are involved in neuroprotection and implicated in alcohol-induced brain damage and neuroinflammation in the developing central nervous system (CNS), therefore, the significance of the overall decrease in Cxcl16 expression in the brain as a consequence of PAE may reflect a reduced ability in neuroprotection against subsequent conditions, such as excitotoxic damage, inflammatory processes or even hypoxic-ischemic insult.
Collapse
|
11
|
Collier AD, Khalizova N, Chang GQ, Min S, Campbell S, Gulati G, Leibowitz SF. Involvement of Cxcl12a/Cxcr4b Chemokine System in Mediating the Stimulatory Effect of Embryonic Ethanol Exposure on Neuronal Density in Zebrafish Hypothalamus. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:2519-2535. [PMID: 33067812 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Embryonic exposure to ethanol (EtOH) produces marked disturbances in neuronal development and alcohol-related behaviors, with low-moderate EtOH doses stimulating neurogenesis without producing apoptosis and high doses having major cytotoxic effects while causing gross morphological abnormalities. With the pro-inflammatory chemokine system, Cxcl12, and its main receptor Cxcr4, known to promote processes of neurogenesis, we examined here this neuroimmune system in the embryonic hypothalamus to test directly if it mediates the stimulatory effects low-moderate EtOH doses have on neuronal development. METHODS We used the zebrafish (Danio rerio) model, which develops externally and allows one to investigate the developing brain in vivo with precise control of dose and timing of EtOH delivery in the absence of maternal influence. Zebrafish were exposed to low-moderate EtOH doses (0.1, 0.25, 0.5% v/v), specifically during a period of peak hypothalamic development from 22 to 24 hours postfertilization, and in some tests were pretreated from 2 to 22 hpf with the Cxcr4 receptor antagonist, AMD3100. Measurements in the hypothalamus at 26 hpf were taken of cxcl12a and cxcr4b transcription, signaling, and neuronal density using qRT-PCR, RNAscope, and live imaging of transgenic zebrafish. RESULTS Embryonic EtOH exposure, particularly at the 0.5% dose, significantly increased levels of cxcl12a and cxcr4b mRNA in whole embryos, number of cxcl12a and cxcr4b transcripts in developing hypothalamus, and internalization of Cxcr4b receptors in hypothalamic cells. Embryonic EtOH also caused an increase in the number of hypothalamic neurons and coexpression of cxcl12a and cxcr4b transcripts within these neurons. Each of these stimulatory effects of EtOH in the embryo was blocked by pretreatment with the Cxcr4 antagonist AMD3100. CONCLUSIONS These results provide clear evidence that EtOH's stimulatory effects at low-moderate doses on the number of hypothalamic neurons early in development are mediated, in part, by increased transcription and intracellular activation of this chemokine system, likely due to autocrine signaling of Cxcl12a at its Cxcr4b receptor within the neurons.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam D Collier
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Nailya Khalizova
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Guo-Qing Chang
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Soe Min
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Samantha Campbell
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Gazal Gulati
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Chang GQ, Karatayev O, Boorgu DSSK, Leibowitz SF. Third Ventricular Injection of CCL2 in Rat Embryo Stimulates CCL2/CCR2 Neuroimmune System in Neuroepithelial Radial Glia Progenitor Cells: Relation to Sexually Dimorphic, Stimulatory Effects on Peptide Neurons in Lateral Hypothalamus. Neuroscience 2020; 443:188-205. [PMID: 31982472 PMCID: PMC7681774 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2020.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/03/2019] [Revised: 01/09/2020] [Accepted: 01/10/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Clinical and animal studies show maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy causes in offspring persistent alterations in neuroimmune and neurochemical systems known to increase alcohol drinking and related behaviors. Studies in lateral hypothalamus (LH) demonstrate in adolescent offspring that maternal oral administration of ethanol stimulates the neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), together with the inflammatory chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and its receptor CCR2 which are increased in most MCH neurons. These effects, consistently stronger in females than males, are detected in embryos, not only in LH but hypothalamic neuroepithelium (NEP) along the third ventricle where neurons are born and CCL2 is stimulated within radial glia progenitor cells and their laterally projecting processes that facilitate MCH neuronal migration toward LH. With ethanol's effects similarly produced by maternal peripheral CCL2 administration and blocked by CCR2 antagonist, we tested here using in utero intracerebroventricular (ICV) injections whether CCL2 acts locally within the embryonic NEP. After ICV injection of CCL2 (0.1 µg/µl) on embryonic day 14 (E14) when neurogenesis peaks, we observed in embryos just before birth (E19) a significant increase in endogenous CCL2 within radial glia cells and their processes in NEP. These auto-regulatory effects, evident only in female embryos, were accompanied by increased density of CCL2 and MCH neurons in LH, more strongly in females than males. These results support involvement of embryonic CCL2/CCR2 neuroimmune system in radial glia progenitor cells in mediating sexually dimorphic effects of maternal challenges such as ethanol on LH MCH neurons that colocalize CCL2 and CCR2.
Collapse
|
13
|
Chang GQ, Karatayev O, Boorgu DSSK, Leibowitz SF. CCL2/CCR2 system in neuroepithelial radial glia progenitor cells: involvement in stimulatory, sexually dimorphic effects of maternal ethanol on embryonic development of hypothalamic peptide neurons. J Neuroinflammation 2020; 17:207. [PMID: 32650794 PMCID: PMC7353676 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-020-01875-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Clinical and animal studies show that alcohol consumption during pregnancy produces lasting behavioral disturbances in offspring, including increased alcohol drinking, which are linked to inflammation in the brain and disturbances in neurochemical systems that promote these behaviors. These include the neuropeptide, melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), which is mostly expressed in the lateral hypothalamus (LH). Maternal ethanol administration at low-to-moderate doses, while stimulating MCH neurons without affecting apoptosis or gliogenesis, increases in LH the density of neurons expressing the inflammatory chemokine C-C motif ligand 2 (CCL2) and its receptor CCR2 and their colocalization with MCH. These neural effects associated with behavioral changes are reproduced by maternal CCL2 administration, reversed by a CCR2 antagonist, and consistently stronger in females than males. The present study investigates in the embryo the developmental origins of this CCL2/CCR2-mediated stimulatory effect of maternal ethanol exposure on MCH neurons. METHODS Pregnant rats from embryonic day 10 (E10) to E15 during peak neurogenesis were orally administered ethanol at a moderate dose (2 g/kg/day) or peripherally injected with CCL2 or CCR2 antagonist to test this neuroimmune system's role in ethanol's actions. Using real-time quantitative PCR, immunofluorescence histochemistry, in situ hybridization, and confocal microscopy, we examined in embryos at E19 the CCL2/CCR2 system and MCH neurons in relation to radial glia progenitor cells in the hypothalamic neuroepithelium where neurons are born and radial glia processes projecting laterally through the medial hypothalamus that provide scaffolds for neuronal migration into LH. RESULTS We demonstrate that maternal ethanol increases radial glia cell density and their processes while stimulating the CCL2/CCR2 system and these effects are mimicked by maternal administration of CCL2 and blocked by a CCR2 antagonist. While stimulating CCL2 colocalization with radial glia and neurons but not microglia, ethanol increases MCH neuronal number near radial glia cells and making contact along their processes projecting into LH. Further tests identify the CCL2/CCR2 system in NEP as a primary source of ethanol's sexually dimorphic actions. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide new evidence for how an inflammatory chemokine pathway functions within neuroprogenitor cells to mediate ethanol's long-lasting, stimulatory effects on peptide neurons linked to adolescent drinking behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qing Chang
- The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | - Olga Karatayev
- The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10065 USA
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Morganstern I, Gulati G, Leibowitz SF. Role of melanin-concentrating hormone in drug use disorders. Brain Res 2020; 1741:146872. [PMID: 32360868 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2020.146872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a neuropeptide primarily transcribed in the lateral hypothalamus (LH), with vast projections to many areas throughout the central nervous system that play an important role in motivated behaviors and drug use. Anatomical, pharmacological and genetic studies implicate MCH in mediating the intake and reinforcement of commonly abused substances, acting by influencing several systems including the mesolimbic dopaminergic system, glutamatergic as well as GABAergic signaling and being modulated by inflammatory neuroimmune pathways. Further support for the role of MCH in controlling behavior related to drug use will be discussed as it relates to cerebral ventricular volume transmission and intracellular molecules including cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript peptide, dopamine- and cAMP-regulated phosphoprotein 32 kDa. The primary goal of this review is to introduce and summarize current literature surrounding the role of MCH in mediating the intake and reinforcement of commonly abused drugs, such as alcohol, cocaine, amphetamine, nicotine and opiates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gazal Gulati
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Chang GQ, Collier AD, Karatayev O, Gulati G, Boorgu DSSK, Leibowitz SF. Moderate Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Stimulates CXCL12/CXCR4 Chemokine System in Radial Glia Progenitor Cells in Hypothalamic Neuroepithelium and Peptide Neurons in Lateral Hypothalamus of the Embryo and Postnatal Offspring. Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2020; 44:866-879. [PMID: 32020622 DOI: 10.1111/acer.14296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Accepted: 01/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Prenatal exposure to ethanol (EtOH) has lasting effects on neuropeptide and neuroimmune systems in the brain alongside detrimental alcohol-related behaviors. At low-to-moderate doses, prenatal EtOH stimulates neurogenesis in lateral hypothalamus (LH) and increases neurons that express the orexigenic peptides hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt/OX) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH), and the proinflammatory chemokine CCL2, which through its receptor CCR2 stimulates cell differentiation and movement. Our recent studies demonstrated that CCL2 and CCR2 colocalize with MCH neurons and are involved in EtOH's stimulatory effect on their development but show no relation to Hcrt/OX. Here, we investigated another chemokine, CXCL12, and its receptor, CXCR4, which promote neurogenesis and neuroprogenitor cell proliferation, to determine if they also exhibit peptide specificity in their response to EtOH exposure. METHODS Pregnant rats were intraorally administered a moderate dose of EtOH (2 g/kg/d) from embryonic day 10 (E10) to E15. Their embryos and postnatal offspring were examined using real-time quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence histochemistry, to determine if EtOH affects CXCL12 and CXCR4 and the colocalization of CXCR4 with Hcrt/OX and MCH neurons in the LH and with radial glia neuroprogenitor cells in the hypothalamic neuroepithelium (NEP). RESULTS Prenatal EtOH strongly stimulated CXCL12 and CXCR4 in LH neurons of embryos and postnatal offspring. This stimulation was significantly stronger in Hcrt/OX than MCH neurons in LH and also occurred in radial glia neuroprogenitor cells dense in the NEP. These effects were sexually dimorphic, consistently stronger in females than males. CONCLUSIONS While showing prenatal EtOH exposure to have a sexually dimorphic, stimulatory effect on CXCL12 and CXCR4 in LH similar to CCL2 and its receptor, these results reveal their distinct relationship to the peptide neurons, with the former closely related to Hcrt/OX and the latter to MCH, and they link EtOH's actions in LH to a stimulatory effect on neuroprogenitor cells in the NEP.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Guo-Qing Chang
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, (GQC, ADC, OK, GG, SFL), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Adam D Collier
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, (GQC, ADC, OK, GG, SFL), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Olga Karatayev
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, (GQC, ADC, OK, GG, SFL), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | - Gazal Gulati
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, (GQC, ADC, OK, GG, SFL), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| | | | - Sarah F Leibowitz
- From the, Laboratory of Behavioral Neurobiology, (GQC, ADC, OK, GG, SFL), The Rockefeller University, New York, New York
| |
Collapse
|