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Albertini C, Petralla S, Massenzio F, Monti B, Rizzardi N, Bergamini C, Uliassi E, Borges F, Chavarria D, Fricker G, Goettert M, Kronenberger T, Gehringer M, Laufer S, Bolognesi ML. Targeting Lewy body dementia with neflamapimod-rasagiline hybrids. Arch Pharm (Weinheim) 2024; 357:e2300525. [PMID: 38412454 DOI: 10.1002/ardp.202300525] [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: 09/21/2023] [Revised: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 02/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Lewy body dementia (LBD) represents the second most common neurodegenerative dementia but is a quite underexplored therapeutic area. Nepflamapimod (1) is a brain-penetrant selective inhibitor of the alpha isoform of the mitogen-activated serine/threonine protein kinase (MAPK) p38α, recently repurposed for LBD due to its remarkable antineuroinflammatory properties. Neuroprotective propargylamines are another class of molecules with a therapeutical potential against LBD. Herein, we sought to combine the antineuroinflammatory core of 1 and the neuroprotective propargylamine moiety into a single molecule. Particularly, we inserted a propargylamine moiety in position 4 of the 2,6-dichlorophenyl ring of 1, generating neflamapimod-propargylamine hybrids 3 and 4. These hybrids were evaluated using several cell models, aiming to recapitulate the complexity of LBD pathology through different molecular mechanisms. The N-methyl-N-propargyl derivative 4 showed a nanomolar p38α-MAPK inhibitory activity (IC50 = 98.7 nM), which is only 2.6-fold lower compared to that of the parent compound 1, while displaying no hepato- and neurotoxicity up to 25 μM concentration. It also retained a similar immunomodulatory profile against the N9 microglial cell line. Gratifyingly, at 5 μM concentration, 4 demonstrated a neuroprotective effect against dexamethasone-induced reactive oxygen species production in neuronal cells that was higher than that of 1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Albertini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Sabrina Petralla
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Francesca Massenzio
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Barbara Monti
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Nicola Rizzardi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Christian Bergamini
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Elisa Uliassi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Fernanda Borges
- CIQUP-IMS, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Daniel Chavarria
- CIQUP-IMS, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | - Gert Fricker
- Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Ruprecht-Karls-University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Marcia Goettert
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Thales Kronenberger
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
- School of Pharmacy, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Matthias Gehringer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Stefan Laufer
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Maria L Bolognesi
- Department of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
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Maniscalchi A, Benzi Juncos ON, Conde MA, Funk MI, Fermento ME, Facchinetti MM, Curino AC, Uranga RM, Alza NP, Salvador GA. New insights on neurodegeneration triggered by iron accumulation: Intersections with neutral lipid metabolism, ferroptosis, and motor impairment. Redox Biol 2024; 71:103074. [PMID: 38367511 PMCID: PMC10879836 DOI: 10.1016/j.redox.2024.103074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Brain iron accumulation constitutes a pathognomonic indicator in several neurodegenerative disorders. Metal accumulation associated with dopaminergic neuronal death has been documented in Parkinson's disease. Through the use of in vivo and in vitro models, we demonstrated that lipid dysregulation manifests as a neuronal and glial response during iron overload. In this study, we show that cholesterol content and triacylglycerol (TAG) hydrolysis were strongly elevated in mice midbrain. Lipid cacostasis was concomitant with the loss of dopaminergic neurons, astrogliosis and elevated expression of α-synuclein. Exacerbated lipid peroxidation and markers of ferroptosis were evident in the midbrain from mice challenged with iron overload. An imbalance in the activity of lipolytic and acylation enzymes was identified, favoring neutral lipid hydrolysis, and consequently reducing TAG and cholesteryl ester levels. Notably, these observed alterations were accompanied by motor impairment in iron-treated mice. In addition, neuronal and glial cultures along with their secretomes were used to gain further insight into the mechanism underlying TAG hydrolysis and cholesterol accumulation as cellular responses to iron accumulation. We demonstrated that TAG hydrolysis in neurons is triggered by astrocyte secretomes. Moreover, we found that the ferroptosis inhibitor, ferrostatin-1, effectively prevents cholesterol accumulation both in neurons and astrocytes. Taken together, these results indicate that lipid disturbances occur in iron-overloaded mice as a consequence of iron-induced oxidative stress and depend on neuron-glia crosstalk. Our findings suggest that developing therapies aimed at restoring lipid homeostasis may lead to specific treatment for neurodegeneration associated with ferroptosis and brain iron accumulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Athina Maniscalchi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Oriana N Benzi Juncos
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Melisa A Conde
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Melania I Funk
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - María E Fermento
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - María M Facchinetti
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Alejandro C Curino
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Romina M Uranga
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Natalia P Alza
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Química - UNS, Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - Gabriela A Salvador
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Camino La Carrindanga Km7 B8000FWB, Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Departamento de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina.
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Chakraborty A, Upadhya R, Usman TA, Shetty AK, Rutkowski JM. Chronic VEGFR-3 signaling preserves dendritic arborization and sensitization under stress. Brain Behav Immun 2021; 98:219-233. [PMID: 34389489 PMCID: PMC8511130 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbi.2021.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Dendritic arborization is critical for the establishment and maintenance of precise neural circuits. Vascular endothelial growth factor D (VEGF-D), well-characterized as a "lymphangiogenic" growth factor, reportedly maintains dendritic arborization and synaptic strength in the hippocampus of adult mice through VEGF receptor (VEGFR-3) signaling. Here, we investigated the effect of chronic VEGFR-3-specific activation on adipose arbor morphometry using the Adipo-VD mouse, a model of inducible, adipose-specific VEGF-D overexpression. We examined whether adipose tissue innervation was preserved or functionally different in Adipo-VD mice during stress in vivo and if VEGFR-3 signaling afforded neuroprotection to challenged neurons in vitro. Chronic VEGFR-3 signaling in Adipo-VD subcutaneous adipose tissue resulted in a reduction in the dendrite length, dendritic terminal branches (filament length), and dendritic terminal branch volume (filament volume), but increased dendrite branching. We also identified reduced stimulus-evoked excitatory sympathetic nerve activity in Adipo-VD mice. Following 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) denervation, Adipo-VD dendritic arbors were preserved, including improved dendritic branch volume, length, and dendritic branches than in wildtype tissues. In vitro, we found that chronic elevation of VEGFR-3 signaling in developing mVC neurons changes the dendritic arbor complexity and improves stress-induced structure remodeling. Developing neurons are conferred neuroprotection against stress, potentially by upregulation of proteolytic conversion of pro-BDNF to mature BDNF. Mature neurons, however, display improved dendritic arbor complexity, and unaltered dendritic structural remodeling and improved resistance to stress with VEGFR-3 signaling. Overall, chronically increasing VEGFR-3 signaling in neurons has a synergistic impact on neurosensitization and neuroprotection during stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adri Chakraborty
- Division of Lymphatic Biology, Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Raghavendra Upadhya
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Timaj A. Usman
- Division of Lymphatic Biology, Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA
| | - Ashok K. Shetty
- Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Department of Molecular and Cellular Medicine, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Joseph M. Rutkowski
- Division of Lymphatic Biology, Department of Medical Physiology, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Bryan, TX, USA,Correspondence: Joseph M Rutkowski, Texas A&M University College of Medicine, 8447 Riverside Parkway, Bryan, TX 77807 USA, Ph: 979-436-0576,
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Neutral lipids as early biomarkers of cellular fate: the case of α-synuclein overexpression. Cell Death Dis 2021; 12:52. [PMID: 33414430 PMCID: PMC7791139 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-020-03254-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2020] [Accepted: 11/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
α-synuclein (α-syn) accumulation and aggregation is a common pathological factor found in synucleinopathies, a group of neurodegenerative disorders that includes Parkinson´s disease (PD). It has been proposed that lipid dyshomeostasis is responsible for the occurrence of PD-related processes, however, the precise role of lipids in the onset and progression of neurodegenerative disorders remains unclear. Our aim was to investigate the effect of α-syn overexpression on neutral lipid metabolism and how this impacts on neuronal fate. We found lipid droplet (LD) accumulation in cells overexpressing α-syn to be associated with a rise in triacylglycerol (TAG) and cholesteryl ester (CE) levels. α-syn overexpression promoted diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 upregulation and acyl-CoA synthetase activation, triggering TAG buildup, that was accompanied by an increase in diacylglycerol acylation. Moreover, the CE increment was associated with higher activity of acyl-CoA:cholesterol acyltransferase. Interestingly, α-syn overexpression increased cholesterol lysosomal accumulation. We observed that sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1 and SREBP-2 were differentially regulated by α-syn overexpression. The latter gave rise to a reduction in SREBP-1 nuclear translocation and consequently in fatty acid synthase expression, whereas it produced an increase in SREBP-2 nuclear localization. Surprisingly, and despite increased cholesterol levels, SREBP-2 downstream genes related to cholesterolgenesis were not upregulated as expected. Notably, phospholipid (PL) levels were diminished in cells overexpressing α-syn. This decrease was related to the activation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) with a concomitant imbalance of the PL deacylation-acylation cycle. Fatty acids released from PLs by iPLA2 and cPLA2 action were esterified into TAGs, thus promoting a biological response to α-syn overexpression with uncompromised cell viability. When the described steady-state was disturbed under conditions favoring higher levels of α-syn, the response was an enhanced LD accumulation, this imbalance ultimately leading to neuronal death.
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Kaufman Z, Salvador GA, Liu X, Oteiza PI. Zinc and the modulation of Nrf2 in human neuroblastoma cells. Free Radic Biol Med 2020; 155:1-9. [PMID: 32416241 DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Zinc plays a key role in the modulation of neuronal redox homeostasis. A decreased zinc availability is associated with neuronal NADPH oxidase and nitric oxide synthase activation, deregulation of redox signaling, and impaired glutathione synthesis. The present work tested the hypothesis that zinc is necessary in the neuronal defense response against dopamine (DA)-induced oxidative stress, in particular through heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) upregulation. DA showed higher cytotoxicity when zinc availability was low. Human IMR-32 neuroblastoma cells responded to high DA concentrations (100 μM) by upregulating HO-1. This upregulation involved Nrf2 translocation to the nucleus, degradation of the Bach-1 repressor, and Nrf2-DNA binding, but it was independent of ERK1/2 activation. DA-mediated induction of HO-1 expression was dependent on the concentration of zinc in the medium. IMR-32 cells incubated in zinc deficient medium showed an impaired response to DA, with lower HO-1 mRNA and protein levels than control DA-challenged cells. This altered HO-1 upregulation was reversed by zinc supplementation. In the presence of DA, Nrf2 nuclear translocation and Bach-1 degradation were lower in zinc deficient cells. The mechanisms involved include: i) impaired Nrf2-tubulin interactions and ii) alterations in the proteasome-mediated degradation of Bach-1 secondary to a decreased ubiquitylation. Results suggest that zinc is crucial in the neuronal response to DA-induced oxidative stress in part through its role in the modulation of the Nrf2-and Bach-1-driven upregulation of HO-1 expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Kaufman
- Departments of Nutrition and of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - G A Salvador
- Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de Bahía Blanca (INIBIBB), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Departamento de Biología Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur (UNS), Bahía Blanca, Argentina
| | - X Liu
- Departments of Nutrition and of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - P I Oteiza
- Departments of Nutrition and of Environmental Toxicology, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
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