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Tan LJ, Lei WJ, Liu MM, Cai ZD, Jiang HL, Liu R, Li ZR. Discovery of cinnamamide/ester triazole hybrids as potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease. Bioorg Chem 2024; 150:107584. [PMID: 38964146 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107584] [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: 02/19/2024] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024]
Abstract
Developing multitargeted ligands as promising therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been considered important. Herein, a novel class of cinnamamide/ester-triazole hybrids with multifaceted effects on AD was developed based on the multitarget-directed ligands strategy. Thirty-seven cinnamamide/ester-triazole hybrids were synthesized, with most exhibiting significant inhibitory activity against Aβ-induced toxicity at a single concentration in vitro. The most optimal hybrid compound 4j inhibited copper-induced Aβ toxicity in AD cells. its action was superior to that of donepezil and memantine. It also moderately inhibited intracellular AChE activity and presented favorable bioavailability and blood-brain barrier penetration with low toxicity in vivo. Of note, it ameliorated cognitive impairment, neuronal degeneration, and Aβ deposition in Aβ1-42-injured mice. Mechanistically, the compound regulated APP processing by promoting the ADAM10-associated nonamyloidogenic signaling and inhibiting the BACE1-mediated amyloidogenic pathway. Moreover, it suppressed intracellular AChE activity and tau phosphorylation. Therefore, compound 4j may be a promising multitargeted active molecule against AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin-Jie Tan
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Wen-Ju Lei
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Mi-Min Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Zhong-Di Cai
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Hai-Lun Jiang
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China
| | - Rui Liu
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
| | - Zhuo-Rong Li
- Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
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2
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Chiang W, Urban JM, Yanchik-Slade F, Stout A, Hammond JM, Nilsson BL, Gelbard HA, Krauss TD. Hybrid Amyloid Quantum Dot Nano-Bio Assemblies to Probe Neuroinflammatory Damage. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39146244 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Various oligomeric species of amyloid-beta have been proposed to play different immunogenic roles in the cellular pathology of Alzheimer's Disease. The dynamic interconversion between various amyloid oligomers and fibrillar assemblies makes it difficult to elucidate the role each potential aggregation state may play in driving neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative pathology. The ability to identify the amyloid species that are key and essential drivers of these pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer's Disease is of fundamental importance for also understanding downstream events including tauopathies that mediate neuroinflammation with neurologic deficits. Here, we report the design and construction of a quantum dot mimetic for larger spherical oligomeric amyloid species as an "endogenously" fluorescent proxy for this cytotoxic assembly of amyloid to investigate its role in inducing inflammatory and stress response states in neuronal and glial cell types. The design parameters and construction protocol developed here may be adapted for developing quantum dot nano-bio assemblies for other biological systems of interest, particularly neurodegenerative diseases involving other protein aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wesley Chiang
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Jennifer M Urban
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Francine Yanchik-Slade
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Angela Stout
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery and Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Jennetta M Hammond
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery and Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Bradley L Nilsson
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
| | - Harris A Gelbard
- Center for Neurotherapeutics Discovery and Department of Neurology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
- Departments of Pediatrics, Neuroscience, and Microbiology and Immunology, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14642, United States
| | - Todd D Krauss
- Department of Chemistry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
- The Institute of Optics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York 14627-0216, United States
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3
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Le Bars S, Glaab E. Single-Cell Cortical Transcriptomics Reveals Common and Distinct Changes in Cell-Cell Communication in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2024:10.1007/s12035-024-04419-7. [PMID: 39143450 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-024-04419-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2024] [Accepted: 08/02/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) cause significant neuronal loss and severely impair daily living. Despite different clinical manifestations, these disorders share common pathological molecular hallmarks, including mitochondrial dysfunction and synaptic degeneration. A detailed comparison of molecular changes at single-cell resolution in the cortex, as one of the main brain regions affected in both disorders, may reveal common susceptibility factors and disease mechanisms. We performed single-cell transcriptomic analyses of post-mortem cortical tissue from AD and PD subjects and controls to identify common and distinct disease-associated changes in individual genes, cellular pathways, molecular networks, and cell-cell communication events, and to investigate common mechanisms. The results revealed significant disease-specific, shared, and opposing gene expression changes, including cell type-specific signatures for both diseases. Hypoxia signaling and lipid metabolism emerged as significantly modulated cellular processes in both AD and PD, with contrasting expression alterations between the two diseases. Furthermore, both pathway and cell-cell communication analyses highlighted shared significant alterations involving the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, which has been implicated in the inflammatory response in several neurodegenerative disorders. Overall, the analyses revealed common and distinct alterations in gene signatures, pathway activities, and gene regulatory subnetworks in AD and PD. The results provide insights into coordinated changes in pathway activity and cell-cell communication that may guide future diagnostics and therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Le Bars
- Biomedical Data Science Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Enrico Glaab
- Biomedical Data Science Group, Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB), University of Luxembourg, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg.
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Li H, Chen Z, Shen Y, Xiong T, Chen A, Chen L, Ye Y, Jiang Q, Zhang Y, Sun J, Shen L. Gene therapy in Aβ-induced cell and mouse models of Alzheimer's disease through compensating defective mitochondrial complex I function. J Transl Med 2024; 22:760. [PMID: 39143479 PMCID: PMC11323700 DOI: 10.1186/s12967-024-05571-3] [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: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 08/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/16/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurogenerative disorder without effective treatments. Defects in mitochondrial complex I are thought to contribute to AD pathogenesis. The aim of this study is to explore whether a novel gene therapy transducing yeast complex I gene NDI1 can be used to treat AD with severely reduced complex I function in cell and animal models. METHODS The differentiated human neural cells were induced by Aβ1-42 to establish the AD cell model, and adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (AAV9) was used to transduce yeast NDI1 into the cell model. Aβ1-42 was injected into the hippocampus area of the brain to establish the AD mouse model. AAV9-NDI1 was injected stereotaxically into the hippocampus area to test the therapeutic effect. RESULTS The expressed yeast complex I had an ameliorating effect on the defective function of human complex I and cellular pathological characteristics in the AD cell model. Furthermore, AAV9-NDI1 gene therapy in the hippocampus had a therapeutic effect on various aspects of mitochondrial function, histopathological characteristics and neurological defects in the AD mouse model. In addition, AAV9-NDI1 injection into the hippocampus of normal mice did not cause any adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS Compensating mitochondrial complex I function with yeast NDI1 is effective for gene therapy in Aβ-induced AD cell and mouse models. The results of this study offer a novel strategy and approach for treating AD types characterized by complex I abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongzhi Li
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China.
- School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Northern Zhongxin Road, Chashan University Town, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, 325035, China.
| | - Zhuo Chen
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Yuqi Shen
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Ting Xiong
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Andong Chen
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Lixia Chen
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Yifan Ye
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Qingyou Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medicine, Ministry of Education, Wenzhou Key Laboratory of Cancer Pathogenesis and Translation, School of Laboratory Medicine and Life Sciences, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, 325035, China
| | - Yaxi Zhang
- Brain Center, Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Jun Sun
- Brain Center, Wenzhou Central Hospital, Wenzhou, 325000, China.
| | - Luxi Shen
- Department of Internal Neurology, Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing, 100050, China.
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5
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Zhuang D, Yu N, Han S, Zhang X, Ju C. The Kv7 channel opener Retigabine reduces neuropathology and alleviates behavioral deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Behav Brain Res 2024; 471:115137. [PMID: 38971432 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2024.115137] [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: 03/22/2024] [Revised: 06/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/08/2024]
Abstract
Hyperexcitability of neuronal networks is central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Pharmacological activation of Kv7 channels is an effective way to reduce neuronal firing. Our results showed that that pharmacologically activating the Kv7 channel with Retigabine (RTG) can alleviate cognitive impairment in mice without affecting spontaneous activity. RTG could also ameliorate damage to the Nissl bodies in cortex and hippocampal CA and DG regions in 9-month-old APP/PS1 mice. Additionally, RTG could reduce the Aβ plaque number in the hippocampus and cortex of both 6-month-old and 9-month-old mice. By recordings of electroencephalogram, we showed that a decrease in the number of abnormal discharges in the brains of the AD model mice when the Kv7 channel was opened. Moreover, Western blot analysis revealed a reduction in the expression of the p-Tau protein in both the hippocampus and cortex upon Kv7 channel opening. These findings suggest that Kv7 channel opener RTG may ameliorate cognitive impairment in AD, most likely by reducing brain excitability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongpei Zhuang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Qingdao Medical College, China.
| | - Nan Yu
- Department of Pharmacy, Qingdao Eighth People's Hospital, China.
| | - Shuo Han
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Qingdao Medical College, China.
| | - Xinyao Zhang
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Qingdao Medical College, China.
| | - Chuanxia Ju
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Qingdao University Qingdao Medical College, China.
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6
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Khamies SM, El-Yamany MF, Ibrahim SM. Canagliflozin Mitigated Cognitive Impairment in Streptozotocin-Induced Sporadic Alzheimer's Disease in Mice: Role of AMPK/SIRT-1 Signaling Pathway in Modulating Neuroinflammation. J Neuroimmune Pharmacol 2024; 19:39. [PMID: 39073453 DOI: 10.1007/s11481-024-10140-y] [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: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024]
Abstract
Sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) represents a major health concern especially among elderly. Noteworthy, neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are highly implicated in AD pathogenesis resulting in enhanced disease progression. Moreover, most of the available anti-Alzheimer drugs have several adverse effects with variable efficacy, therefore new strategies, including agents with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, are encouraged. Along these lines, canagliflozin (CAN), with its anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities, presents a promising candidate for AD treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of CAN via regulation of AMPK/SIRT-1/BDNF/GSK-3β signaling pathway in SAD. SAD model was induced by intracerebroventricular streptozotocin injection (ICV-STZ;3 mg/kg, once), while CAN was administered (10 mg/kg/day, orally) to STZ-treated mice for 21 days. Behavioral tests, novel object recognition (NOR), Y-Maze, and Morris Water Maze (MWM) tests, histopathological examination, total adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (T-AMPK) expression, p-AMPK, and silent information regulator-1 (SIRT-1) were evaluated. Furthermore, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), Tau protein, insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE), nuclear factor erythroid-2 (Nrf-2), interleukin-6 (IL-6), nuclear factor kappa-B-p65 (NFκB-p65), beta-site APP cleaving enzyme 1 (BACE-1), and amyloid beta (Aβ) plaque were assessed. CAN restored STZ-induced cognitive deficits, confirmed by improved behavioral tests and histopathological examination. Besides, CAN halted STZ-induced neurotoxicity through activation of p-AMPK/SIRT-1/BDNF pathway, subsequently reduction of GSK-3β, Tau protein, AChE, NFκB-p65, IL-6, BACE-1, and Aβ plaque associated with increased IDE and Nrf-2. Consequentially, our findings assumed that CAN, via targeting p-AMPK/SIRT-1 pathway, combated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in STZ-induced AD. Thus, this study highlighted the promising effect of CAN for treating AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara M Khamies
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Menoufia University, Menoufia, 32511, Egypt
| | - Mohammed F El-Yamany
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cairo University, ElKasr Elaini Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt
| | - Sherehan M Ibrahim
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cairo University, ElKasr Elaini Street, Cairo, 11562, Egypt.
- Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Modern University for Technology and Information, Cairo, Egypt.
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Beshir SA, Hussain N, Menon VB, Al Haddad AHI, Al Zeer RAK, Elnour AA. Advancements and Challenges in Antiamyloid Therapy for Alzheimer's Disease: A Comprehensive Review. Int J Alzheimers Dis 2024; 2024:2052142. [PMID: 39081336 PMCID: PMC11288696 DOI: 10.1155/2024/2052142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2024] [Revised: 04/20/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. There have been recent advancements in antiamyloid therapy for AD. This narrative review explores the recent advancements and challenges in antiamyloid therapy. In addition, a summary of evidence from antiamyloid therapy trials is presented with a focus on lecanemab. Lecanemab is the most recently approved monoclonal antibody that targets Aβ protofibrils for the treatment of patients with early AD and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Lecanemab was the first drug shown to slow cognitive decline in patients with MCI or early onset AD dementia when administered as an infusion once every two weeks. In the Clarity AD trial, lecanemab was associated with infusion-site reactions (26.4%) and amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (12.6%). The clinical relevance and long-term side effects of lecanemab require further longitudinal observation. However, several challenges must be addressed before the drug can be routinely used in clinical practice. The drug's route of administration, need for imaging and genetic testing, affordability, accessibility, infrastructure, and potential for serious side effects are some of these challenges. Lecanemab's approval has fueled interest in the potential of other antiamyloid therapies, such as donanemab. Future research must focus on developing strategies to prevent AD; identify easy-to-use validated plasma-based assays; and discover newer user-friendly, and cost-effective drugs that target multiple pathways in AD pathology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Semira Abdi Beshir
- Department of Pharmacy PracticeDubai Pharmacy College for Girls, Dubai, UAE
| | - Nadia Hussain
- Department of Pharmaceutical SciencesCollege of PharmacyAl Ain University, Al Ain, UAE
- AAU Health and Biomedical Research CentreAl Ain University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | | | - Amal H. I. Al Haddad
- Chief Operations OfficeSheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC)PureHealth, Abu Dhabi, UAE
| | | | - Asim Ahmed Elnour
- AAU Health and Biomedical Research CentreAl Ain University, Abu Dhabi, UAE
- College of PharmacyAl Ain UniversityAbu Dhabi Campus, Abu Dhabi, UAE
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Leinenga G, Padmanabhan P, Götz J. Improving Cognition Without Clearing Amyloid: Effects of Tau and Ultrasound Neuromodulation. J Alzheimers Dis 2024:JAD240616. [PMID: 39058447 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease is characterized by progressive impairment of neuronal functions culminating in neuronal loss and dementia. A universal feature of dementia is protein aggregation, a process by which a monomer forms intermediate oligomeric assembly states and filaments that develop into end-stage hallmark lesions. In Alzheimer's disease, this is exemplified by extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques which have been placed upstream of tau, found in intracellular neurofibrillary tangles and dystrophic neurites. This implies causality that can be modeled as a linear activation cascade. When Aβ load is reduced, for example, in response to an anti-Aβ immunotherapy, cognitive functions improve in plaque-forming mice. They also deteriorate less in clinical trial cohorts although real-world clinical benefits remain to be demonstrated. Given the existence of aged humans with unimpaired cognition despite a high plaque load, the central role of Aβ has been challenged. A counter argument has been that clinical symptoms would eventually develop if these aged individuals were to live long enough. Alternatively, intrinsic mechanisms that protect the brain in the presence of pathology may exist. In fact, Aβ toxicity can be abolished by either reducing or manipulating tau (through which Aβ signals), at least in preclinical models. In addition to manipulating steps in this linear pathocascade model, mechanisms of restoring brain reserve can also counteract Aβ toxicity. Low-intensity ultrasound is a neuromodulatory modality that can improve cognitive functions in Aβ-depositing mice without the need for removing Aβ. Together, this highlights a dissociation of Aβ and cognition, with important implications for therapeutic interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerhard Leinenga
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Pranesh Padmanabhan
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
| | - Jürgen Götz
- Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research (CJCADR), Queensland Brain Institute (QBI), The University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD, Australia
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Avila J. Delaying Brain Aging or Decreasing Tau Levels as Strategies to Prevent Alzheimer's Disease: In Memoriam of Mark A. Smith. J Alzheimers Dis 2024:JAD240500. [PMID: 39058443 DOI: 10.3233/jad-240500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/28/2024]
Abstract
Aging is the main risk for neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's disease. In this short review, I will comment on how delaying brain aging through the addition of Yamanaka Factors or small compounds that bind to the folate receptor alpha, which promote the expression of the Yamanaka Factors or by the decrease tau levels in brain cells from older subjects could serve as strategies to prevent Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jesús Avila
- Centro de Biologia Molecular Severo Ochoa, CSIC-UAM, Madrid, Spain
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10
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Soltan OM, Abdelrahman KS, Bass AKA, Takizawa K, Narumi A, Konno H. Design of Multi-Target drugs of HDACs and other Anti-Alzheimer related Targets: Current strategies and future prospects in Alzheimer's diseases therapy. Bioorg Chem 2024; 151:107651. [PMID: 39029320 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2024] [Revised: 07/08/2024] [Accepted: 07/14/2024] [Indexed: 07/21/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of dementia that develops spontaneously in the elderly. It's worth mentioning that as people age, the epigenetic profile of the central nervous system cells changes, which may speed up the development of various neurodegenerative disorders including AD. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are a class of epigenetic enzymes that can control gene expression without altering the gene sequence. Moreover, a promising strategy for multi-target hybrid design was proposed to potentially improve drug efficacy and reduce side effects. These hybrids are monocular drugs that contain various pharmacophore components and have the ability to bind to different targets at the same time. The HDACs ability to synergistically boost the performance of other anti-AD drugs, as well as the ease with which HDACs inhibitor cap group, can be modified. This has prompted numerous medicinal chemists to design a novel generation of HDACs multi-target inhibitors. Different HDACs inhibitors and other ones such as acetylcholinesterase, butyryl-cholinesterase, phosphodiesterase 9, phosphodiesterase 5 or glycogen synthase kinase 3β inhibitors were merged into hybrids for treatment of AD. This review goes over the scientific rationale for targeting HDACs along with several other crucial targets in AD therapy. This review presents the latest hybrids of HDACs and other AD target pharmacophores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Osama M Soltan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt.
| | - Kamal S Abdelrahman
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assiut 71524, Egypt
| | - Amr K A Bass
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Menoufia University, Menoufia 6131567, Egypt
| | - Kazuki Takizawa
- Department of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
| | - Atsushi Narumi
- Department of Organic Materials Science, Graduate School of Organic Materials Science, Yamagata University, Jonan 4-3-16, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Konno
- Department of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Yamagata University, Yonezawa, Yamagata 992-8510, Japan.
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Gong B, Zhang W, Cong W, Gu Y, Ji W, Yin T, Zhou H, Hu H, Zhuang J, Luo Y, Liu Y, Gao J, Yin Y. Systemic Administration of Neurotransmitter-Derived Lipidoids-PROTACs-DNA Nanocomplex Promotes Tau Clearance and Cognitive Recovery for Alzheimer's Disease Therapy. Adv Healthc Mater 2024:e2400149. [PMID: 39007278 DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2024] [Revised: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) poses a significant burden on the economy and healthcare systems worldwide. Although the pathophysiology of AD remains debatable, its progression is strongly correlated with the accumulation of tau aggregates. Therefore, tau clearance from brain lesions can be a promising strategy for AD therapy. To achieve this, the present study combined proteolysis-targeting chimera (PROTAC), a novel protein-degradation technique that mediates degradation of target proteins via the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and a neurotransmitter-derived lipidoid (NT-lipidoid) nanoparticle delivery system with high blood-brain barrier-penetration activity, to generate a novel nanomedicine named NPD. Peptide 1, a cationic tau-targeting PROTAC is loaded onto the positively charged nanoparticles using DNA-intercalation technology. The resulting nanomedicine displayed good encapsulation efficiency, serum stability, drug release profile, and blood-brain barrier-penetration capability. Furthermore, NPD potently induced tau clearance in both cultured neuronal cells and the brains of AD mice. Moreover, intravenous injection of NPD led to a significant improvement in the cognitive function of the AD mice, without any remarkable abnormalities, thereby supporting its clinical development. Collectively, the novel nanomedicine developed in this study may serve as an innovative strategy for AD therapy, since it effectively and specifically induces tau protein clearance in brain lesions, which in turn enhances cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baofeng Gong
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Weicong Zhang
- School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, WC1N 1AX, UK
| | - Wei Cong
- School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Yuankai Gu
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Wenbo Ji
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Tong Yin
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Honglei Zhou
- Department of General Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China
| | - Honggang Hu
- School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, 200444, China
| | - Jianhua Zhuang
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
| | - Yi Luo
- New Drug Discovery and Development, Biotheus Inc., Zhuhai, 519080, China
- Clinical Pharmacy Innovation Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Yan Liu
- Clinical Pharmacy Innovation Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University of Medicine, Shanghai, 200240, China
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, 200092, China
| | - Jie Gao
- Changhai Clinical Research Unit, Shanghai Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200433, China
| | - You Yin
- Department of Neurology, Second Affiliated Hospital (Shanghai Changzheng Hospital) of Naval Medical University, Shanghai, 200003, China
- Department of Neurology, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, 200120, China
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Cardinali CAEF, Martins YA, Moraes RCM, Costa AP, Alencar MB, Silber AM, Torrão AS. Exploring the Therapeutic Potential of Benfotiamine in a Sporadic Alzheimer's-Like Disease Rat Model: Insights into Insulin Signaling and Cognitive function. ACS Chem Neurosci 2024. [PMID: 39007352 DOI: 10.1021/acschemneuro.4c00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative process, also considered a metabolic condition due to alterations in glucose metabolism and insulin signaling pathways in the brain, which share similarities with diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the therapeutic effects of benfotiamine (BFT), a vitamin B1 analog, in the early stages of the neurodegenerative process in a sporadic model of Alzheimer's-like disease induced by intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ). Supplementation with 150 mg/kg of BFT for 7 days reversed the cognitive impairment in short- and long-term memories caused by STZ in rodents. We attribute these effects to BFT's ability to modulate glucose transporters type 1 and 3 (GLUT1 and GLUT3) in the hippocampus, inhibit GSK3 activity in the hippocampus, and modulate the insulin signaling in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, as well as reduce the activation of apoptotic pathways (BAX) in the hippocampus. Therefore, BFT emerges as a promising and accessible intervention in the initial treatment of conditions similar to AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camila A E F Cardinali
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Yandara A Martins
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ruan C M Moraes
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Neurosciences, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham Alabama 35294, United States
| | - Andressa P Costa
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Mayke B Alencar
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps-LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Ariel M Silber
- Laboratory of Biochemistry of Tryps-LaBTryps, Departamento de Parasitologia, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
| | - Andrea S Torrão
- Departamento de Fisiologia e Biofisica, Instituto de Ciencias Biomedicas, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo 05508-000, Brazil
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13
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Dangi A, Qureshi T, Chinnathambi S, Kiran Marelli U. Macrocyclic peptides derived from AcPHF6* and AcPHF6 to selectively modulate the Tau aggregation. Bioorg Chem 2024; 151:107625. [PMID: 39013241 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2024] [Revised: 06/28/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024]
Abstract
Ten macrocyclic peptides, each comprising 14 amino acids, were designed and synthesized based on the Tau aggregation model hexapeptides AcPHF6* and AcPHF6. The design took into account the aggregation tendencies of each residue in AcPHF6* and AcPHF6, their aggregation models, while employing peptide-based structural design principles including N-methylation to promote turns and to block hydrogen bond propagation and elongation of the aggregation chain. NMR analysis supported that all these peptides adopted an antiparallel β-sheet conformation. Self-aggregation studies characterized the aggregation properties of these peptides, identifying two peptides with the highest (P3) and lowest (P8) aggregation tendencies. In cross-aggregation studies with the parent peptides AcPHF6* and AcPHF6, P3 and P8 were found to promote and reduce aggregation, respectively. Furthermore, P3 and P8 demonstrated an enhancement and diminution effect on the aggregation of K18wt, indicating their capacity to modulate aggregation even at the macromolecular level. Thus, the two simple peptides, P3 and P8 selectively exhibit pro- or anti-aggregation effects on PHF peptides and Tau. This study, has thus developed structurally well-defined non-complex peptides, derived from AcPHF6* and AcPHF6, to modulate Tau aggregation as desired, offering applications in Tau model studies and the development of Tau aggregation inhibitors or promoters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abha Dangi
- Central NMR Facility, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201002, India
| | - Tazeen Qureshi
- Neurobiology Group, Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201002, India
| | - Subashchandrabose Chinnathambi
- Neurobiology Group, Biochemical Sciences Division, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201002, India.
| | - Udaya Kiran Marelli
- Central NMR Facility, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Division of Organic Chemistry, CSIR-National Chemical Laboratory, Dr. Homi Bhabha Road, 411008 Pune, India; Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), CSIR-HRDC Campus, Sector 19, Kamla Nehru Nagar, Ghaziabad, UP, 201002, India.
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14
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Chen L, Liu X, Zheng J, Li G, Yang B, He A, Liu H, Liang Y, Wang WA, Du J. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of Cistanche tubulosa and Ginkgo biloba extracts for the improvement of cognitive function in middle-aged and elderly people. Phytother Res 2024. [PMID: 38972848 DOI: 10.1002/ptr.8275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2024] [Accepted: 06/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/09/2024]
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment poses an increasing challenge to middle-aged and elderly populations. Traditional Chinese medicinal herbs like Cistanche tubulosa and Ginkgo biloba (CG) have been proposed as potential agents to improve cognitive and memory functions. A randomized controlled trial involving 100 Chinese middle-aged and elderly participants was conducted to investigate the potential synergistic effects of CG on cognitive function in individuals at risk of neurodegenerative diseases. Over 90 days, both CG group and placebo group received two tablets daily, with each pair of CG tablets containing 72 mg echinacoside and 27 mg flavonol glycosides. Cognitive functions were assessed using multiple scales and blood biomarkers were determined at baseline, Day 45, and Day 90. The CG group exhibited significant improvements in the scores of Mini-Mental State Examination (26.5 at baseline vs. 27.1 at Day 90, p < 0.001), Montreal Cognitive Assessment (23.4 at baseline vs. 25.3 at Day 90, p < 0.001), and World Health Organization Quality of Life (81.6 at baseline vs. 84.2 at Day 90, p < 0.001), all surpassing scores in placebo group. Notably, both the Cognitrax matrix test and the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised demonstrated enhanced memory functions, including long-term and delayed memory, after CG intervention. Moreover, cognitive-related blood biomarkers, including total tau, pT181, pS199, pT231, pS396, and thyroid-stimulating hormone, significantly decreased, whereas triiodothyronine and free triiodothyronine significantly increased. No treatment-related adverse events were reported, and routine blood and urine tests remained stable. These findings indicated that CG supplementation could potentially serve as an effective supplementary solution for enhancing cognitive and memory functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Chen
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Xin Liu
- Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianheng Zheng
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Gang Li
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Binrui Yang
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Anli He
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | - Hongyue Liu
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
| | | | - Wen' An Wang
- Department of Neurology, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jun Du
- Amway (Shanghai) Innovation & Science Co., Ltd., Shanghai, China
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15
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Yang Y, Yu K, Gao S, Yu S, Xiong D, Qin C, Chen H, Tang J, Tang N, Zhu H. Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Graph Enhances Knowledge Discovery and Disease Prediction. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.07.03.601339. [PMID: 39005357 PMCID: PMC11245034 DOI: 10.1101/2024.07.03.601339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Background Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, continues to increase in prevalence without any effective treatments to date. In this context, knowledge graphs (KGs) have emerged as a pivotal tool in biomedical research, offering new perspectives on drug repurposing and biomarker discovery by analyzing intricate network structures. Our study seeks to build an AD-specific knowledge graph, highlighting interactions among AD, genes, variants, chemicals, drugs, and other diseases. The goal is to shed light on existing treatments, potential targets, and diagnostic methods for AD, thereby aiding in drug repurposing and the identification of biomarkers. Results We annotated 800 PubMed abstracts and leveraged GPT-4 for text augmentation to enrich our training data for named entity recognition (NER) and relation classification. A comprehensive data mining model, integrating NER and relationship classification, was trained on the annotated corpus. This model was subsequently applied to extract relation triplets from unannotated abstracts. To enhance entity linking, we utilized a suite of reference biomedical databases and refine the linking accuracy through abbreviation resolution. As a result, we successfully identified 3,199,276 entity mentions and 633,733 triplets, elucidating connections between 5,000 unique entities. These connections were pivotal in constructing a comprehensive Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Graph (ADKG). We also integrated the ADKG constructed after entity linking with other biomedical databases. The ADKG served as a training ground for Knowledge Graph Embedding models with the high-ranking predicted triplets supported by evidence, underscoring the utility of ADKG in generating testable scientific hypotheses. Further application of ADKG in predictive modeling using the UK Biobank data revealed models based on ADKG outperforming others, as evidenced by higher values in the areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. Conclusion The ADKG is a valuable resource for generating hypotheses and enhancing predictive models, highlighting its potential to advance AD's disease research and treatment strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Yang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Kaixian Yu
- Independent Researcher, Shanghai, P.R. China
| | - Shan Gao
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Yunnan University
| | - Sheng Yu
- Center for Statistics Science, Tsinghua University
| | - Di Xiong
- Department of Statistics, Shanghai University
| | - Chuanyang Qin
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Yunnan University
| | - Huiyuan Chen
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Yunnan University
| | - Jiarui Tang
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
| | - Niansheng Tang
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Yunnan University
| | - Hongtu Zhu
- Department of Biostatistics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
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16
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Gaikwad S, Puangmalai N, Sonawane M, Montalbano M, Price R, Iyer MS, Ray A, Moreno S, Kayed R. Nasal tau immunotherapy clears intracellular tau pathology and improves cognitive functions in aged tauopathy mice. Sci Transl Med 2024; 16:eadj5958. [PMID: 38959324 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adj5958] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Pathological tau aggregates cause cognitive decline in neurodegenerative tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). These aggregates are prevalent within intracellular compartments. Current tau immunotherapies have shown limited efficacy in clearing intracellular tau aggregates and improving cognition in clinical trials. In this study, we developed toxic tau conformation-specific monoclonal antibody-2 (TTCM2), which selectively recognized pathological tau aggregates in brain tissues from patients with AD, dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), and progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP). TTCM2 potently inhibited tau-seeding activity, an essential mechanism underlying tauopathy progression. To effectively target intracellular tau aggregates and ensure rapid delivery to the brain, TTCM2 was loaded in micelles (TTCM2-ms) and administered through the intranasal route. We found that intranasally administered TTCM2-ms efficiently entered the brain in hTau-tauopathy mice, targeting pathological tau in intracellular compartments. Moreover, a single intranasal dose of TTCM2-ms effectively cleared pathological tau, elevated synaptic proteins, and improved cognitive functions in aged tauopathy mice. Mechanistic studies revealed that TTCM2-ms cleared intracellular, synaptic, and seed-competent tau aggregates through tripartite motif-containing 21 (TRIM21), an intracellular antibody receptor and E3 ubiquitin ligase known to facilitate proteasomal degradation of cytosolic antibody-bound proteins. TRIM21 was found to be essential for TTCM2-ms-mediated clearance of tau pathology. Our study collectively provides evidence of the effectiveness of nasal tau immunotherapy in targeting and clearing intracellular tau pathology through TRIM21 and enhancing cognition in aged tauopathy mice. This study could be valuable in designing effective tau immunotherapies for AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sagar Gaikwad
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Nicha Puangmalai
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Minal Sonawane
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Mauro Montalbano
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
| | - Rachel Price
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre," Viale G. Marconi 446 00146 Rome, Italy
| | | | | | - Sandra Moreno
- Department of Science, University "Roma Tre," Viale G. Marconi 446 00146 Rome, Italy
| | - Rakez Kayed
- Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX 77555, USA
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17
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Su JF, Xiao Y, Wei LY, Lei HY, Sun F, Wang WX, Li SH, Wang XC, Zheng J, Wang JZ. A new tau dephosphorylation-targeting chimera for the treatment of tauopathies. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2024:10.1038/s41401-024-01326-4. [PMID: 38956416 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-024-01326-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Abnormal accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein plays a pivotal role in a collection of neurodegenerative diseases named tauopathies, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). We have recently conceptualized the design of hetero-bifunctional chimeras for selectively promoting the proximity between tau and phosphatase, thus specifically facilitating tau dephosphorylation and removal. Here, we sought to optimize the construction of tau dephosphorylating-targeting chimera (DEPTAC) and obtained a new chimera D14, which had high efficiency in reducing tau phosphorylation both in cell and tauopathy mouse models, while showing limited cytotoxicity. Moreover, D14 ameliorated neurodegeneration in primary cultured hippocampal neurons treated with toxic tau-K18 fragments, and improved cognitive functions of tauopathy mice. These results suggested D14 as a cost-effective drug candidate for the treatment of tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing-Fen Su
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Yue Xiao
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
- School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Lin-Yu Wei
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Sino-UK Joint Laboratory of Brain Function and Injury of Henan Province, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, 453003, China
| | - Hui-Yang Lei
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Fei Sun
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Wei-Xia Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Shi-Hong Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou, 341000, China
| | - Xiao-Chuan Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
| | - Jie Zheng
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University; Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Peking University, Beijing, 100083, China.
- Beijing Life Science Academy, Beijing, 102209, China.
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China.
- Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, 226000, China.
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18
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Liu Y, Xia X, Zheng M, Shi B. Bio-Nano Toolbox for Precision Alzheimer's Disease Gene Therapy. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024; 36:e2314354. [PMID: 38778446 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202314354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most burdensome aging-associated neurodegenerative disorder, and its treatment encounters numerous failures during drug development. Although there are newly approved in-market β-amyloid targeting antibody solutions, pathological heterogeneity among patient populations still challenges the treatment outcome. Emerging advances in gene therapies offer opportunities for more precise personalized medicine; while, major obstacles including the pathological heterogeneity among patient populations, the puzzled mechanism for druggable target development, and the precision delivery of functional therapeutic elements across the blood-brain barrier remain and limit the use of gene therapy for central neuronal diseases. Aiming for "precision delivery" challenges, nanomedicine provides versatile platforms that may overcome the targeted delivery challenges for AD gene therapy. In this perspective, to picture a toolbox for AD gene therapy strategy development, the most recent advances from benchtop to clinics are highlighted, possibly available gene therapy targets, tools, and delivery platforms are outlined, their challenges as well as rational design elements are addressed, and perspectives in this promising research field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Liu
- Department of Radiotherapy and Translational Medicine Center, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475000, China
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Xue Xia
- Department of Radiotherapy and Translational Medicine Center, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475000, China
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia
| | - Meng Zheng
- Department of Radiotherapy and Translational Medicine Center, Huaihe Hospital of Henan University, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475000, China
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
| | - Bingyang Shi
- Henan-Macquarie University Joint Centre for Biomedical Innovation, School of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, Henan, 475004, China
- Macquarie Medical School, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, 2109, Australia
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19
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Ye J, Wan H, Chen S, Liu GP. Targeting tau in Alzheimer's disease: from mechanisms to clinical therapy. Neural Regen Res 2024; 19:1489-1498. [PMID: 38051891 PMCID: PMC10883484 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.385847] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Alzheimer's disease is the most prevalent neurodegenerative disease affecting older adults. Primary features of Alzheimer's disease include extracellular aggregation of amyloid-β plaques and the accumulation of neurofibrillary tangles, formed by tau protein, in the cells. While there are amyloid-β-targeting therapies for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, these therapies are costly and exhibit potential negative side effects. Mounting evidence suggests significant involvement of tau protein in Alzheimer's disease-related neurodegeneration. As an important microtubule-associated protein, tau plays an important role in maintaining the stability of neuronal microtubules and promoting axonal growth. In fact, clinical studies have shown that abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein occurs before accumulation of amyloid-β in the brain. Various therapeutic strategies targeting tau protein have begun to emerge, and are considered possible methods to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease. Specifically, abnormalities in post-translational modifications of the tau protein, including aberrant phosphorylation, ubiquitination, small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)ylation, acetylation, and truncation, contribute to its microtubule dissociation, misfolding, and subcellular missorting. This causes mitochondrial damage, synaptic impairments, gliosis, and neuroinflammation, eventually leading to neurodegeneration and cognitive deficits. This review summarizes the recent findings on the underlying mechanisms of tau protein in the onset and progression of Alzheimer's disease and discusses tau-targeted treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinwang Ye
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Huali Wan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, Guangdong Provincial People's Hospital (Guangdong Academy of Medical Sciences), Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Sihua Chen
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology and Ecology, College of Life Sciences and Oceanography, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Gong-Ping Liu
- Co-innovation Center of Neurodegeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine and the Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei Province, China
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20
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Sequeira RC, Godad A. Understanding Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3: A Novel Avenue for Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:4203-4221. [PMID: 38064104 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03839-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is the most prevalent form of age-related dementia. Even though a century has passed since the discovery of AD, the exact cause of the disease still remains unknown. As a result, this poses a major hindrance in developing effective therapies for treating AD. Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is one of the kinases that has been investigated recently as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of AD. It is also known as human tau protein kinase and is a proline-directed serine-threonine kinase. Since dysregulation of this kinase affects all the major characteristic features of the disease, such as tau phosphorylation, amyloid formation, memory, and synaptic function, it is thought to be a major player in the pathogenesis of AD. In this review, we present the most recent information on the role of this kinase in the onset and progression of AD, as well as significant findings that identify GSK-3 as one of the most important targets for AD therapy. We further discuss the potential of treating AD by targeting GSK-3 and give an overview of the ongoing studies aimed at developing GSK-3 inhibitors in preclinical and clinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronnita C Sequeira
- SVKM's Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Pharmacy, Gate No.1, Mithibai College Campus, Vaikunthlal Mehta Rd, Vile Parle West, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400056, India
| | - Angel Godad
- SVKM's Dr. Bhanuben Nanavati College of Pharmacy, Gate No.1, Mithibai College Campus, Vaikunthlal Mehta Rd, Vile Parle West, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400056, India.
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai, India.
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21
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Kim DK, Suh K, Park J, Lee SE, Han J, Chang S, Kim Y, Mook-Jung I. FGFR3 drives Aβ-induced tau uptake. Exp Mol Med 2024; 56:1631-1642. [PMID: 38951140 PMCID: PMC11297141 DOI: 10.1038/s12276-024-01274-3] [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: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/03/2024] Open
Abstract
The amyloid cascade hypothesis suggests that amyloid beta (Aβ) contributes to initiating subsequent tau pathology in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the underlying mechanisms through which Aβ contributes to tau uptake and propagation remain poorly understood. Here, we show that preexisting amyloid pathology accelerates the uptake of extracellular tau into neurons. Using quantitative proteomic analysis of endocytic vesicles, we reveal that Aβ induces the internalization of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3). Extracellular tau binds to the extracellular domain of FGFR3 and is internalized by the FGFR3 ligand, fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2). Aβ accelerates FGF2 secretion from neurons, thereby inducing the internalization of tau-attached FGFR3. Knockdown of FGFR3 in the hippocampus reduces tau aggregation by decreasing tau uptake and improving memory function in AD model mice. These data suggest FGFR3 in neurons as a novel tau receptor and a key mediator of Aβ-induced tau uptake in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Kyu Kim
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Research Center for Dementia, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Kyujin Suh
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Research Center for Dementia, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Junho Park
- Department of Medical Science, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Advanced Omics Center, Future Medicine Research Institute, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Eun Lee
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Jihui Han
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Convergence Research Center for Dementia, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sunghoe Chang
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Youngsoo Kim
- Department of Medical Science, CHA University School of Medicine, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
- Advanced Omics Center, Future Medicine Research Institute, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam, Republic of Korea
| | - Inhee Mook-Jung
- Department of Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
- Convergence Research Center for Dementia, Medical Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
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22
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Wang W, Huang J, Qian S, Zheng Y, Yu X, Jiang T, Ai R, Hou J, Ma E, Cai J, He H, Wang X, Xie C. Amyloid-β but not tau accumulation is strongly associated with longitudinal cognitive decline. CNS Neurosci Ther 2024; 30:e14860. [PMID: 39014268 PMCID: PMC11251873 DOI: 10.1111/cns.14860] [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: 12/13/2023] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/18/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology is featured by the extracellular accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular tau neurofibrillary tangles in the brain. We studied whether Aβ and tau accumulation are independently associated with future cognitive decline in the AD continuum. METHODS Data were acquired from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) public database. A total of 1272 participants were selected based on the availability of Aβ-PET and CSF tau at baseline and of those 777 participants with follow-up visits. RESULTS We found that Aβ-PET and CSF tau pathology were related to cognitive decline across the AD clinical spectrum, both as potential predictors for dementia progression. Among them, Aβ-PET (A + T- subjects) is an independent reliable predictor of longitudinal cognitive decline in terms of ADAS-13, ADNI-MEM, and MMSE scores rather than tau pathology (A - T+ subjects), indicating tau accumulation is not closely correlated with future cognitive impairment without being driven by Aβ deposition. Of note, a high percentage of APOE ε4 carriers with Aβ pathology (A+) develop poor memory and learning capacity. Interestingly, this condition is not recurrence in terms of the ADNI-MEM domain when adding APOE ε4 status. Finally, the levels of Aβ-PET SUVR related to glucose hypometabolism more strongly in subjects with A + T- than A - T+ both happen at baseline and longitudinal changes. CONCLUSIONS In conclusion, Aβ-PET alone without tau pathology (A + T-) measure is an independent reliable predictor of longitudinal cognitive decline but may nonetheless forecast different status of dementia progression. However, tau accumulation alone without Aβ pathology background (A - T+) was not enough to be an independent predictor of cognitive worsening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Wang
- The Center of Traditional Chinese Medicine, The Second Affiliated HospitalYuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Jiani Huang
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Shuangjie Qian
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Yi Zheng
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Xinyue Yu
- Alberta InstituteWenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Tao Jiang
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Ruixue Ai
- Department of Clinical Molecular Biology, Akershus University HospitalUniversity of OsloLørenskogNorway
| | - Jialong Hou
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Enzi Ma
- Department of NeurologyTraditional Chinese and Western Medicine Hospital of WenzhouWenzhouZhejiangChina
| | - Jinlai Cai
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Haijun He
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - XinShi Wang
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
| | - Chenglong Xie
- Department of NeurologyThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouChina
- Oujiang LaboratoryWenzhouZhejiangChina
- Key Laboratory of Alzheimer's Disease of Zhejiang Province, Institute of AgingWenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
- Department of Geriatrics, Geriatric Medical CenterThe First Affiliated Hospital of Wenzhou Medical UniversityWenzhouZhejiangChina
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23
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Hashim KNB, Matsuba Y, Takahashi M, Kamano N, Tooyama I, Saido TC, Hashimoto S. Neuronal glutathione depletion elevates the Aβ42/Aβ40 ratio and tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease mice. FEBS Lett 2024; 598:1576-1590. [PMID: 38789405 DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.14895] [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: 03/04/2024] [Revised: 04/03/2024] [Accepted: 04/05/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves reduced glutathione levels, causing oxidative stress and contributing to neuronal cell death. Our prior research identified diminished glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) as linked to cell death. However, the effect of GCLC on AD features such as amyloid and tau pathology remained unclear. To address this, we investigated amyloid pathology and tau pathology in mice by combining neuron-specific conditional GCLC knockout mice with amyloid precursor protein (App) knockin (KI) or microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) KI mice. Intriguingly, GCLC knockout resulted in an increased Aβ42/40 ratio. Additionally, GCLC deficiency in MAPT KI mice accelerated the oligomerization of tau through intermolecular disulfide bonds. These findings suggest that the decline in glutathione levels, due to aging or AD pathology, may contribute to the progression of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Khairun Nisa Binti Hashim
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Yukio Matsuba
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Mika Takahashi
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Naoko Kamano
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Ikuo Tooyama
- Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
| | - Takaomi C Saido
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Shoko Hashimoto
- Pioneering Research Division, Medical Innovation Research Center, Shiga University of Medical Science, Otsu, Japan
- Laboratory for Proteolytic Neuroscience, RIKEN Center for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
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24
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Nagaraj S, Quintanilla-Sánchez C, Ando K, Lopez-Gutierrez L, Doeraene E, Kosa AC, Aydin E, Brion JP, Leroy K. Downregulation of hsa-miR-132 and hsa-miR-129: non-coding RNA molecular signatures of Alzheimer's disease. Front Mol Neurosci 2024; 17:1423340. [PMID: 38984196 PMCID: PMC11231994 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2024.1423340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2024] [Accepted: 06/05/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects the elderly population by causing memory impairments, cognitive and behavioral abnormalities. Currently, no curative treatments exist, emphasizing the need to explore therapeutic options that modify the progression of the disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), as non-coding RNAs, demonstrate multifaceted targeting potential and are known to be dysregulated in AD pathology. This mini review focuses on two promising miRNAs, hsa-miR-132 and hsa-miR-129, which consistently exhibit differential regulation in AD. By employing computational predictions and referencing published RNA sequencing dataset, we elucidate the intricate miRNA-mRNA target relationships associated with hsa-miR-132 and hsa-miR-129. Our review consistently identifies the downregulation of hsa-miR-132 and hsa-miR-129 in AD brains as a non-coding RNA molecular signature across studies conducted over the past 15 years in AD research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siranjeevi Nagaraj
- Alzheimer and Other Tauopathies Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Center for Diabetes Research, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Karelle Leroy
- Alzheimer and Other Tauopathies Research Group, Faculty of Medicine, ULB Center for Diabetes Research, ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium
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25
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Parra Bravo C, Krukowski K, Barker S, Wang C, Li Y, Fan L, Vázquez-Rosa E, Shin MK, Wong MY, McCullough LD, Kitagawa RS, Choi HA, Cacace A, Sinha SC, Pieper AA, Rosi S, Chen X, Gan L. Anti-acetylated-tau immunotherapy is neuroprotective in tauopathy and brain injury. Mol Neurodegener 2024; 19:51. [PMID: 38915105 PMCID: PMC11197196 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-024-00733-9] [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: 02/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tau is aberrantly acetylated in various neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), and traumatic brain injury (TBI). Previously, we reported that reducing acetylated tau by pharmacologically inhibiting p300-mediated tau acetylation at lysine 174 reduces tau pathology and improves cognitive function in animal models. METHODS We investigated the therapeutic efficacy of two different antibodies that specifically target acetylated lysine 174 on tau (ac-tauK174). We treated PS19 mice, which harbor the P301S tauopathy mutation that causes FTLD, with anti-ac-tauK174 and measured effects on tau pathology, neurodegeneration, and neurobehavioral outcomes. Furthermore, PS19 mice received treatment post-TBI to evaluate the ability of the immunotherapy to prevent TBI-induced exacerbation of tauopathy phenotypes. Ac-tauK174 measurements in human plasma following TBI were also collected to establish a link between trauma and acetylated tau levels, and single nuclei RNA-sequencing of post-TBI brain tissues from treated mice provided insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying the observed treatment effects. RESULTS Anti-ac-tauK174 treatment mitigates neurobehavioral impairment and reduces tau pathology in PS19 mice. Ac-tauK174 increases significantly in human plasma 24 h after TBI, and anti-ac-tauK174 treatment of PS19 mice blocked TBI-induced neurodegeneration and preserved memory functions. Anti-ac-tauK174 treatment rescues alterations of microglial and oligodendrocyte transcriptomic states following TBI in PS19 mice. CONCLUSIONS The ability of anti-ac-tauK174 treatment to rescue neurobehavioral impairment, reduce tau pathology, and rescue glial responses demonstrates that targeting tau acetylation at K174 is a promising neuroprotective therapeutic approach to human tauopathies resulting from TBI or genetic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Celeste Parra Bravo
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Helen and Appel Alzheimer Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Karen Krukowski
- Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Barker
- Brain Health Medicines Center, Harrington Discovery Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Geriatric Psychiatry, GRECC, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Chao Wang
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Yaqiao Li
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Li Fan
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Helen and Appel Alzheimer Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Edwin Vázquez-Rosa
- Brain Health Medicines Center, Harrington Discovery Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Geriatric Psychiatry, GRECC, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Min-Kyoo Shin
- Brain Health Medicines Center, Harrington Discovery Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Geriatric Psychiatry, GRECC, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Man Ying Wong
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Helen and Appel Alzheimer Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Louise D McCullough
- Department of Neurology, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Ryan S Kitagawa
- Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - H Alex Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Subhash C Sinha
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Helen and Appel Alzheimer Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Andrew A Pieper
- Brain Health Medicines Center, Harrington Discovery Institute, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Institute for Transformative Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Geriatric Psychiatry, GRECC, Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Neurosciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Susanna Rosi
- Department of Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Science, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Weill Institute for Neuroscience, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Xu Chen
- Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease, San Francisco, CA, USA.
- Department of Neurosciences, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, USA.
| | - Li Gan
- Brain and Mind Research Institute, Helen and Appel Alzheimer Disease Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
- Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
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26
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Usefi F, Rustamzadeh A, Ghobadi Z, Sadigh N, Mohebi N, Ariaei A, Moradi F. Rosuvastatin attenuates total-tau serum levels and increases expression of miR-124-3p in dyslipidemic Alzheimer's patients: a historic cohort study. Metab Brain Dis 2024:10.1007/s11011-024-01371-2. [PMID: 38896205 DOI: 10.1007/s11011-024-01371-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024]
Abstract
microRNAs are candidate diagnostic biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease. This study aimed to compare Silymarin with Rosuvastatin and placebo on total-Tau protein level and expression levels of microRNAs and TGF-β and COX-2 in Alzheimer's patients with secondary dyslipidemia. 36 mild AD patients with dyslipidemia were divided into three groups of 12. The first group received silymarin (140mg), the second group received placebo (140mg), and the third group recieved Rosuvastatin (10mg). Tablets were administered three times a day for Six months. The blood samples of the patients were collected before and after the intervention and the serum was separated. Using the RT-qPCR method, the expression levels of miR-124-3p and miR-125b-5p were assessed, and the serum levels of total-Tau, TGF-β, and COX-2 enzyme were measured using the ELISA method. Data were analyzed with SPSS software. In this study, the level of Δtotal-Tau was significantly lower in the Rosuvastatin group compared to the placebo (P = 0.038). Also, a significant reduction in the level of ΔTGF-β was observed in the Silymarin to Rosuvastatin group (p = 0.046) and ΔmiR-124-3p was significantly increased in the Rosuvastatin compared to the placebo group (p = 0.044). Rosuvastatin outperformed silymarin in decreasing Δtotal-Tau serum levels and enhancing expression of ΔmiR-124-3p, attributed to Rosuvastatin's capacity to lower cholesterol levels and inflammation concurrently. Conversely, silymarin was more effective than Rosuvastatin in reducing levels of ΔTGF-β. Serum miR-124-3p could serve as a promising diagnostic biomarker and a new therapeutic focus in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farnoosh Usefi
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1449614535, Iran
| | - Auob Rustamzadeh
- Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Research Institute for Non-communicable Diseases, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Qazvin University of Medical Sciences, Qazvin, Iran
| | - Zahra Ghobadi
- Advanced Medical Imaging Ward, Pars Darman Medical Imaging Center, Karaj, Iran
| | - Nader Sadigh
- Department of Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine, Trauma and Injury Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Nafiseh Mohebi
- Department of Neurology, Rasool Akram Hospital, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Armin Ariaei
- Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
| | - Fatemeh Moradi
- Department of Anatomy, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1449614535, Iran.
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27
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Lu KP, Zhou XZ. Pin1-catalyzed conformational regulation after phosphorylation: A distinct checkpoint in cell signaling and drug discovery. Sci Signal 2024; 17:eadi8743. [PMID: 38889227 DOI: 10.1126/scisignal.adi8743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024]
Abstract
Protein phosphorylation is one of the most common mechanisms regulating cellular signaling pathways, and many kinases and phosphatases are proven drug targets. Upon phosphorylation, protein functions can be further regulated by the distinct isomerase Pin1 through cis-trans isomerization. Numerous protein targets and many important roles have now been elucidated for Pin1. However, no tools are available to detect or target cis and trans conformation events in cells. The development of Pin1 inhibitors and stereo- and phospho-specific antibodies has revealed that cis and trans conformations have distinct and often opposing cellular functions. Aberrant conformational changes due to the dysregulation of Pin1 can drive pathogenesis but can be effectively targeted in age-related diseases, including cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. Here, we review advances in understanding the roles of Pin1 signaling in health and disease and highlight conformational regulation as a distinct signal transduction checkpoint in disease development and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Ping Lu
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2V4, Canada
- Robarts Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2V4, Canada
| | - Xiao Zhen Zhou
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2V4, Canada
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2V4, Canada
- Lawson Health Research Institute, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6G 2V4, Canada
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28
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Yao D, Li T, Yu L, Hu M, He Y, Zhang R, Wu J, Li S, Kuang W, Yang X, Liu G, Xie Y. Selective degradation of hyperphosphorylated tau by proteolysis-targeting chimeras ameliorates cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease model mice. Front Pharmacol 2024; 15:1351792. [PMID: 38919259 PMCID: PMC11196765 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2024.1351792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common chronic neurodegenerative diseases. Hyperphosphorylated tau plays an indispensable role in neuronal dysfunction and synaptic damage in AD. Proteolysis-targeting chimeras (PROTACs) are a novel type of chimeric molecule that can degrade target proteins by inducing their polyubiquitination. This approach has shown promise for reducing tau protein levels, which is a potential therapeutic target for AD. Compared with traditional drug therapies, the use of PROTACs to reduce tau levels may offer a more specific and efficient strategy for treating AD, with fewer side effects. In the present study, we designed and synthesized a series of small-molecule PROTACs to knock down tau protein. Of these, compound C8 was able to lower both total and phosphorylated tau levels in HEK293 cells with stable expression of wild-type full-length human tau (termed HEK293-htau) and htau-overexpressed mice. Western blot findings indicated that C8 degraded tau protein through the ubiquitin-proteasome system in a time-dependent manner. In htau-overexpressed mice, the results of both the novel object recognition and Morris water maze tests revealed that C8 markedly improved cognitive function. Together, our findings suggest that the use of the small-molecule PROTAC C8 to degrade phosphorylated tau may be a promising therapeutic strategy for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongping Yao
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Ting Li
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, The Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lu Yu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Mingxing Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Ye He
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, The Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ruiming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Junjie Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Shuoyuan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Weihong Kuang
- Department of Psychiatry and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xifei Yang
- Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Modern Toxicology, Shenzhen Medical Key Discipline of Health Toxicology (2020–2024), Shenzhen Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Shenzhen, China
| | - Gongping Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China and Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, The Collaborative Innovation Center for Brain Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Co-Innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China
| | - Yongmei Xie
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center of Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
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29
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Yang Y, Qiu L. Research Progress on the Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Drug Therapy of Alzheimer's Disease. Brain Sci 2024; 14:590. [PMID: 38928590 PMCID: PMC11201671 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci14060590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
As the population ages worldwide, Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most prevalent kind of neurodegenerative disorder among older people, has become a significant factor affecting quality of life, public health, and economies. However, the exact pathogenesis of Alzheimer's remains elusive, and existing highly recognized pathogenesis includes the amyloid cascade hypothesis, Tau neurofibrillary tangles hypothesis, and neuroinflammation hypothesis. The major diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease include neuroimaging positron emission computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and cerebrospinal fluid molecular diagnosis. The therapy of Alzheimer's disease primarily relies on drugs, and the approved drugs on the market include acetylcholinesterase drugs, glutamate receptor antagonists, and amyloid-β monoclonal antibodies. Still, the existing drugs can only alleviate the symptoms of the disease and cannot completely reverse it. This review aims to summarize existing research results on Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, diagnosis, and drug therapy, with the objective of facilitating future research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixuan Yang
- College of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;
| | - Lina Qiu
- College of Chemistry and Biological Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China;
- Beijing Key Laboratory for Science and Application of Functional Molecular and Crystalline Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
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30
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Kalluru PKR, Bhavanthi S, Vashist S, Gopavaram RR, Mamilla M, Sharma S, Gundoji CR, Goguri SR. Role of erythropoietin in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease: the story so far. Ann Med Surg (Lond) 2024; 86:3608-3614. [PMID: 38846819 PMCID: PMC11152865 DOI: 10.1097/ms9.0000000000002113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024] Open
Abstract
This review aims to explore the potential of erythropoietin, a glycopeptide hormone, as a treatment option for Alzheimer's disease, which is the commonest cause of dementia. Despite years of focus and research, therapeutic options for Alzheimer's disease are not yet completely satisfactory. And as people age, they are likely to develop Alzheimer's Disease, further pressuring the healthcare system. So, it is definite to develop treatment options that meet superior outcomes with minimal negative effects. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar using a combination of keywords, including Alzheimer's disease, dementia, erythropoietin, and neuroprotection. Search results were assessed for relevance before using the data for this study. The beneficial implications of erythropoietin as a therapeutic option have been explored, along with the side effects and mechanisms of erythropoietin in Alzheimer's disease. Overall, the authors' review indicates that erythropoietin presents a promising avenue for mitigating the progression of Alzheimer's disease, with minimal associated side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | - Shriya Sharma
- Internal Medicine, Dnipropetrovsk Medical Academy of Health Ministry of Ukraine, Dnipro, Ukraine
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31
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Reich N, Parkin E, Dawson N. Liposome nanoparticle conjugation and cell penetrating peptide sequences (CPPs) enhance the cellular delivery of the tau aggregation inhibitor RI-AG03. J Cell Mol Med 2024; 28:e18477. [PMID: 38853458 PMCID: PMC11163028 DOI: 10.1111/jcmm.18477] [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: 03/18/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the pathological role of Tau aggregation in Alzheimer's disease (AD), our laboratory previously developed the novel Tau aggregation inhibitor peptide, RI-AG03. As Tau aggregates accumulate intracellularly, it is essential that the peptide can traverse the cell membrane. Here we examine the cellular uptake and intracellular trafficking of RI-AG03, in both a free and liposome-conjugated form. We also characterize the impact of adding the cell-penetrating peptide (CPP) sequences, polyarginine (polyR) or transactivator of transcription (TAT), to RI-AG03. Our data show that liposome conjugation of CPP containing RI-AG03 peptides, with either the polyR or TAT sequence, increased cellular liposome association three-fold. Inhibition of macropinocytosis modestly reduced the uptake of unconjugated and RI-AG03-polyR-linked liposomes, while having no effect on RI-AG03-TAT-conjugated liposome uptake. Further supporting macropinocytosis-mediated internalization, a 'fair' co-localisation of the free and liposome-conjugated RI-AG03-polyR peptide with macropinosomes and lysosomes was observed. Interestingly, we also demonstrate that RI-AG03-polyR detaches from liposomes following cellular uptake, thereby largely evading organellar entrapment. Collectively, our data indicate that direct membrane penetration and macropinocytosis are key routes for the internalization of liposomes conjugated with CPP containing RI-AG03. Our study also demonstrates that peptide-liposomes are suitable nanocarriers for the cellular delivery of RI-AG03, furthering their potential use in targeting Tau pathology in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Reich
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and MedicineLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | - Edward Parkin
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and MedicineLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
| | - Neil Dawson
- Division of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Faculty of Health and MedicineLancaster UniversityLancasterUK
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32
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Jiang Y, Lin Y, Tetlow AM, Pan R, Ji C, Kong XP, Congdon EE, Sigurdsson EM. Single-domain antibody-based protein degrader for synucleinopathies. Mol Neurodegener 2024; 19:44. [PMID: 38816762 PMCID: PMC11140919 DOI: 10.1186/s13024-024-00730-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain, leading to motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Currently, there are no known cures for synucleinopathies, and treatments mainly focus on symptom management. In this study, we developed a single-domain antibody (sdAb)-based protein degrader with features designed to enhance proteasomal degradation of α-syn. This sdAb derivative targets both α-syn and Cereblon (CRBN), a substrate-receptor for the E3-ubiquitin ligase CRL4CRBN, and thereby induces α-syn ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Our results indicate that this therapeutic candidate enhances proteasomal degradation of α-syn, in addition to the endogenous lysosomal degradation machinery. By promoting proteasomal degradation of α-syn, we improved clearance of α-syn in primary culture and mouse models of synucleinopathy. These findings indicate that our sdAb-based protein degrader is a promising therapeutic candidate for synucleinopathies. Considering that only a small percentage of antibodies enter the brain, more potent sdAbs with greater brain entry than whole antibodies could enhance clinical benefits of antibody-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixiang Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Yan Lin
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Amber M Tetlow
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Ruimin Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Changyi Ji
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Xiang-Peng Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Erin E Congdon
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA
| | - Einar M Sigurdsson
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, and Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, 10016, USA.
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Kim Y, Yun B, Ye BS, Kim BY. Generation of Alzheimer's Disease Model Derived from Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells with APP Gene Mutation. Biomedicines 2024; 12:1193. [PMID: 38927400 PMCID: PMC11201172 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines12061193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2024] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia, is characterized by disruptions in memory, cognition, and personality, significantly impacting morbidity and mortality rates among older adults. However, the exact pathophysiological mechanism of AD remains unknown, and effective treatment options for AD are still lacking. Human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are emerging as promising platforms for disease research, offering the ability to model the genetic mutations associated with various conditions. Patient-derived iPSCs are useful for modeling neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental disorders. In this study, we generated AD iPSCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from a 65-year-old patient with AD carrying the E682K mutation in the gene encoding the amyloid precursor protein. Cerebral organoids derived from AD iPSCs recapitulated the AD phenotype, exhibiting significantly increased levels of tau protein. Our analysis revealed that an iPSC disease model of AD is a valuable assessment tool for pathophysiological research and drug screening.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yena Kim
- Division of Intractable Disease Research, Department of Chronic Disease Convergence Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea; (Y.K.); (B.Y.)
- Korea National Stem Cell Bank, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Binna Yun
- Division of Intractable Disease Research, Department of Chronic Disease Convergence Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea; (Y.K.); (B.Y.)
- Korea National Stem Cell Bank, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
| | - Byoung Seok Ye
- Department of Neurology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea;
| | - Bo-Young Kim
- Division of Intractable Disease Research, Department of Chronic Disease Convergence Research, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea; (Y.K.); (B.Y.)
- Korea National Stem Cell Bank, Korea National Institute of Health, Cheongju 28160, Republic of Korea
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Tondo G, De Marchi F, Bonardi F, Menegon F, Verrini G, Aprile D, Anselmi M, Mazzini L, Comi C. Novel Therapeutic Strategies in Alzheimer's Disease: Pitfalls and Challenges of Anti-Amyloid Therapies and Beyond. J Clin Med 2024; 13:3098. [PMID: 38892809 PMCID: PMC11172489 DOI: 10.3390/jcm13113098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/23/2024] [Indexed: 06/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes a significant challenge to global healthcare systems, with limited effective treatments available. This review examines the landscape of novel therapeutic strategies for AD, focusing on the shortcomings of traditional therapies against amyloid-beta (Aβ) and exploring emerging alternatives. Despite decades of research emphasizing the role of Aβ accumulation in AD pathogenesis, clinical trials targeting Aβ have obtained disappointing results, highlighting the complexity of AD pathophysiology and the need for investigating other therapeutic approaches. In this manuscript, we first discuss the challenges associated with anti-Aβ therapies, including limited efficacy and potential adverse effects, underscoring the necessity of exploring alternative mechanisms and targets. Thereafter, we review promising non-Aβ-based strategies, such as tau-targeted therapies, neuroinflammation modulation, and gene and stem cell therapy. These approaches offer new avenues for AD treatment by addressing additional pathological hallmarks and downstream effects beyond Aβ deposition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giacomo Tondo
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Fabiola De Marchi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Francesca Bonardi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Federico Menegon
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Gaia Verrini
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Davide Aprile
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Matteo Anselmi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Letizia Mazzini
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Maggiore della Carità Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy; (G.T.); (F.B.); (F.M.); (G.V.); (D.A.); (M.A.); (L.M.)
| | - Cristoforo Comi
- Neurology Unit, Department of Translational Medicine, Sant’Andrea Hospital, University of Piemonte Orientale, Corso Abbiate 21, 13100 Vercelli, Italy;
- Interdisciplinary Research Center of Autoimmune Diseases (IRCAD), University of Piemonte Orientale, 28100 Novara, Italy
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Noche JA, Radhakrishnan H, Ubele MF, Boaz K, Mefford JL, Jones ED, van Rooyen HY, Perpich JA, McCarty K, Meacham B, Smiley J, Bembenek Bailey SA, Puskás LG, Powell DK, Sordo L, Phelan MJ, Norris CM, Head E, Stark CEL. Age-Related Brain Atrophy and the Positive Effects of Behavioral Enrichment in Middle-Aged Beagles. J Neurosci 2024; 44:e2366232024. [PMID: 38561226 PMCID: PMC11097262 DOI: 10.1523/jneurosci.2366-23.2024] [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: 12/15/2023] [Revised: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 02/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Aging dogs serve as a valuable preclinical model for Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to their natural age-related development of β-amyloid (Aβ) plaques, human-like metabolism, and large brains that are ideal for studying structural brain aging trajectories from serial neuroimaging. Here we examined the effects of chronic treatment with the calcineurin inhibitor (CNI) tacrolimus or the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT)-inhibiting compound Q134R on age-related canine brain atrophy from a longitudinal study in middle-aged beagles (36 females, 7 males) undergoing behavioral enrichment. Annual MRI was analyzed using modern, automated techniques for region-of-interest-based and voxel-based volumetric assessments. We found that the frontal lobe showed accelerated atrophy with age, while the caudate nucleus remained relatively stable. Remarkably, the hippocampus increased in volume in all dogs. None of these changes were influenced by tacrolimus or Q134R treatment. Our results suggest that behavioral enrichment can prevent atrophy and increase the volume of the hippocampus but does not prevent aging-associated prefrontal cortex atrophy.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hamsanandini Radhakrishnan
- University of California, Irvine, California 92697
- University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104
| | | | - Kathy Boaz
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506
| | | | - Erin D Jones
- University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Lorena Sordo
- University of California, Irvine, California 92697
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Zhu Z, Zhong X, Wang B, Lu H, Li L. Probing Protein Structural Changes in Alzheimer's Disease via Quantitative Cross-linking Mass Spectrometry. Anal Chem 2024; 96:7506-7515. [PMID: 38690851 PMCID: PMC11114074 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.4c00182] [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] [Indexed: 05/03/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurological disorder featuring abnormal protein aggregation in the brain, including the pathological hallmarks of amyloid plaques and hyperphosphorylated tau. Despite extensive research efforts, understanding the molecular intricacies driving AD development remains a formidable challenge. This study focuses on identifying key protein conformational changes associated with the progression of AD. To achieve this, we employed quantitative cross-linking mass spectrometry (XL-MS) to elucidate conformational changes in the protein networks in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). By using isotopically labeled cross-linkers BS3d0 and BS3d4, we reveal a dynamic shift in protein interaction networks during AD progression. Our comprehensive analysis highlights distinct alterations in protein-protein interactions within mild cognitive impairment (MCI) states. This study accentuates the potential of cross-linked peptides as indicators of AD-related conformational changes, including previously unreported site-specific binding between α-1-antitrypsin (A1AT) and complement component 3 (CO3). Furthermore, this work enables detailed structural characterization of apolipoprotein E (ApoE) and reveals modifications within its helical domains, suggesting their involvement in MCI pathogenesis. The quantitative approach provides insights into site-specific interactions and changes in the abundance of cross-linked peptides, offering an improved understanding of the intricate protein-protein interactions underlying AD progression. These findings lay a foundation for the development of potential diagnostic or therapeutic strategies aimed at mitigating the negative impact of AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zexin Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, United States
| | - Xiaofang Zhong
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, United States
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Pharmacology, University of California-San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA
| | - Bin Wang
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, United States
| | - Haiyan Lu
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, United States
| | - Lingjun Li
- School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, United States
- Department of Chemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
- Lachman Institute for Pharmaceutical Development, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
- Wisconsin Center for NanoBioSystems, School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53705, USA
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Abdo Moustafa E, Abdelrasheed Allam H, Fouad MA, El Kerdawy AM, Nasser Eid El-Sayed N, Wagner C, Abdel-Aziz HA, Abdel Fattah Ezzat M. Discovery of novel quinolin-2-one derivatives as potential GSK-3β inhibitors for treatment of Alzheimer's disease: Pharmacophore-based design, preliminary SAR, in vitro and in vivo biological evaluation. Bioorg Chem 2024; 146:107324. [PMID: 38569322 DOI: 10.1016/j.bioorg.2024.107324] [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: 01/17/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
Recently, glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) has been considered as a critical factor implicated in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In a previous work, a 3D pharmacophore model for GSK-3β inhibitors was created and the results suggested that derivative ZINC67773573, VIII, may provide a promising lead for developing novel GSK-3β inhibitors for the AD's treatment. Consequently, in this work, novel series of quinolin-2-one derivatives were synthesized and assessed for their GSK-3β inhibitory properties. In vitro screening identified three compounds: 7c, 7e and 7f as promising GSK-3β inhibitors. Compounds 7c, 7e and 7f were found to exhibit superior inhibitory effect on GSK-3β with IC50 value ranges between 4.68 ± 0.59 to 8.27 ± 0.60 nM compared to that of staurosporine (IC50 = 6.12 ± 0.74 nM). Considerably, compounds 7c, 7e and 7f effectively lowered tau hyperphosphorylated aggregates and proving their safety towards the SH-SY5Y and THLE2 normal cell lines. The most promising compound 7c alleviated cognitive impairments in the scopolamine-induced model in mice. Compound 7c's activity profile, while not highly selective, may provide a starting point and valuable insights into the design of multi-target inhibitors. According to the ADME prediction results, compounds 7c, 7e and 7f followed Lipinski's rule of five and could almost permeate through the BBB. Molecular docking simulations showed that these compounds are well accommodated in the ATP binding site interacting by its quinoline-2-one ring through hydrogen bonding with the key amino acids Asp133 and Val135 at the hinge region. The findings of this study suggested that these new compounds may have potential as anti-AD drugs targeting GSK-3β.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Heba Abdelrasheed Allam
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, 11562 Cairo, Egypt
| | - Marwa A Fouad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, 11562 Cairo, Egypt; Pharmaceutical Chemistry Department, School of Pharmacy, Newgiza University, Newgiza, km 22 Cairo- Alexandria Desert Road, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M El Kerdawy
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, 11562 Cairo, Egypt; School of Pharmacy, College of Health and Science, University of Lincoln, Joseph Banks Laboratories, Green Lane, Lincoln, United Kingdom
| | | | - Christoph Wagner
- Institut für Chemie, Naturwissenschaftliche FakultätII, Universität Halle, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 206120, Halle, Germany
| | - Hatem A Abdel-Aziz
- Department of Applied Organic Chemistry, National Research Center, Dokki, Giza, P.O. Box 12622, Egypt
| | - Manal Abdel Fattah Ezzat
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Cairo University, Kasr El-Aini Street, 11562 Cairo, Egypt.
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Akram AS, Grezenko H, Singh P, Ahmed M, Hassan BD, Hagenahalli Anand V, Elashry AA, Nazir F, Khan R. Advancing the Frontier: Neuroimaging Techniques in the Early Detection and Management of Neurodegenerative Diseases. Cureus 2024; 16:e61335. [PMID: 38947709 PMCID: PMC11213966 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.61335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are among the most prevalent neurodegenerative conditions affecting aging populations globally, presenting significant challenges in early diagnosis and management. This narrative review explores the pivotal role of advanced neuroimaging techniques in detecting and managing these diseases at early stages, potentially slowing their progression through timely interventions. Recent advancements in MRI, such as ultra-high-field systems and functional MRI, have enhanced the sensitivity for detecting subtle structural and functional changes. Additionally, the development of novel amyloid-beta tracers and other emerging modalities like optical imaging and transcranial ultrasonography have improved the diagnostic accuracy and capability of existing methods. This review highlights the clinical applications of these technologies in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, where they have shown improved diagnostic performance, enabling earlier intervention and better prognostic outcomes. Moreover, the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and longitudinal research is emerging as a promising enhancement to refine early detection strategies further. However, this review also addresses the technical, ethical, and accessibility challenges in the field, advocating for the more extensive use of advanced imaging technologies to overcome these barriers. Finally, we emphasize the need for a holistic approach that incorporates both neurological and psychiatric perspectives, which is crucial for optimizing patient care and outcomes in the management of neurodegenerative diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed S Akram
- Psychiatry, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, PAK
| | - Han Grezenko
- Medicine and Surgery, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, CHN
- Translational Neuroscience, Barrow Neurological Institute, Phoenix, USA
| | - Prem Singh
- Neurology, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK
| | - Muhammad Ahmed
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK
| | | | | | | | - Faran Nazir
- Internal Medicine, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad, PAK
| | - Rehman Khan
- Internal Medicine, Mayo Hospital, Lahore, PAK
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Doering S, McCullough A, Gordon BA, Chen CD, McKay N, Hobbs D, Keefe S, Flores S, Scott J, Smith H, Jarman S, Jackson K, Hornbeck RC, Ances BM, Xiong C, Aschenbrenner AJ, Hassenstab J, Cruchaga C, Daniels A, Bateman RJ, Morris JC, Benzinger TLS. Deconstructing pathological tau by biological process in early stages of Alzheimer disease: a method for quantifying tau spatial spread in neuroimaging. EBioMedicine 2024; 103:105080. [PMID: 38552342 PMCID: PMC10995809 DOI: 10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Neuroimaging studies often quantify tau burden in standardized brain regions to assess Alzheimer disease (AD) progression. However, this method ignores another key biological process in which tau spreads to additional brain regions. We have developed a metric for calculating the extent tau pathology has spread throughout the brain and evaluate the relationship between this metric and tau burden across early stages of AD. METHODS 445 cross-sectional participants (aged ≥ 50) who had MRI, amyloid PET, tau PET, and clinical testing were separated into disease-stage groups based on amyloid positivity and cognitive status (older cognitively normal control, preclinical AD, and symptomatic AD). Tau burden and tau spatial spread were calculated for all participants. FINDINGS We found both tau metrics significantly elevated across increasing disease stages (p < 0.0001) and as a function of increasing amyloid burden for participants with preclinical (p < 0.0001, p = 0.0056) and symptomatic (p = 0.010, p = 0.0021) AD. An interaction was found between tau burden and tau spatial spread when predicting amyloid burden (p = 0.00013). Analyses of slope between tau metrics demonstrated more spread than burden in preclinical AD (β = 0.59), but then tau burden elevated relative to spread (β = 0.42) once participants had symptomatic AD, when the tau metrics became highly correlated (R = 0.83). INTERPRETATION Tau burden and tau spatial spread are both strong biomarkers for early AD but provide unique information, particularly at the preclinical stage. Tau spatial spread may demonstrate earlier changes than tau burden which could have broad impact in clinical trial design. FUNDING This research was supported by the Knight Alzheimer Disease Research Center (Knight ADRC, NIH grants P30AG066444, P01AG026276, P01AG003991), Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN, NIH grants U01AG042791, U19AG03243808, R01AG052550-01A1, R01AG05255003), and the Barnes-Jewish Hospital Foundation Willman Scholar Fund.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie Doering
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Austin McCullough
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Brian A Gordon
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Charles D Chen
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Nicole McKay
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Diana Hobbs
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Sarah Keefe
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Shaney Flores
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Jalen Scott
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Hunter Smith
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Stephen Jarman
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kelley Jackson
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Russ C Hornbeck
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Beau M Ances
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Chengjie Xiong
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | | | - Jason Hassenstab
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Carlos Cruchaga
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Alisha Daniels
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - Randall J Bateman
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
| | - John C Morris
- Washington University in Saint Louis School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO, USA
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Juković M, Ratkaj I, Kalafatovic D, Bradshaw NJ. Amyloids, amorphous aggregates and assemblies of peptides - Assessing aggregation. Biophys Chem 2024; 308:107202. [PMID: 38382283 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpc.2024.107202] [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: 11/29/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/14/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024]
Abstract
Amyloid and amorphous aggregates represent the two major categories of aggregates associated with diseases, and although exhibiting distinct features, researchers often treat them as equivalent, which demonstrates the need for more thorough characterization. Here, we compare amyloid and amorphous aggregates based on their biochemical properties, kinetics, and morphological features. To further decipher this issue, we propose the use of peptide self-assemblies as minimalistic models for understanding the aggregation process. Peptide building blocks are significantly smaller than proteins that participate in aggregation, however, they make a plausible means to bridge the gap in discerning the aggregation process at the more complex, protein level. Additionally, we explore the potential use of peptide-inspired models to research the liquid-liquid phase separation as a feasible mechanism preceding amyloid formation. Connecting these concepts can help clarify our understanding of aggregation-related disorders and potentially provide novel drug targets to impede and reverse these serious illnesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Juković
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Ratkaj
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Daniela Kalafatovic
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
| | - Nicholas J Bradshaw
- Faculty of Biotechnology and Drug Development, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia.
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Su J, Xiao Y, Wei L, Lei H, Sun F, Wang W, Yin J, Xiong R, Li S, Zhang P, Zhou Y, Wang X, Zheng J, Wang JZ. Generation of tau dephosphorylation-targeting chimeras for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease and related tauopathies. Sci Bull (Beijing) 2024; 69:1137-1152. [PMID: 38341350 DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2024.01.019] [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: 10/04/2023] [Revised: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
Abnormal hyperphosphorylation and accumulation of tau protein play a pivotal role in neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and many other tauopathies. Selective elimination of hyperphosphorylated tau is promising for the therapy of these diseases. We have conceptualized a strategy, named dephosphorylation-targeting chimeras (DEPTACs), for specifically hijacking phosphatases to tau to debilitate its hyperphosphorylation. Here, we conducted the step-by-step optimization of each constituent motif to generate DEPTACs with reasonable effectiveness in facilitating the dephosphorylation and subsequent clearance of pathological tau. Specifically, for one of the selected chimeras, D16, we demonstrated its significant efficiency in rescuing the neurodegeneration caused by neurotoxic K18-tau seeds in vitro. Moreover, intravenous administration of D16 also alleviated tau pathologies in the brain and improved memory deficits in AD mice. These results suggested DEPTACs as targeted modulators of tau phosphorylation, which hold therapeutic potential for AD and other tauopathies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingfen Su
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Yue Xiao
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Linyu Wei
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Sino-UK Joint Laboratory of Brain Function and Injury of Henan Province, Department of Physiology and Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453003, China
| | - Huiyang Lei
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Fei Sun
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Weixia Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Jun Yin
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Rui Xiong
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Shihong Li
- Department of Anesthesiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, China
| | - Pei Zhang
- The Core Facility and Technical Support, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Research Center for Medicine and Structural Biology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430030, China
| | - Xiaochuan Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; School of Artificial Intelligence and Automation, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China.
| | - Jie Zheng
- Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Neurobiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education/National Health Commission, Beijing 100083, China.
| | - Jian-Zhi Wang
- Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Key Laboratory of Education Ministry of China/Hubei Province for Neurological Disorders, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China; Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong 226000, China.
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Xu L, Wu X, Zhao S, Hu H, Wang S, Zhang Y, Chen J, Zhang X, Zhao Y, Ma R, Huang F, Shi L. Harnessing Nanochaperone-Mediated Autophagy for Selective Clearance of Pathogenic Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2313869. [PMID: 38688523 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202313869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Revised: 04/27/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Accumulation of pathological tau is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which correlates more closely with cognitive impairment than does the amyloid-β (Aβ) burden. Autophagy is a powerful process for the clearance of toxic proteins including aberrant tau. However, compromised autophagy is demonstrated in neurodegeneration including AD, and current autophagy inducers remain enormously challenging due to inability of restoring autophagy pathway and lack of targeting specificity. Here, pathogenic tau-specific autophagy based on customized nanochaperone is developed for AD treatment. In this strategy, the nanochaperone can selectively bind to pathogenic tau and maintain tau homeostasis, thereby ensuring microtubule stability which is important for autophagy pathway. Meanwhile, the bound pathogenic tau can be sequestered in autophagosomes by in situ autophagy activation of nanochaperone. Consequently, autophagosomes wrapping with pathogenic tau are able to be trafficked along the stabilized microtubule to achieve successful fusion with lysosomes, resulting in the enhancement of autophagic flux and pathologic tau clearance. After treatment with this nanochaperone-mediated autophagy strategy, the tau burden, neuron damages, and cognitive deficits of AD mice are significantly alleviated in the brain. Therefore, this work represents a promising candidate for AD-targeted therapy and provides new insights into future design of anti-neurodegeneration drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linlin Xu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Xiaohui Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Shuyue Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Haodong Hu
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Silei Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Yongxin Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Jiajing Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Xiaochen Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Yu Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Rujiang Ma
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
| | - Fan Huang
- State Key Laboratory of Advanced Medical Materials and Devices, Tianjin Key Laboratory of Radiation Medicine and Molecular Nuclear Medicine, Institute of Radiation Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, 300192, P.R. China
| | - Linqi Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Medicinal Chemical Biology, Key Laboratory of Functional Polymer Materials of Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300071, P. R. China
- Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin, 300090, P. R. China
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Jiang Y, Lin Y, Tetlow AM, Pan R, Ji C, Kong XP, Congdon EE, Sigurdsson EM. Single-Domain Antibody-Based Protein Degrader for Synucleinopathies. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.11.584473. [PMID: 38558982 PMCID: PMC10979981 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.11.584473] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Synucleinopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the accumulation of α-synuclein (α-syn) in the brain, leading to motor and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Currently, there are no known cures for synucleinopathies, and treatments mainly focus on symptom management. In this study, we developed a single-domain antibody (sdAb)-based protein degrader with features designed to enhance proteasomal degradation of α-syn. This sdAb derivative targets both α-syn and Cereblon (CRBN), a substrate-receptor for the E3-ubiquitin ligase CRL4CRBN, and thereby induces α-syn ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. Our results indicate that this therapeutic candidate enhances proteasomal degradation of α-syn, in addition to the endogenous lysosomal degradation machinery. By promoting proteasomal degradation of α-syn, we improved clearance of α-syn in primary culture and mouse models of synucleinopathy. These findings indicate that our sdAb-based protein degrader is a promising therapeutic candidate for synucleinopathies. Considering that only a small percentage of antibodies enter the brain, more potent sdAbs with greater brain entry than whole antibodies could enhance clinical benefits of antibody-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yixiang Jiang
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Yan Lin
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Amber M Tetlow
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Ruimin Pan
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Changyi Ji
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Xiang-Peng Kong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Erin E Congdon
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
| | - Einar M Sigurdsson
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, Neuroscience Institute, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, 435 East 30 Street, New York NY 10016, USA
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Hou SJ, Huang YR, Zhu J, Jia YB, Niu XY, Yang JJ, Yu XL, Du XY, Liang SY, Cui F, Li LJ, Tian C, Liu RT. Mouse serum albumin induces neuronal apoptosis and tauopathies. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2024; 12:66. [PMID: 38654316 PMCID: PMC11040793 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-024-01771-6] [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: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/31/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
The elderly frequently present impaired blood-brain barrier which is closely associated with various neurodegenerative diseases. However, how the albumin, the most abundant protein in the plasma, leaking through the disrupted BBB, contributes to the neuropathology remains poorly understood. We here demonstrated that mouse serum albumin-activated microglia induced astrocytes to A1 phenotype to remarkably increase levels of Elovl1, an astrocytic synthase for very long-chain saturated fatty acids, significantly promoting VLSFAs secretion and causing neuronal lippoapoptosis through endoplasmic reticulum stress response pathway. Moreover, MSA-activated microglia triggered remarkable tau phosphorylation at multiple sites through NLRP3 inflammasome pathway. Intracerebroventricular injection of MSA into the brains of C57BL/6J mice to a similar concentration as in patient brains induced neuronal apoptosis, neuroinflammation, increased tau phosphorylation, and decreased the spatial learning and memory abilities, while Elovl1 knockdown significantly prevented the deleterious effect of MSA. Overall, our study here revealed that MSA induced tau phosphorylation and neuron apoptosis based on MSA-activated microglia and astrocytes, respectively, showing the critical roles of MSA in initiating the occurrence of tauopathies and cognitive decline, and providing potential therapeutic targets for MSA-induced neuropathology in multiple neurodegenerative disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Jie Hou
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ya-Ru Huang
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Jie Zhu
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ying-Bo Jia
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Xiao-Yun Niu
- Ningxia University, Yinchuan, 750021, Ningxia, China
| | - Jin-Ju Yang
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Xiao-Lin Yu
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Du
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Shi-Yu Liang
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Fang Cui
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Ling-Jie Li
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Chen Tian
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Rui-Tian Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Biochemical Engineering, Institute of Process Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Haidian District, Beijing, 100190, China.
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Jeong J, Usman M, Li Y, Zhou XZ, Lu KP. Pin1-Catalyzed Conformation Changes Regulate Protein Ubiquitination and Degradation. Cells 2024; 13:731. [PMID: 38727267 PMCID: PMC11083468 DOI: 10.3390/cells13090731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2024] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The unique prolyl isomerase Pin1 binds to and catalyzes cis-trans conformational changes of specific Ser/Thr-Pro motifs after phosphorylation, thereby playing a pivotal role in regulating the structure and function of its protein substrates. In particular, Pin1 activity regulates the affinity of a substrate for E3 ubiquitin ligases, thereby modulating the turnover of a subset of proteins and coordinating their activities after phosphorylation in both physiological and disease states. In this review, we highlight recent advancements in Pin1-regulated ubiquitination in the context of cancer and neurodegenerative disease. Specifically, Pin1 promotes cancer progression by increasing the stabilities of numerous oncoproteins and decreasing the stabilities of many tumor suppressors. Meanwhile, Pin1 plays a critical role in different neurodegenerative disorders via the regulation of protein turnover. Finally, we propose a novel therapeutic approach wherein the ubiquitin-proteasome system can be leveraged for therapy by targeting pathogenic intracellular targets for TRIM21-dependent degradation using stereospecific antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica Jeong
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (J.J.)
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Muhammad Usman
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (J.J.)
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Yitong Li
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (J.J.)
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
| | - Xiao Zhen Zhou
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (J.J.)
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada
- Lawson Health Research Institute, Western University, London, ON N6C 2R5, Canada
| | - Kun Ping Lu
- Departments of Biochemistry and Oncology, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada; (J.J.)
- Robarts Research Institute, Western University, London, ON N6A 5B7, Canada
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Zadrozny M, Drapich P, Gasiorowska-Bien A, Niewiadomski W, Harrington CR, Wischik CM, Riedel G, Niewiadomska G. Neuroprotection of Cholinergic Neurons with a Tau Aggregation Inhibitor and Rivastigmine in an Alzheimer's-like Tauopathy Mouse Model. Cells 2024; 13:642. [PMID: 38607082 PMCID: PMC11011792 DOI: 10.3390/cells13070642] [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: 02/27/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024] Open
Abstract
Basal forebrain cholinergic dysfunction, most likely linked with tau protein aggregation, is a characteristic feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Recent evidence suggests that tau protein is a putative target for the treatment of dementia, and the tau aggregation inhibitor, hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM), has emerged as a potential disease-modifying treatment. However, its efficacy was diminished in patients already receiving approved acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. In this study, we ask whether this negative interaction can also be mimicked in experimental tau models of AD and whether the underlying mechanism can be understood. From a previous age profiling study, 6-month-old line 1 (L1) tau transgenic mice were characterized by a severe reduction in several cholinergic markers. We therefore assessed whether long-term pre-exposure with the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor rivastigmine alone and in conjunction with the tau aggregation inhibitor HMTM can reverse cholinergic deficits in L1. Rivastigmine and HMTM, and combinations of the two compounds were administered orally for 11 weeks to both L1 and wild-type mice. The brains were sectioned with a focus on the basal forebrain, motor cortex and hippocampus. Immunohistochemical staining and quantification of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), tyrosine kinase A (TrkA)-positive neurons and relative optical intensity (ROI) for vesicular acetylcholine transporter (VAChT), and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivity confirmed reversal of the diminished cholinergic phenotype of interneurons (nucleus accumbens, striatum) and projection neurons (medial septum, nucleus basalis magnocellularis) by HMTM, to a greater extent than by rivastigmine alone in L1 mice. Combined administration did not yield additivity but, in most proxies, led to antagonistic effects in which rivastigmine decreased the benefits shown with HMTM alone. Local markers (VAChT and AChE) in target structures of the basal forebrain, motor cortex and hippocampal CA3 seemed to be normalized by HMTM, but not by rivastigmine or the combination of both drugs. HMTM, which was developed as a tau aggregation inhibitor, strongly decreased the tau load in L1 mice, however, not in combination with rivastigmine. Taken together, these data confirm a cholinergic phenotype in L1 tau transgenic mice that resembles the deficits observed in AD patients. This phenotype is reversible by HMTM, but at the same time appears to be subject to a homeostatic regulation induced by chronic pre-treatment with an acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, which interferes with the efficacy of HMTM. The strongest phenotypic reversal coincided with a normalization of the tau load in the cortex and hippocampus of L1, suggesting that tau accumulation underpins the loss of cholinergic markers in the basal forebrain and its projection targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maciej Zadrozny
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Patrycja Drapich
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Anna Gasiorowska-Bien
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Wiktor Niewiadomski
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
| | - Charles R. Harrington
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Claude M. Wischik
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
- TauRx Therapeutics Ltd., Aberdeen AB24 3FX, UK
| | - Gernot Riedel
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB25 2ZD, UK; (C.R.H.); (C.M.W.); (G.R.)
| | - Grazyna Niewiadomska
- Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, 02-106 Warsaw, Poland; (M.Z.); (P.D.); (A.G.-B.); (W.N.)
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
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Al-Saad OM, Gabr M, Darwish SS, Rullo M, Pisani L, Miniero DV, Liuzzi GM, Kany AM, Hirsch AKH, Abadi AH, Engel M, Catto M, Abdel-Halim M. Novel 6-hydroxybenzothiazol-2-carboxamides as potent and selective monoamine oxidase B inhibitors endowed with neuroprotective activity. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 269:116266. [PMID: 38490063 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116266] [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: 01/02/2024] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 03/17/2024]
Abstract
In neurodegenerative diseases, using a single molecule that can exert multiple effects to modify the disease may have superior activity over the classical "one molecule-one target" approach. Herein, we describe the discovery of 6-hydroxybenzothiazol-2-carboxamides as highly potent and selective MAO-B inhibitors. Variation of the amide substituent led to several potent compounds having diverse side chains with cyclohexylamide 40 displaying the highest potency towards MAO-B (IC50 = 11 nM). To discover new compounds with extended efficacy against neurotoxic mechanisms in neurodegenerative diseases, MAO-B inhibitors were screened against PHF6, R3 tau, cellular tau and α-synuclein (α-syn) aggregation. We identified the phenethylamide 30 as a multipotent inhibitor of MAO-B (IC50 = 41 nM) and α-syn and tau aggregation. It showed no cytotoxic effects on SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells, while also providing neuroprotection against toxicities induced by α-syn and tau. The evaluation of key physicochemical and in vitro-ADME properties revealed a great potential as drug-like small molecules with multitarget neuroprotective activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Omar M Al-Saad
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, 11835, Egypt
| | - Moustafa Gabr
- Department of Radiology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, 10065, USA
| | - Sarah S Darwish
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, 11835, Egypt; School of Life and Medical Sciences, University of Hertfordshire Hosted By Global Academic Foundation, New Administrative Capital, 11578, Cairo, Egypt
| | - Mariagrazia Rullo
- Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Leonardo Pisani
- Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Daniela Valeria Miniero
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Grazia Maria Liuzzi
- Department of Biosciences, Biotechnologies and Environment, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy
| | - Andreas M Kany
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarland University Campus E8.1, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Anna K H Hirsch
- Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Saarland University Campus E8.1, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany; Department of Pharmacy, Saarland University, Campus E8.1, 66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Ashraf H Abadi
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, 11835, Egypt
| | - Matthias Engel
- Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, Saarland University, Campus C2.3, D-66123, Saarbrücken, Germany
| | - Marco Catto
- Department of Pharmacy-Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona 4, 70125, Bari, Italy.
| | - Mohammad Abdel-Halim
- Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biotechnology, German University in Cairo, Cairo, 11835, Egypt.
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48
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Gong B, Yao Z, Zhou C, Wang W, Sun L, Han J. Glucagon-like peptide-1 analogs: Miracle drugs are blooming? Eur J Med Chem 2024; 269:116342. [PMID: 38531211 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116342] [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: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 03/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/28/2024]
Abstract
Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), secreted by L cells in the small intestine, assumes a central role in managing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. Its influence on insulin secretion and gastric emptying positions it as a therapeutic linchpin. However, the limited applicability of native GLP-1 stems from its short half-life, primarily due to glomerular filtration and the inactivating effect of dipeptidyl peptidase-IV (DPP-IV). To address this, various structural modification strategies have been developed to extend GLP-1's half-life. Despite the commendable efficacy displayed by current GLP-1 receptor agonists, inherent limitations persist. A paradigm shift emerges with the advent of unimolecular multi-agonists, such as the recently introduced tirzepatide, wherein GLP-1 is ingeniously combined with other gastrointestinal hormones. This novel approach has captured the spotlight within the diabetes and obesity research community. This review summarizes the physiological functions of GLP-1, systematically explores diverse structural modifications, delves into the realm of unimolecular multi-agonists, and provides a nuanced portrayal of the developmental prospects that lie ahead for GLP-1 analogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binbin Gong
- College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314001, China; College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Zhihong Yao
- College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314001, China; College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Chenxu Zhou
- College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314001, China
| | - Wenxi Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, 310000, China
| | - Lidan Sun
- College of Medicine, Jiaxing University, Jiaxing, 314001, China.
| | - Jing Han
- School of Chemistry & Materials Science, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, China.
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Abdallah AE. Review on anti-alzheimer drug development: approaches, challenges and perspectives. RSC Adv 2024; 14:11057-11088. [PMID: 38586442 PMCID: PMC10995770 DOI: 10.1039/d3ra08333k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer is an irreversible progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes failure of cerebral neurons and disability of the affected person to practice normal daily life activities. There is no concrete evidence to identify the exact reason behind the disease, so several relevant hypotheses emerged, highlighting many possible therapeutic targets, such as acetylcholinesterase, cholinergic receptors, N-methyl d-aspartate receptors, phosphodiesterase, amyloid β protein, protein phosphatase 2A, glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta, β-secretase, γ-secretase, α-secretase, serotonergic receptors, glutaminyl cyclase, tumor necrosis factor-α, γ-aminobutyric acid receptors, and mitochondria. All of these targets have been involved in the design of new potential drugs. An extensive number of these drugs have been studied in clinical trials. However, only galantamine, donepezil, and rivastigmine (ChEIs), memantine (NMDA antagonist), and aducanumab and lecanemab (selective anti-Aβ monoclonal antibodies) have been approved for AD treatment. Many drugs failed in the clinical trials to such an extent that questions have been posed about the significance of some of the aforementioned targets. On the contrary, the data of other drugs were promising and shed light on the significance of their targets for the development of new potent anti-alzheimer drugs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdallah E Abdallah
- Pharmaceutical Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design Department, Faculty of Pharmacy (Boys), Al-Azhar University 11884 Cairo Egypt
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Jain U, Johari S, Srivastava P. Current Insights of Nanocarrier-Mediated Gene Therapeutics to Treat Potential Impairment of Amyloid Beta Protein and Tau Protein in Alzheimer's Disease. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:1969-1989. [PMID: 37831361 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03671-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD), is the major type of dementia and most progressive, irreversible widespread neurodegenerative disorder affecting the elderly worldwide. The prime hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are beta-amyloid plaques (Aβ) and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). In spite of recent advances and developments in targeting the hallmarks of AD, symptomatic medications that promise neuroprotective activity against AD are currently unable to treat degenerating brain clinically or therapeutically and show little efficacy. The extensive progress of AD therapies over time has resulted in the advent of disease-modifying medications with the potential to alleviate AD. However, due to the presence of a defensive connection between the vascular system and the neural tissues known as the blood-brain barrier (BBB), directing these medications to the site of action in the degenerating brain is the key problem. BBB acts as a highly selective semipermeable membrane that prevents any type of foreign substance from entering the microenvironment of neurons. To overcome this limitation, the revolutionary approach of nanoparticle(NP)/nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery system has marked the era with its unique property to cross, avoid, or disrupt the defensive BBB efficiently and release the modified drug at the target site of action. After comprehensive data mining, this review focuses on the detailed understanding of different types of nanoparticle(NP)/nanocarrier-mediated drug delivery system like liposomes, micelles, gold nanoparticles(NP), polymeric NPs, etc. which have promising potential in carrying the desired drug(cargo) to the location in the degenerated brain thus mitigating the Alzheimer's disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Unnati Jain
- School of Biosciences, Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad (University Courses Campus), Adhyatmik Nagar, NH09, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
| | - Surabhi Johari
- School of Biosciences, Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad (University Courses Campus), Adhyatmik Nagar, NH09, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
| | - Priyanka Srivastava
- School of Biosciences, Institute of Management Studies Ghaziabad (University Courses Campus), Adhyatmik Nagar, NH09, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
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