1
|
Latham AS, Rocha SM, McDermott CP, Reigan P, Slayden RA, Tjalkens RB. Neuroprotective efficacy of the glucocorticoid receptor modulator PT150 in the rotenone mouse model of Parkinson's disease. Neurotoxicology 2024; 103:320-334. [PMID: 38960072 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuro.2024.06.017] [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: 04/05/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/28/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder worldwide. Current treatments for PD largely center around dopamine replacement therapies and fail to prevent the progression of pathology, underscoring the need for neuroprotective interventions. Approaches that target neuroinflammation, which occurs prior to dopaminergic neuron (DAn) loss in the substantia nigra (SN), represent a promising therapeutic strategy. The glucocorticoid receptor (GR) has been implicated in the neuropathology of PD and modulates numerous neuroinflammatory signaling pathways in the brain. Therefore, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of the novel GR modulator, PT150, in the rotenone mouse model of PD, postulating that inhibition of glial inflammation would protect DAn and reduce accumulation of neurotoxic misfolded ⍺-synuclein protein. C57Bl/6 mice were exposed to 2.5 mg/kg/day rotenone by intraperitoneal injection for 14 days. Upon completion of rotenone dosing, mice were orally treated at day 15 with 30 mg/kg/day or 100 mg/kg/day PT150 in the 14-day post-lesioning incubation period, during which the majority of DAn loss and α-synuclein (α-syn) accumulation occurs. Our results indicate that treatment with PT150 reduced both loss of DAn and microgliosis in the nigrostriatal pathway. Although morphologic features of astrogliosis were not attenuated, PT150 treatment promoted potentially neuroprotective activity in these cells, including increased phagocytosis of hyperphosphorylated α-syn. Ultimately, PT150 treatment reduced the loss of DAn cell bodies in the SN, but not the striatum, and prohibited intra-neuronal accumulation of α-syn. Together, these data indicate that PT150 effectively reduced SN pathology in the rotenone mouse model of PD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda S Latham
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
| | - Savannah M Rocha
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
| | - Casey P McDermott
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
| | - Philip Reigan
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, CO, United States
| | - Richard A Slayden
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States
| | - Ronald B Tjalkens
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
He Y, Wasti B, Yuan Y, Chen Z, Duan W, Jia J, Xiao B, Zhang X, Li J, Zeng Q, Ma L, Liu S, Xiang X. Combination of androgen and estrogen improves asthma by mediating Runx3 expression. Int J Med Sci 2024; 21:1003-1015. [PMID: 38774754 PMCID: PMC11103390 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.91253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective: Asthma is a chronic heterogeneous airway disease, and imbalanced T-helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cell-mediated inflammation contribute to its pathogenesis. Although it has been suggested that androgen and estrogen were involved in development of asthma, the underlying mechanisms remained largely unclear. Studies have demonstrated that Runx3 could promote naive CD4+ T cells to differentiate into Th1 cells. Hence, our study aimed to explore the potential regulatory mechanism of androgen and estrogen on asthma via modulating Runx3. Methods: First, clinical assessments and pulmonary function tests were conducted on 35 asthma patients and 24 healthy controls. The concentrations of androgen, estrogen, and androgen estrogen ratios were assessed in peripheral blood samples of asthma patients and healthy controls. Then, a murine asthma model was established to explore the effects of estrogen and androgen (alone or in combination) on asthma. Third, an in vitro assay was used to explore the mechanism of combination of androgen and estrogen in asthma. Results: We observed decreased androgen and increased estrogen levels in asthma patients compared with healthy controls. In mice with experimental asthma, there were increased serum concentrations of estrogen and decreased serum concentrations of androgen, intervention with combination of androgen and estrogen alleviated airway inflammations, increased Runx3 expressions and elevated Th1 differentiation. In CD4+ T cells co-cultured with bronchial epithelial cells (BECs), treatment with androgen plus estrogen combination promoted Th1 differentiation, which was mitigated by Runx3 knockdown in BECs and enhanced by Runx3 overexpression. Conclusion: These findings suggest that androgen estrogen combination modulate the Th1/Th2 balance via regulating the expression of Runx3 in BECs, thereby providing experimental evidence supporting androgen and estrogen combination as a novel therapy for asthma.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yi He
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Binaya Wasti
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Yu Yuan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Zhifeng Chen
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Wentao Duan
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Jingsi Jia
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Emergency and Difficult Diseases Institute of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Bing Xiao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Emergency and Difficult Diseases Institute of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Xiufeng Zhang
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical University, 48 Pak Shui Tong Road, Haikou, Hainan 570000, China
| | - Jianmin Li
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Hunan Provincial People's Hospital, 61 West Jiefang Road, Changsha, Hunan 410005, China
| | - Qingping Zeng
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Longshan County People's Hospital, Longshan, Hunan 416800, China
| | - Libing Ma
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Affiliated Hospital of Guilin Medical University, 15 Le Qun Road, Guilin, Guangxi 541001, China
| | - Shaokun Liu
- Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Xudong Xiang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, The Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Emergency and Difficult Diseases Institute of Central South University, 139 Middle Renmin Road, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Rocha SM, Fagre AC, Latham AS, Cummings JE, Aboellail TA, Reigan P, Aldaz DA, McDermott CP, Popichak KA, Kading RC, Schountz T, Theise ND, Slayden RA, Tjalkens RB. A Novel Glucocorticoid and Androgen Receptor Modulator Reduces Viral Entry and Innate Immune Inflammatory Responses in the Syrian Hamster Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Front Immunol 2022; 13:811430. [PMID: 35250984 PMCID: PMC8889105 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.811430] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite significant research efforts, treatment options for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) remain limited. This is due in part to a lack of therapeutics that increase host defense to the virus. Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in lung tissue is associated with marked infiltration of macrophages and activation of innate immune inflammatory responses that amplify tissue injury. Antagonists of the androgen (AR) and glucocorticoid (GR) receptors have shown efficacy in models of COVID-19 and in clinical studies because the cell surface proteins required for viral entry, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the transmembrane protease, serine 2 (TMPRSS2), are transcriptionally regulated by these receptors. We postulated that the GR and AR modulator, PT150, would reduce infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and prevent inflammatory lung injury in the Syrian golden hamster model of COVID-19 by down-regulating expression of critical genes regulated through these receptors. Animals were infected intranasally with 2.5 × 104 TCID50/ml equivalents of SARS-CoV-2 (strain 2019-nCoV/USA-WA1/2020) and PT150 was administered by oral gavage at 30 and 100 mg/Kg/day for a total of 7 days. Animals were examined at 3, 5 and 7 days post-infection (DPI) for lung histopathology, viral load and production of proteins regulating the progression of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Results indicated that oral administration of PT150 caused a dose-dependent decrease in replication of SARS-CoV-2 in lung, as well as in expression of ACE2 and TMPRSS2. Lung hypercellularity and infiltration of macrophages and CD4+ T-cells were dramatically decreased in PT150-treated animals, as was tissue damage and expression of IL-6. Molecular docking studies suggest that PT150 binds to the co-activator interface of the ligand-binding domain of both AR and GR, thereby acting as an allosteric modulator and transcriptional repressor of these receptors. Phylogenetic analysis of AR and GR revealed a high degree of sequence identity maintained across multiple species, including humans, suggesting that the mechanism of action and therapeutic efficacy observed in Syrian hamsters would likely be predictive of positive outcomes in patients. PT150 is therefore a strong candidate for further clinical development for the treatment of COVID-19 across variants of SARS-CoV-2.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Savannah M. Rocha
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Anna C. Fagre
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Amanda S. Latham
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Jason E. Cummings
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Tawfik A. Aboellail
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Philip Reigan
- Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Colorado, Denver, CO, United States
| | - Devin A. Aldaz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Casey P. McDermott
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Katriana A. Popichak
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Rebekah C. Kading
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Tony Schountz
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Neil D. Theise
- Depatment of Pathology, New York University (NYU)-Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Richard A. Slayden
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| | - Ronald B. Tjalkens
- Department of Environmental and Radiological Health Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, United States
| |
Collapse
|