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Circulating Human Serum Metabolites Derived from the Intake of a Saffron Extract (Safr'Inside TM) Protect Neurons from Oxidative Stress: Consideration for Depressive Disorders. Nutrients 2022; 14:nu14071511. [PMID: 35406124 PMCID: PMC9002571 DOI: 10.3390/nu14071511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Revised: 04/01/2022] [Accepted: 04/03/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Increases in oxidative stress have been reported to play a central role in the vulnerability to depression, and antidepressant drugs may reduce increased oxidative stress in patients. Among the plants exerting anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, saffron, a spice derived from the flower of Crocus sativus, is also known for its positive effects on depression, potentially through its SSRI-like properties. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these effects and their health benefits for humans are currently unclear. Using an original ex vivo clinical approach, we demonstrated for the first time that the circulating human metabolites produced following saffron intake (Safr’InsideTM) protect human neurons from oxidative-stress-induced neurotoxicity by preserving cell viability and increasing BNDF production. In particular, the metabolites significantly stimulated both dopamine and serotonin release. In addition, the saffron’s metabolites were also able to protect serotonergic tone by inhibiting the expression of the serotonin transporter SERT and down-regulating serotonin metabolism. Altogether, these data provide new biochemical insights into the mechanisms underlying the beneficial impact of saffron on neuronal viability and activity in humans, in the context of oxidative stress related to depression.
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Korade Z, Heffer M, Mirnics K. Medication effects on developmental sterol biosynthesis. Mol Psychiatry 2022; 27:490-501. [PMID: 33820938 PMCID: PMC8490477 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-021-01074-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Cholesterol is essential for normal brain function and development. Genetic disruptions of sterol biosynthesis result in intellectual and developmental disabilities. Developing neurons synthesize their own cholesterol, and disruption of this process can occur by both genetic and chemical mechanisms. Many commonly prescribed medications interfere with sterol biosynthesis, including haloperidol, aripiprazole, cariprazine, fluoxetine, trazodone and amiodarone. When used during pregnancy, these compounds might have detrimental effects on the developing brain of the offspring. In particular, inhibition of dehydrocholesterol-reductase 7 (DHCR7), the last enzyme in the biosynthesis pathway, results in accumulation of the immediate cholesterol precursor, 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC). 7-DHC is highly unstable, giving rise to toxic oxysterols; this is particularly pronounced in a mouse model when both the mother and the offspring carry the Dhcr7+/- genotype. Studies of human dermal fibroblasts from individuals who carry DCHR7+/- single allele mutations suggest that the same gene*medication interaction also occurs in humans. The public health relevance of these findings is high, as DHCR7-inhibitors can be considered teratogens, and are commonly used by pregnant women. In addition, sterol biosynthesis inhibiting medications should be used with caution in individuals with mutations in sterol biosynthesis genes. In an age of precision medicine, further research in this area could open opportunities to improve patient and fetal/infant safety by tailoring medication prescriptions according to patient genotype and life stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeljka Korade
- Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA, 68198.,Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA, 68198
| | - Marija Heffer
- J. J. Strossmayer University of Osijek, Faculty of Medicine Osijek, Department of Medical Biology and Genetics, Josipa Huttlera 4, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
| | - Károly Mirnics
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68198, USA. .,Munroe-Meyer Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, 68105, USA.
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Genaro-Mattos T, Anderson A, Allen LB, Korade Z, Mirnics K. Altered Cholesterol Biosynthesis Affects Drug Metabolism. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:5490-5498. [PMID: 33681590 PMCID: PMC7931400 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.0c05817] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The last step of cholesterol biosynthesis is the conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC) into cholesterol, a reaction catalyzed by dehydrocholesterol reductase 7 (DHCR7). Investigation of the effect of Dhcr7 single-allele mutations on the metabolism of aripiprazole (ARI) and cariprazine (CAR) in maternally exposed transgenic pups revealed that ARI, CAR, and their active metabolites were decreased in the liver and brain of Dhcr7 +/- . This difference in the drug and metabolite levels resulted in an increased turnover of ARI and CAR in tissues from Dhcr7 +/- animals, indicating an enhanced metabolism, which was at least partially due to increased levels of Cyp2d6 in the liver of Dhcr7 +/- mice. Finally, experiments with both WT and DHCR7 +/- human fibroblasts revealed lower drug levels in DHCR7 +/- heterozygous cells. Our findings have potential clinical implications, as DHCR7 heterozygosity is present in 1-3% in the human population, and these individuals might have reduced therapeutic levels of Cyp2d6-metabolized medications and are putatively more susceptible to unwanted side effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thiago
C. Genaro-Mattos
- Munroe-Meyer
Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68105, United States
| | - Allison Anderson
- Munroe-Meyer
Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68105, United States
| | - Luke B. Allen
- Munroe-Meyer
Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68105, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Zeljka Korade
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
- Department
of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, University
of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
| | - Károly Mirnics
- Munroe-Meyer
Institute for Genetics and Rehabilitation, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68105, United States
- Department
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
- Department
of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska 68198, United States
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Allen LB, Genaro-Mattos TC, Porter NA, Mirnics K, Korade Z. Desmosterolosis and desmosterol homeostasis in the developing mouse brain. J Inherit Metab Dis 2019; 42:934-943. [PMID: 30891795 PMCID: PMC6739189 DOI: 10.1002/jimd.12088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Cholesterol serves as a building material for cellular membranes and plays an important role in cellular metabolism. The brain relies on its own cholesterol biosynthesis, which starts during embryonic development. Cholesterol is synthesized from two immediate precursors, desmosterol and 7-dehydrocholesterol (7-DHC). Mutations in the DHCR24 enzyme, which converts desmosterol into cholesterol, lead to desmosterolosis, an autosomal recessive developmental disorder. In this study, we assessed the brain content of desmosterol, 7-DHC, and cholesterol from development to adulthood, and analyzed the biochemical, molecular, and anatomical consequences of Dhcr24 mutations on the sterol profile in a mouse model of desmosterolosis and heterozygous Dhcr24+/- carriers. Our HPLC-MS/MS studies revealed that by P0 desmosterol almost entirely replaced cholesterol in the Dhcr24-KO brain. The greatly elevated desmosterol levels were also present in the Dhcr24-Het brains irrespective of maternal genotype, persisting into adulthood. Furthermore, Dhcr24-KO mice brains showed complex changes in expression of lipid and sterol transcripts, nuclear receptors, and synaptic plasticity transcripts. Cultured Dhcr24-KO neurons showed increased arborization, which was also present in the Dhcr24-KO mouse brains. Finally, we observed a shared pathophysiological mechanism between the mouse models of desmosterolosis and Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome (a genetic disorder of conversion of 7-DHC to cholesterol).
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke B. Allen
- Department of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
| | - Thiago C. Genaro-Mattos
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
| | - Ned A. Porter
- Department of Chemistry, Vanderbilt Institute of Chemical Biology and Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
| | - Károly Mirnics
- Munroe-Meyer Institute, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
| | - Zeljka Korade
- Department of Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
- Corresponding Author: Zeljka Korade, DVM, PhD, ; 982165 Nebraska Medicine Center, Omaha, 68198-2165
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Hernandez JA, Castro VL, Reyes-Nava N, Montes LP, Quintana AM. Mutations in the zebrafish hmgcs1 gene reveal a novel function for isoprenoids during red blood cell development. Blood Adv 2019; 3:1244-1254. [PMID: 30987969 PMCID: PMC6482358 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018024539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 03/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Erythropoiesis is the process by which new red blood cells (RBCs) are formed and defects in this process can lead to anemia or thalassemia. The GATA1 transcription factor is an established mediator of RBC development. However, the upstream mechanisms that regulate the expression of GATA1 are not completely characterized. Cholesterol is 1 potential upstream mediator of GATA1 expression because previously published studies suggest that defects in cholesterol synthesis disrupt RBC differentiation. Here we characterize RBC development in a zebrafish harboring a single missense mutation in the hmgcs1 gene (Vu57 allele). hmgcs1 encodes the first enzyme in the cholesterol synthesis pathway and mutation of hmgcs1 inhibits cholesterol synthesis. We analyzed the number of RBCs in hmgcs1 mutants and their wild-type siblings. Mutation of hmgcs1 resulted in a decrease in the number of mature RBCs, which coincides with reduced gata1a expression. We combined these experiments with pharmacological inhibition and confirmed that cholesterol and isoprenoid synthesis are essential for RBC differentiation, but that gata1a expression is isoprenoid dependent. Collectively, our results reveal 2 novel upstream regulators of RBC development and suggest that appropriate cholesterol homeostasis is critical for primitive erythropoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose A Hernandez
- Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Victoria L Castro
- Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Nayeli Reyes-Nava
- Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Laura P Montes
- Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
| | - Anita M Quintana
- Department of Biological Sciences and Border Biomedical Research Center, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX
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