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Wilkerson JL, Tatum SM, Holland WL, Summers SA. Ceramides are fuel gauges on the drive to cardiometabolic disease. Physiol Rev 2024; 104:1061-1119. [PMID: 38300524 DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00008.2023] [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: 02/14/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Ceramides are signals of fatty acid excess that accumulate when a cell's energetic needs have been met and its nutrient storage has reached capacity. As these sphingolipids accrue, they alter the metabolism and survival of cells throughout the body including in the heart, liver, blood vessels, skeletal muscle, brain, and kidney. These ceramide actions elicit the tissue dysfunction that underlies cardiometabolic diseases such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, metabolic-associated steatohepatitis, and heart failure. Here, we review the biosynthesis and degradation pathways that maintain ceramide levels in normal physiology and discuss how the loss of ceramide homeostasis drives cardiometabolic pathologies. We highlight signaling nodes that sense small changes in ceramides and in turn reprogram cellular metabolism and stimulate apoptosis. Finally, we evaluate the emerging therapeutic utility of these unique lipids as biomarkers that forecast disease risk and as targets of ceramide-lowering interventions that ameliorate disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph L Wilkerson
- Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
| | - Sean M Tatum
- Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
| | - William L Holland
- Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
| | - Scott A Summers
- Department of Nutrition and Integrative Physiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States
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Rubio T, Campos-Rodríguez Á, Sanz P. Beneficial Effect of Fingolimod in a Lafora Disease Mouse Model by Preventing Reactive Astrogliosis-Derived Neuroinflammation and Brain Infiltration of T-lymphocytes. Mol Neurobiol 2024; 61:3105-3120. [PMID: 37971656 PMCID: PMC11087365 DOI: 10.1007/s12035-023-03766-1] [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: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
Lafora disease (LD; OMIM#254780) is a rare, devastating, and fatal form of progressive myoclonus epilepsy that affects young adolescents and has no treatment yet. One of the hallmarks of the disease is the accumulation of aberrant poorly branched forms of glycogen (polyglucosans, PGs) in the brain and peripheral tissues. The current hypothesis is that this accumulation is causative of the pathophysiology of the disease. Another hallmark of LD is the presence of neuroinflammation. We have recently reported the presence of reactive glia-derived neuroinflammation in LD mouse models and defined the main inflammatory pathways that operate in these mice, mainly TNF and IL-6 signaling pathways. In addition, we described the presence of infiltration of peripheral immune cells in the brain parenchyma, which could cooperate and aggravate the neuroinflammatory landscape of LD. In this work, we have checked the beneficial effect of two compounds with the capacity to ameliorate neuroinflammation and reduce leukocyte infiltration into the brain, namely fingolimod and dimethyl fumarate. Our results indicate a beneficial effect of fingolimod in reducing reactive astrogliosis-derived neuroinflammation and T-lymphocyte infiltration, which correlated with the improved behavioral performance of the treated Epm2b-/- mice. On the contrary, dimethyl fumarate, although it was able to reduce reactive astrogliosis, was less effective in preventing neuroinflammation and T-lymphocyte infiltration and in modifying behavioral tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Rubio
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaime Roig 11, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Ángela Campos-Rodríguez
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaime Roig 11, 46010, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pascual Sanz
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Jaime Roig 11, 46010, Valencia, Spain.
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 46010, Valencia, Spain.
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Sanz P, Rubio T, Garcia-Gimeno MA. Neuroinflammation and Epilepsy: From Pathophysiology to Therapies Based on Repurposing Drugs. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:4161. [PMID: 38673747 PMCID: PMC11049926 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25084161] [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: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation and epilepsy are different pathologies, but, in some cases, they are so closely related that the activation of one of the pathologies leads to the development of the other. In this work, we discuss the three main cell types involved in neuroinflammation, namely (i) reactive astrocytes, (ii) activated microglia, and infiltration of (iii) peripheral immune cells in the central nervous system. Then, we discuss how neuroinflammation and epilepsy are interconnected and describe the use of different repurposing drugs with anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to have a beneficial effect in different epilepsy models. This review reinforces the idea that compounds designed to alleviate seizures need to target not only the neuroinflammation caused by reactive astrocytes and microglia but also the interaction of these cells with infiltrated peripheral immune cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pascual Sanz
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Jaime Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Teresa Rubio
- Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Jaime Roig 11, 46010 Valencia, Spain;
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Enfermedades Raras (CIBERER), 46010 Valencia, Spain
- Faculty of Health Science, Universidad Europea de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Maria Adelaida Garcia-Gimeno
- Department of Biotechnology, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y del Medio Natural, Universitat Politécnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain;
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Xu S, Zhong A, Zhang Y, Zhao L, Guo Y, Bai X, Yin P, Hua S. Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells therapy regulates sphingolipid and glycerophospholipid metabolism to promote neurological recovery in stroke rats: A metabolomics analysis. Exp Neurol 2024; 372:114619. [PMID: 38029808 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114619] [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: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) have therapeutic potential in the subacute/chronic phase of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), but the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully elucidated. There is a knowledge gap in understanding the metabolic mechanisms of BMSCs in stroke therapy. In this study, we administered BMSCs intravenously 24 h after reperfusion in rats with transient cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The treatment with BMSCs for 21 days significantly reduced the modified neurological severity score of MCAO rats (P < 0.01) and increased the number of surviving neurons in both the striatum and hippocampal dentate gyrus region (P < 0.01, respectively). Moreover, BMSCs treatment resulted in significant enhancements in various structural parameters of dendrites in layer V pyramidal neurons in the injured hemispheric motor cortex, including total length (P < 0.05), number of branches (P < 0.05), number of intersections (P < 0.01), and spine density (P < 0.05). Then, we performed plasma untargeted metabolomics analysis to study the metabolic changes of BMSCs on AIS. There were 65 differential metabolites identified in the BMSCs treatment group. Metabolic profiling analysis revealed that BMSCs modulate abnormal sphingolipid metabolism and glycerophospholipid metabolism, particularly affecting core members such as sphingomyelin (SM), ceramide (Cer) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P). The metabolic network analysis and pathway-based compound-reaction-enzyme-gene network analysis showed that BMSCs inhibited the Cer-induced apoptotic pathway and promoted the S1P signaling pathway. These findings suggest that the enhanced effects of BMSCs on neuronal survival and synaptic plasticity after stroke may be mediated through these pathways. In conclusion, our study provides novel insight into the potential mechanisms of BMSCs treatment in stroke and sheds light on the possible clinical translation of BMSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shixin Xu
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China.
| | - Aiqin Zhong
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China
| | - Yunsha Zhang
- School of Integrative Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
| | - Linna Zhao
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China
| | - Yuying Guo
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China
| | - Xiaodan Bai
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China
| | - Penglin Yin
- Medical Experiment Center, First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China; National Clinical Research Center for Chinese Medicine Acupuncture and Moxibustion, Tianjin, China; Tianjin Key Laboratory of Translational Research of TCM Prescription and Syndrome, Tianjin, China
| | - Shengyu Hua
- Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China
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Pepe G, Cotugno M, Marracino F, Capocci L, Pizzati L, Forte M, Stanzione R, Scarselli P, Di Pardo A, Sciarretta S, Volpe M, Rubattu S, Maglione V. Abnormal expression of sphingolipid-metabolizing enzymes in the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rat models. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids 2024; 1869:159411. [PMID: 37949293 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2023.159411] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/12/2023]
Abstract
Sphingolipids exert important roles within the cardiovascular system and related diseases. Perturbed sphingolipid metabolism was previously reported in cerebral and renal tissues of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Specific defects related to the synthesis of sphingolipids and to the metabolism of Sphingosine-1-Phospahte (S1P) were exclusively identified in the stroke-prone (SHRSP) with the respect to the stroke-resistant (SHRSR) strain. In this study, we explored any existing perturbation in either protein or gene expression of enzymes involved in the sphingolipid pathways in cardiac tissue from both SHRSP and SHRSR strains, compared to the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) strain. The two hypertensive rat models showed an overall perturbation of the expression of different enzymes involved in the sphingolipid metabolism in the heart. In particular, whereas the expression of the S1P-metabolizing-enzyme, SPHK2, was significantly reduced in both SHR strains, SGPL1 protein levels were decreased only in SHRSP. The protein levels of S1P receptors 1-3 were reduced only in the cardiac tissue of SHRSP, whereas S1PR2 levels were reduced in both SHR strains. The de novo synthesis of sphingolipids was aberrant in the two hypertensive strains. A significant reduction of mRNA expression of the Sgms1 and Smpd3 enzymes, implicated in the metabolism of sphingomyelin, was found in both hypertensive strains. Interestingly, Smpd2, devoted to sphingomyelin degradation, was reduced only in the heart of SHRSP. In conclusion, alterations in the expression of sphingolipid-metabolizing enzymes may be involved in the susceptibility to cardiac damage of hypertensive rat strains. Specific differences detected in the SHRSP, however, deserve further elucidation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Sebastiano Sciarretta
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy; Department of Medical-Surgical Sciences and Biotechnologies, Sapienza University of Rome, Latina, Italy
| | - Massimo Volpe
- Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy; IRCCS San Raffaele, Rome, Italy
| | - Speranza Rubattu
- IRCCS Neuromed, Pozzilli, (IS), Italy; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
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