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Abstract
In 2001, the concept of the neurovascular unit was introduced at the Stroke Progress Review Group meeting. The neurovascular unit is an important element of the health and disease status of blood vessels and nerves in the central nervous system. Since then, the neurovascular unit has attracted increasing interest from research teams, who have contributed greatly to the prevention, treatment, and prognosis of stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. However, additional research is needed to establish an efficient, low-cost, and low-energy in vitro model of the neurovascular unit, as well as enable noninvasive observation of neurovascular units in vivo and in vitro. In this review, we first summarize the composition of neurovascular units, then investigate the efficacy of different types of stem cells and cell culture methods in the construction of neurovascular unit models, and finally assess the progress of imaging methods used to observe neurovascular units in recent years and their positive role in the monitoring and investigation of the mechanisms of a variety of central nervous system diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiwei Dong
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Min Li
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Feng Gao
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Peifeng Wei
- College of Pharmacy, Shaanxi University of Chinese Medicine, Xianyang, Shaanxi Province, China
| | - Jian Wang
- College of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan Provinve, China
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2
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Ferreira R, Napoli J, Enver T, Bernardino L, Ferreira L. Advances and challenges in retinoid delivery systems in regenerative and therapeutic medicine. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4265. [PMID: 32848154 PMCID: PMC7450074 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18042-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2019] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Retinoids regulate a wide spectrum of cellular functions from the embryo throughout adulthood, including cell differentiation, metabolic regulation, and inflammation. These traits make retinoids very attractive molecules for medical purposes. In light of some of the physicochemical limitations of retinoids, the development of drug delivery systems offers several advantages for clinical translation of retinoid-based therapies, including improved solubilization, prolonged circulation, reduced toxicity, sustained release, and improved efficacy. In this Review, we discuss advances in preclinical and clinical tests regarding retinoid formulations, specifically the ones based in natural retinoids, evaluated in the context of regenerative medicine, brain, cancer, skin, and immune diseases. Advantages and limitations of retinoid formulations, as well as prospects to push the field forward, will be presented.
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Grants
- MC_U137973817 Medical Research Council
- MR/N000838/1 Medical Research Council
- The authors would like to thank Andreia Vilaça for the illustrations and the financial support of ERA Chair project (ERA@UC, ref:669088) through EU Horizon 2020 program, the POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016390 (acronym: CANCEL STEM) and POCI-01-0145-FEDER-029414 (acronym: LIghtBRARY) projects through Compete 2020 and FCT programs, projects 2IQBIONEURO (reference: 0624_2IQBIONEURO_6_E) and NEUROATLANTIC (reference: EAPA_791/2018) co-funded by INTERREG (Atlantic program or V-A Spain-Portugal) and European fund for Regional Development (FEDER), FCT (Portugal, SFRH/BPD/102103/2014), National Funds by Foundation for Science and Technology (UID/Multi/00709/2013), “Programa Operacional do Centro, Centro 2020” through the funding of the ICON project (Interdisciplinary Challenges On Neurodegeneration; CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-000013), EXPL/BIM-MED/0822/2013 (LB), (SFRH/BPD/94228/2013, IF/00178/2015) (RF), Cerebrovascular Disease Grant and L’Oréal-UNESCO Portugal for Women in Science for supporting this work. Authors declare there are no conflict of interests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Ferreira
- Health Sciences Research Centre (CICS-UBI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal
| | - Joseph Napoli
- Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, 231 Morgan Hall, MC#3104, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Tariq Enver
- UCL Cancer Institute, University College London, London, UK
| | - Liliana Bernardino
- Health Sciences Research Centre (CICS-UBI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior, Covilhã, Portugal.
| | - Lino Ferreira
- Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (CNC), University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal.
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Kim DY, Zhang H, Park S, Kim Y, Bae CR, Kim YM, Kwon YG. CU06-1004 (endothelial dysfunction blocker) ameliorates astrocyte end-feet swelling by stabilizing endothelial cell junctions in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. J Mol Med (Berl) 2020; 98:875-886. [PMID: 32415357 PMCID: PMC7297708 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-020-01920-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [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: 01/15/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/01/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Cerebral ischemia, or stroke, is widespread leading cause of death and disability. Surgical and pharmacological interventions that recover blood flow are the most effective treatment strategies for stroke patients. However, restoring the blood supply is accompanied by severe reperfusion injury, with edema and astrocyte end-feet disruption. Here, we report that the oral administration of CU06-1004 (previously Sac-1004), immediately after onset of ischemia/reperfusion (I/R), ameliorated cerebral damage. CU06-1004 stabilized blood‑brain barrier by inhibiting the disruption of the tight junction-related protein zona occludens-1 and the cortical actin ring in endothelial cells (ECs) after I/R. Interestingly, CU06-1004 significantly suppressed astrocyte end-feet swelling following I/R, by reducing aquaporin 4 and connexin 43 levels, which mediates swelling. Furthermore, the degradation of β1-integrin and β-dystroglycan, which anchors to the cortical actin ring in ECs, was inhibited by CU06-1004 administration after I/R. Consistently, CU06-1004 administration following I/R also suppressed the loss of laminin and collagen type IV, which bind to the cortical actin ring anchoring proteins. Unlike the protective effects of CU06-1004 in ECs, astrocyte viability and proliferation were not directly affected. Taken together, our observations suggest that CU06-1004 inhibits I/R-induced cerebral edema and astrocyte end-feet swelling by maintaining EC junction stability. KEY MESSAGES: • CU06-1004 ameliorates I/R-induced cerebral injury. • EC junction integrity was stabilized by CU06-1004 treatment after I/R. • CU06-1004 reduces astrocyte end-feet swelling following I/R. • EC junction stability affects astrocyte end-feet structure maintenance after I/R.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dong Young Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Haiying Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
- CURACLE Co., Ltd, Gyeonggi-do, Seongnam-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Songyi Park
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeaji Kim
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Cho-Rong Bae
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Myeong Kim
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Kangwon National University, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon-si, Republic of Korea
| | - Young-Guen Kwon
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Life Science and Biotechnology, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea.
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4
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Chen Y, Wang L, Zhang L, Chen B, Yang L, Li X, Li Y, Yu H. Inhibition of Connexin 43 Hemichannels Alleviates Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury via the TLR4 Signaling Pathway. Front Cell Neurosci 2018; 12:372. [PMID: 30386214 PMCID: PMC6199357 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2018.00372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Connexin 43 (Cx43) widely exists in all components of the neurovascular unit (NVU) and is a constituent of gap junctions and hemichannels. In physiological states, gap junctions are open for regular intercellular communication, and the hemichannels present low open probability in astrocytes. After cerebral ischemia, a large number of hemichannels are unusually opened, leading to cell swelling and even death. Most known hemichannel blockers also inhibit gap junctions and sequentially obstruct normal electrical cell-cell communication. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that Gap19, a selective Cx43-hemichannel inhibitor, exhibited neuroprotective effects on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). An obvious improvement in neurological scores and infarct volume reduction were observed in Gap19-treated mice after brain ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Gap19 treatment attenuated white matter damage. Moreover, Gap19 treatment suppressed the expression of Cx43 and Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) pathway-relevant proteins and prevented the overexpression of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β). To further explore downstream signaling, we established an in vitro model-oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) to simulate ischemic conditions. Immunofluorescence staining showed that Cx43 co-existed with TLR4 in astrocytes. The hemichannel activity was increased after OGD and Gap19 could inhibit this effect on astrocytes. Gap19 substantially improved relative cell vitality and decreased the expression of Cx43, TLR4 and inflammatory cytokines in vitro. In addition, in the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation OGD model, Gap19 also exhibited a protective effect via inhibiting TLR4 pathway activation. In summary, our results showed that Gap19 exerted a neuroprotective effect after stroke via inhibition of the TLR4-mediated signaling pathway.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingzhu Chen
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
| | - Liangzhu Wang
- Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.,Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Lingling Zhang
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
| | - Beilei Chen
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
| | - Liu Yang
- Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.,Dalian Medical University, Dalian, China
| | - Xiaobo Li
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
| | - Yuping Li
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China
| | - Hailong Yu
- Clinical Medical College of Yangzhou University, Yangzhou, China.,Department of Neurology, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.,Institute of Neuroscience, Northern Jiangsu People's Hospital, Yangzhou, China.,Drum Tower Hospital, Medical School of Nanjing University, Nanjing, China
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