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El-kady AM, Al-Megrin WAI, Abdel-Rahman IAM, Sayed E, Alshehri EA, Wakid MH, Baakdah FM, Mohamed K, Elshazly H, Alobaid HM, Qahl SH, Elshabrawy HA, Younis SS. Ginger Is a Potential Therapeutic for Chronic Toxoplasmosis. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11070798. [PMID: 35890042 PMCID: PMC9315699 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background:Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) is an opportunistic parasite that causes serious diseases in humans, particularly immunocompromised individuals and pregnant women. To date, there are limited numbers of therapeutics for chronic toxoplasmosis which necessitate the discovery of effective and safe therapeutics. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the antitoxoplasmosis potential of ginger extract in mice with experimentally induced chronic toxoplasmosis. Results: Treatment with ginger extract significantly reduced cysts count in the brains of T. gondii-infected mice with a marked alleviation of edema and inflammation, and a reversal of neuronal injury. Moreover, ginger extract treatment reduced inflammation in liver and lungs and protected hepatocytes from infection-induced degeneration. Consistently, apoptosis was significantly mitigated in the brains of ginger extract-treated mice compared to infected untreated animals or spiramycin-treated animals. Methods: Four groups of Swiss albino mice (10 mice each) were used. The first group was not infected, whereas 3 groups were infected with Me49 T. gondii strains. One infected group remained untreated (infected untreated), whereas the other two infected groups were treated with either ginger extract (250 mg/kg) or spiramycin (positive control; 100 mg/kg), respectively. The therapeutic potential of ginger extract was evaluated by calculation of the parasite burden in infected animals, and examination of the infected tissues for reduced pathologic changes. Conclusions: Our results showed for the first time that ginger extract exhibited marked therapeutic effects in mice with chronic T. gondii infection which indicates that it can be used as a safe and effective treatment for chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asmaa M. El-kady
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt
- Correspondence: Correspondence: (A.M.E.-k.); (H.A.E.)
| | - Wafa Abdullah I. Al-Megrin
- Department of Biology, College of Science, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Iman A. M. Abdel-Rahman
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt;
| | - Eman Sayed
- Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, South Valley University, Qena 83523, Egypt;
| | - Eman Abdullah Alshehri
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia; (E.A.A.); (H.M.A.)
| | - Majed H. Wakid
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (M.H.W.); (F.M.B.)
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Fadi M. Baakdah
- Department of Medical Laboratory Technology, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; (M.H.W.); (F.M.B.)
- Special Infectious Agents Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia
| | - Khalil Mohamed
- Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health and Health Informatics, Umm Al-Qura University, Mecca 21961, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Hayam Elshazly
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences -Scientific Departments, Qassim University, Buraidah, Qassim 52571, Saudi Arabia;
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Beni Suef University, Beni Suef 62521, Egypt
| | - Hussah M. Alobaid
- Department of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh 11362, Saudi Arabia; (E.A.A.); (H.M.A.)
| | - Safa H. Qahl
- Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21959, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Hatem A. Elshabrawy
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Sam Houston State University, Conroe, TX 77304, USA
- Correspondence: Correspondence: (A.M.E.-k.); (H.A.E.)
| | - Salwa S. Younis
- Department of Medical Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Alexandria University, Alexandria 21131, Egypt;
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Najafi M, Amini R, Maghsood AH, Fallah M, Foroughi-Parvar F. Co Expression of GMFβ, IL33, CCL2 and SDF1 Genes in the Acute Stage of Toxoplasmosis in Mice Model and Relation for Neuronal Impairment. IRANIAN JOURNAL OF PARASITOLOGY 2021; 16:426-434. [PMID: 34630588 PMCID: PMC8476739 DOI: 10.18502/ijpa.v16i3.7096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Background Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite that migrates through macrophages or dendritic cells to neurons and nerve cells. Glia Maturation Factor (GMF) is a pre-inflammatory protein that is expressed in the central nervous system (CNS). GMFβ expression is related to IL33 and CCL2 and SDF1 in some neurodegenerative diseases. According to the importance of GMFβ in neurodegenerative diseases and its association with IL33, CCL2 and SDF1 genes, this study was designed to determine the level of expression of these genes in the brains of mice with acute toxoplasmosis. Methods Tachyzoites of T. gondii RH strains were injected to 5 Swiss Albino mice. At the same time, healthy mice were inoculated with the Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Their brains were removed and kept at -70 °C in order to RNA extraction, cDNA syntheses and Real Time PCR performance. The level of gene expression was investigated with SYBR Green Quantitative Real-Time PCR. Results GMFβ gene expression increased significantly (P=0.003) 3.26 fold in Toxoplasma infected mice in comparison to the control. GMFβ gene expression was associated with increased expression level of IL33, CCL2, and SDF1 genes. Conclusion Considering the prominent role of GMFβ in CNS as well as the immune system, the elevation of GMFβ, IL33, CCL2 and SDF1 genes expression in the early stage of toxoplasmosis is associated with the occurrence of neuropathological alterations. Detection of these genes as an indication of brain damage in the early stages of Toxoplasma infection can prevent neurodegenerative disorders following acquired toxoplasmosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehri Najafi
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Razieh Amini
- Research Center for Molecular Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Amir Hossein Maghsood
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Mohammad Fallah
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
| | - Faeze Foroughi-Parvar
- Department of Medical Parasitology and Mycology, School of Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran
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Yuan Z, Yu Z, Zhang Y, Yang H. Analysis of the Clinical Diagnostic Value of GMFB in Cerebral Infarction. Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2020; 21:955-963. [PMID: 32039676 DOI: 10.2174/1389201021666200210102425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2019] [Revised: 12/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Glial Maturation Factor Beta (GMFB) is a highly conserved brain-enriched protein implicated in immunoregulation, neuroplasticity and apoptosis, processes central to neural injury and repair following cerebral ischaemia. Therefore, we examined if changes in neurocellular GMFB expression and release can be used to assess brain injury following ischaemia. METHODS AND RESULTS Immunofluorescence staining, Western blotting, immunohistochemistry and ELISA were used to measure GMFB in cultured neurons and astrocytes, rat brain tissues and plasma samples from stroke model rats and stroke patients, while cell viability assays, TTC staining and micro- PET were used to assess neural cell death and infarct severity. Immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry revealed GMFB expression mainly in astrocyte and neuronal nuclei but also in neuronal axons and dendrites. Free GMFB concentration increased progressively in the culture medium during hypoxia-hypoglycaemia treatment. Plasma GMFB concentration increased in rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO, a model of stroke-reperfusion) and in stroke patients. Plasma GMFB in MCAO model rats was strongly correlated with infarct size (R2=0.9582). Plasma GMFB concentration was also markedly elevated in stroke patients within 24 h of onset and remained elevated for more than one week. Conversely, plasma GMFB elevations were not significant in myocardial infarct patients and stroke patients without infarction. CONCLUSION GMFB has the prerequisite stability, expression specificity and response dynamics to serve as a reliable indicator of ischaemic injury in animal models and stroke patients. Plasma GMFB may be a convenient non-invasive adjunct to neuroimaging for stroke diagnosis and prognosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaohu Yuan
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong, China
| | - Zhiwu Yu
- Division of Laboratory Science, Affiliated Cancer Hospital & Institute of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou 510095, Guangdong, China
| | - Yiyu Zhang
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong, China
| | - Huikuan Yang
- Department of Blood Transfusion, Guangzhou First People's Hospital, School of Medicine, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510180, Guangdong, China
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Rodrigues-Amorim D, Rivera-Baltanás T, Vallejo-Curto MDC, Rodriguez-Jamardo C, de las Heras E, Barreiro-Villar C, Blanco-Formoso M, Fernández-Palleiro P, Álvarez-Ariza M, López M, García-Caballero A, Olivares JM, Spuch C. Proteomics in Schizophrenia: A Gateway to Discover Potential Biomarkers of Psychoneuroimmune Pathways. Front Psychiatry 2019; 10:885. [PMID: 31849731 PMCID: PMC6897280 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Schizophrenia is a severe and disabling psychiatric disorder with a complex and multifactorial etiology. The lack of consensus regarding the multifaceted dysfunction of this ailment has increased the need to explore new research lines. This research makes use of proteomics data to discover possible analytes associated with psychoneuroimmune signaling pathways in schizophrenia. Thus, we analyze plasma of 45 patients [10 patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES) and 35 patients with chronic schizophrenia] and 43 healthy subjects by label-free liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The analysis revealed a significant reduction in the levels of glia maturation factor beta (GMF-β), the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and the 115-kDa isoform of the Rab3 GTPase-activating protein catalytic subunit (RAB3GAP1) in patients with schizophrenia as compared to healthy volunteers. In conclusion, GMF-β, BDNF, and 115-kDa isoform of RAB3GAP1 showed significantly reduced levels in plasma of patients with schizophrenia, thus making them potential biomarkers in schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Rodrigues-Amorim
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Tania Rivera-Baltanás
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - María del Carmen Vallejo-Curto
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Cynthia Rodriguez-Jamardo
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Elena de las Heras
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Carolina Barreiro-Villar
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - María Blanco-Formoso
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Patricia Fernández-Palleiro
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - María Álvarez-Ariza
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Marta López
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Alejandro García-Caballero
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
| | - José Manuel Olivares
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
| | - Carlos Spuch
- Translational Neuroscience Research Group, Galicia Sur Health Research Institute, University of Vigo, CIBERSAM, Vigo, Spain
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Rosuvastatin reduced brain parasite burden in a chronic toxoplasmosis in vivo model and influenced the neuropathological pattern of ME-49 strain. Parasitology 2019; 147:303-309. [PMID: 31727196 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182019001604] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
This study evaluated the effects of rosuvastatin in vivo on toxoplasmosis chronic infection. Thirty-five Swiss mice were orally infected (ME-49 strain). After 50 days, the mice were separated into five groups: GI - non-infected, GII - infected, GIII - infected and treated with pyrimethamine and sulfadiazine (12.5 + 50 mg kg-1 body weight day-1), GIV and GV - infected and treated with rosuvastatin 10 and 40 mg kg-1 body weight day-1, respectively. After 21 days, we collected blood, liver, lungs, femoral biceps and brain were removed for Toxoplasma gondii DNA quantification by qPCR and histopathological analysis. GIV and GV did not present premature death or clinical changes, and the hepatic enzyme levels were lower compared to GI. Toxoplasma gondii DNA was detected mainly in brain and muscle, but the parasite load was significantly lower in GV compared to GII brains (P < 0.05). Histopathological changes were observed in brains, with T. gondii cysts as well as an inflammatory condition, including necrosis areas in GII and GIII. These data confirm active infection with tissue injury. This inflammatory condition was attenuated in the groups treated with rosuvastatin, especially R40 (GV). Our findings demonstrated the in vivo action of rosuvastatin in reducing cerebral parasitic load and indicate that this drug may interfere in chronic toxoplasmosis.
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Dincel GC, Kul O. First description of enhanced expression of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α) and glia maturation factor-beta (GMF-β) correlate with severity of neuropathology in border disease virus-infected small ruminants. Microb Pathog 2019; 128:301-310. [PMID: 30654008 DOI: 10.1016/j.micpath.2019.01.015] [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: 10/30/2018] [Revised: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 01/08/2019] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Border disease (BD) is caused by Pestivirus and characterized by severe neuropathology, and histopathologically observed severe hypomyelination. We have previously shown that small ruminants infected with border disease virus (BDV) play an important role for neuropathology and pathogenesis of severe oxidative damage in brain tissue, neuronal mtDNA; in the production of high pathologic levels of nitric oxide; in glial cell activation and stimulation of intrinsic apoptosis pathway. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between glia maturation factor beta (GMF-β) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGF-α) expressions and the causes of BDV-induced neuropathology and to investigate their role in neuropathogenesis in a way that was not presented before. Expression levels of GMF-β and TGF-α were investigated. Results of the study revealed that the levels of GMF-β (P < 0.005) and TGF-α (P < 0.005) expression in the brain tissue markedly increased in the BDV-infected animals compared to the non-infected healthy control group. While TGF-α expressions were predominantly observed in neurons, GMF-β expressions were found in astrocytes, glial cells and neurons. These results were reasonable to suggest that BDV-mediated increased GMF-β might play a pivotal role neuropathogenesis and a different type of role in the mechanism of neurodegeneration/neuropathology in the process of BD. The results also indicated that increased levels of GMF up-regulation in glial cells and neurons causes neuronal destruction, suggesting pathological pathway involving GMF-mediated brain cell cytotoxicity. It is clearly indicated that the cause of astrogliosis is due to severe TGF-a expression. This is the first study to demonstrate the expression of GMF-β and TGF-α in neurons and reactive glial cells and its association with neuropathology in BD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oguz Kul
- Department of Pathology, University of Kirikkale, Kirikkale, Turkey
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