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Britton R, Liu AT, Rege SV, Adams JM, Akrapongpisak L, Le D, Alcantara-Lee R, Estrada RA, Ray R, Ahadi S, Gallager I, Yang CF, Minami SS, Braithwaite SP, Czirr E, Campbell MK. Molecular and histological correlates of cognitive decline across age in male C57BL/6J mice. Brain Behav 2022; 12:e2736. [PMID: 35971662 PMCID: PMC9480918 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Increasing age is the number one risk factor for developing cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disease. Aged humans and mice exhibit numerous molecular changes that contribute to a decline in cognitive function and increased risk of developing age-associated diseases. Here, we characterize multiple age-associated changes in male C57BL/6J mice to understand the translational utility of mouse aging. METHODS Male C57BL/6J mice from various ages between 2 and 24 months of age were used to assess behavioral, as well as, histological and molecular changes across three modalities: neuronal, microgliosis/neuroinflammation, and the neurovascular unit (NVU). Additionally, a cohort of 4- and 22-month-old mice was used to assess blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown. Mice in this cohort were treated with a high, acute dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 10 mg/kg) or saline control 6 h prior to sacrifice followed by tail vein injection of 0.4 kDa sodium fluorescein (100 mg/kg) 2 h later. RESULTS Aged mice showed a decline in cognitive and motor abilities alongside decreased neurogenesis, proliferation, and synapse density. Further, neuroinflammation and circulating proinflammatory cytokines were increased in aged mice. Additionally, we found changes at the BBB, including increased T cell infiltration in multiple brain regions and an exacerbation in BBB leakiness following chemical insult with age. There were also a number of readouts that were unchanged with age and have limited utility as markers of aging in male C57BL/6J mice. CONCLUSIONS Here we propose that these changes may be used as molecular and histological readouts that correspond to aging-related behavioral decline. These comprehensive findings, in the context of the published literature, are an important resource toward deepening our understanding of normal aging and provide an important tool for studying aging in mice.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Angela T Liu
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA.,Coda Biotherapeutics, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | - Lily Akrapongpisak
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA.,University of Queensland, Herston, Queensland, Australia
| | - David Le
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA.,Fountain Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California, USA
| | | | | | - Rebecca Ray
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA.,202 Chives Way, Walnut Creek, California, USA
| | - Sara Ahadi
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Eva Czirr
- Alkahest, Inc., San Carlos, California, USA.,Confluence Therapeutics, South San Francisco, California, USA
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Caffrey TM, Button EB, Robert J. Toward three-dimensional in vitro models to study neurovascular unit functions in health and disease. Neural Regen Res 2021; 16:2132-2140. [PMID: 33818484 PMCID: PMC8354124 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.310671] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The high metabolic demands of the brain require an efficient vascular system to be coupled with neural activity to supply adequate nutrients and oxygen. This supply is coordinated by the action of neurons, glial and vascular cells, known collectively as the neurovascular unit, which temporally and spatially regulate local cerebral blood flow through a process known as neurovascular coupling. In many neurodegenerative diseases, changes in functions of the neurovascular unit not only impair neurovascular coupling but also permeability of the blood-brain barrier, cerebral blood flow and clearance of waste from the brain. In order to study disease mechanisms, we need improved physiologically-relevant human models of the neurovascular unit. Advances towards modeling the cellular complexity of the neurovascular unit in vitro have been made using stem-cell derived organoids and more recently, vascularized organoids, enabling intricate studies of non-cell autonomous processes. Engineering and design innovations in microfluidic devices and tissue engineering are progressing our ability to interrogate the cerebrovasculature. These advanced models are being used to gain a better understanding of neurodegenerative disease processes and potential therapeutics. Continued innovation is required to build more physiologically-relevant models of the neurovascular unit encompassing both the cellular complexity and designed features to interrogate neurovascular unit functionality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tara M Caffrey
- Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health; Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Emily B Button
- Djavad Mowafaghian Center for Brain Health; Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Jerome Robert
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry, University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Heterogeneous Disease Progression in a Mouse Model of Vascular Cognitive Impairment. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21082820. [PMID: 32316637 PMCID: PMC7215687 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21082820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Revised: 04/12/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Recently, an asymmetric vascular compromise approach that replicates many aspects of human vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) has been reported. The present study aimed to first investigate on the reproducibility in the disease progression of this newly reported VCI model using wild-type C57BL6/J mice. The second aim was to assess how this approach will affect the disease progression of transgenic Alzheimer’s disease (AD) 5XFAD mice subjected to VCI. C57BL6/J and 5XFAD mice were subjected to VCI by placing an ameroid constrictor on the right CCA and a microcoil on the left CCA. Infarcts and hippocampal neuronal loss did not appear predominantly in the right (ameroid side) as expected but randomly in both hemispheres. The mortality rate of C57BL6/J mice was unexpectedly high. Inducing VCI reduced amyloid burden in the hippocampi of 5XFAD mice. Since VCI is known to be complex and complicated, the heterogeneous disease progression observed from this current study shares close resemblance to the clinical manifestation of VCI. This heterogeneity, however, makes it challenging to test novel treatment options using this model. Further study is warranted to tackle the heterogeneous nature of VCI.
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