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Wezeman J, Darvas M, Postupna N, Klug J, Mangalindan RS, Keely A, Nguyen K, Johnson C, Rosenfeld M, Ladiges W. A drug cocktail of rapamycin, acarbose, and phenylbutyrate enhances resilience to features of early-stage Alzheimer's disease in aging mice. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.26.577437. [PMID: 38352353 PMCID: PMC10862773 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The process of aging is defined by the breakdown of critical maintenance pathways leading to an accumulation of damage and its associated phenotypes. Aging affects many systems and is considered the greatest risk factor for a number of diseases. Therefore, interventions aimed at establishing resilience to aging should delay or prevent the onset of age-related diseases. Recent studies have shown a three-drug cocktail consisting of rapamycin, acarbose, and phenylbutyrate delayed the onset of physical, cognitive, and biological aging phenotypes in old mice. To test the ability of this drug cocktail to impact Alzheimer's disease (AD), an adeno-associated-viral vector model of AD was created. Mice were fed the drug cocktail 2 months prior to injection and allowed 3 months for phenotypic development. Cognitive phenotypes were evaluated through a spatial navigation learning task. To quantify neuropathology, immunohistochemistry was performed for AD proteins and pathways of aging. Results suggested the drug cocktail was able to increase resilience to cognitive impairment, inflammation, and AD protein aggregation while enhancing autophagy and synaptic integrity, preferentially in female cohorts. In conclusion, female mice were more susceptible to the development of early stage AD neuropathology and learning impairment, and more responsive to treatment with the drug cocktail in comparison to male mice. Translationally, a model of AD where females are more susceptible would have greater value as women have a greater burden and incidence of disease compared to men. These findings validate past results and provide the rationale for further investigations into enhancing resilience to early-stage AD by enhancing resilience to aging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jackson Wezeman
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Martin Darvas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Nadia Postupna
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Jenna Klug
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Ruby Sue Mangalindan
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Addison Keely
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Kathryn Nguyen
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Chloe Johnson
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Manuela Rosenfeld
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
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Mazzola J, Park JY, Ladiges W. Modeling resilience to sleep disruption to study resistance to Alzheimer's disease. AGING PATHOBIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS 2023; 5:154-156. [PMID: 38933082 PMCID: PMC11208037 DOI: 10.31491/apt.2023.12.128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/28/2024]
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a devastating neurodegenerative condition with unknown etiology and no cure. Therefore, it is imperative to learn more about the underlying risk factors. Since AD is an age-related disease, one approach is to look at factors associated with aging. One example is sleep disruption, which increases with age and accelerates the progression of cognitive decline. However, some people with sleep loss experience little or no cognitive impairment and are considered resilient. The concept that resilience to sleep disruption increases resistance to AD can be modeled in aging mice with or without cognitive impairment to determine resistance or susceptibility to AD. Given that sleep disruption is a relevant and rising health concern, it is essential to gain a better understanding of resilience, and factors associated with resistance to AD, in order to develop successful intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Mazzola
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Joo Young Park
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Tucker M, Liao GY, Park JY, Rosenfeld M, Wezeman J, Mangalindan R, Ratner D, Darvas M, Ladiges W. Behavioral and neuropathological features of Alzheimer's disease are attenuated in 5xFAD mice treated with intranasal GHK peptide. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.20.567908. [PMID: 38045355 PMCID: PMC10690187 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.20.567908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Efforts to find disease modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) have met with limited success in part because the focus has been on testing drugs that target a specific pathogenic mechanism. Multiple pathways have been implicated in the pathogenesis of AD. Hence, the probability of more effective treatment for AD is likely increased by using an intervention that targets more than one pathway. The naturally occurring peptide GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine), as a GHK-Cu complex, supports angiogenesis, remodeling, and tissue repair, has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, and has been shown to improve cognitive performance in aging mice. In order to test GHK-Cu as a neurotherapeutic for AD, male and female 5xFAD transgenic mice on the C57BL/6 background at 4 months of age were given 15 mg/kg GHK-Cu intranasally 3 times per week for 3 months until 7 months of age. Results showed that intranasal GHK-Cu treatment delayed cognitive impairment, reduced amyloid plaques, and lowered inflammation levels in the frontal cortex and hippocampus. These observations suggest additional studies are warranted to investigate the potential of GHK-Cu peptide as a promising treatment for AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Tucker
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Gerald Yu Liao
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Joo Young Park
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Manuela Rosenfeld
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Jackson Wezeman
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Ruby Mangalindan
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Dan Ratner
- Department of Bioengineering, College of Engineering and School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Martin Darvas
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle WA
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Rosenfeld M, Nickel K, Ladiges W. GHK peptide prevents sleep-deprived learning impairment in aging mice. AGING PATHOBIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS 2023; 5:33-35. [PMID: 37035833 PMCID: PMC10081520 DOI: 10.31491/apt.2023.03.109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/30/2023]
Abstract
Sleep deprivation is known to cause memory impairment and is associated with inflammation and cell damage linked to neurodegenerative diseases. GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine) is a naturally occurring tripeptide found in mammalian plasma. GHK has anti-inflammatory activity and can pass through the blood-brain barrier suggesting the potential to prevent neuroinflammation associated with sleep deprivation. In this study, mice were injected with 15 mg/kg GHK per day for five days and sleep deprived on the last two days of treatment. Sleep-deprived mice treated with GHK did not show the acute learning impairment seen in sleep-deprived mice treated with saline. GHK prevented an increase in MCP-1 and nitrotyrosine levels in the hippocampus of sleep-deprived mice suggesting that inflammatory and reactive nitrogen/oxygen species activity could be therapeutic targets for learning impairment associated with short-term sleep deprivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela Rosenfeld
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Katie Nickel
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Contributions of animal models of cognitive disorders to neuropsychopharmacology. Therapie 2021; 76:87-99. [PMID: 33589315 DOI: 10.1016/j.therap.2021.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive disorders and symptoms are key features of many mental and neurological diseases, with a large spectrum of impaired domains. Because of their possible evolution and detrimental functioning impact, they are a major pharmacological target for both symptomatic and disease-modifier drugs, while few cognitive enhancers have been marketed with an insufficient efficiency. It explains the need to model these cognitive disorders beyond the modelization of mental or neurological diseases themselves. According to the experimental strategy used to induce cognitive impairment, three categories of models have been identified: neurotransmission-driven models; pathophysiology-driven models; environment-driven models. These three categories of models reflect different levels of integration of endogenous and exogenous mechanisms underlying cognitive disorders in humans. Their comprehensive knowledge and illustration of their pharmacological modulation could help to propose a renewing strategy of drug development in central nervous system (CNS) field at a time when the academic and industrial invest seems to be declining despite the medical and social burden of brain diseases.
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Lei H, Wang J, Ladiges W, Jiang Z. Short-term oral rapamycin prevents age-related learning impairment in mice. AGING PATHOBIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS 2020; 2:166-167. [PMID: 35083446 PMCID: PMC8789159 DOI: 10.31491/apt.2020.09.033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Effective treatments to prevent or delay age-related learning impairment are not generally available. In a preliminary preclinical study, mice 20 months of age were fed a diet containing 14 ppm rapamycin, an inhibitor of mTOR, for three months and then tested in a spatial navigation task. Mice fed the nonmedicated control diet showed learning impairment while mice fed the rapamycin diet were not learning impaired. This observation provides support for additional preclinical studies and suggests that short-term rapamycin treatment could be a possible strategy for preventing or delaying age-related cognitive impairment in people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haoyi Lei
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Juan Wang
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Zhou Jiang
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Wu J, Dou Y, Ladiges WC. Adverse Neurological Effects of Short-Term Sleep Deprivation in Aging Mice Are Prevented by SS31 Peptide. Clocks Sleep 2020; 2:325-333. [PMID: 33089207 PMCID: PMC7573804 DOI: 10.3390/clockssleep2030024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Sleep deprivation is a potent stress factor that disrupts regulatory pathways in the brain resulting in cognitive dysfunction and increased risk of neurodegenerative disease with increasing age. Prevention of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation could be beneficial in older individuals by restoring healthy brain function. We report here on the ability of SS31, a mitochondrial specific peptide, to attenuate the negative neurological effects of short-term sleep deprivation in aging mice. C57BL/6 female mice, 20 months old, were subcutaneously injected with SS31 (3 mg/kg) or saline daily for four days. Sleep deprivation was 4 h daily for the last two days of SS31 treatment. Mice were immediately tested for learning ability followed by collection of brain and other tissues. In sleep deprived mice treated with SS31, learning impairment was prevented, brain mitochondrial ATP levels and synaptic plasticity regulatory proteins were restored, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory cytokines levels were decreased in the hippocampus. This observation suggests possible therapeutic benefits of SS31 for alleviating adverse neurological effects of short-term sleep loss.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinzi Wu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; (J.W.); (Y.D.)
| | - Yan Dou
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; (J.W.); (Y.D.)
| | - Warren C Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA; (J.W.); (Y.D.)
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Dou Y, Lee A, Zhu L, Morton J, Ladiges W. The potential of GHK as an anti-aging peptide. AGING PATHOBIOLOGY AND THERAPEUTICS 2020; 2:58-61. [PMID: 35083444 PMCID: PMC8789089 DOI: 10.31491/apt.2020.03.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
GHK (glycyl-L-histidyl-L-lysine) is a naturally occurring peptide found in human serum with levels averaging 200 ng/ml at age 20 but declining to an average of 80 ng/ml by age 60. The molecule has a very high affinity for copper and forms the chelate GHK-Cu. The peptide as well as its Cu (II) chelate have anti-inflammatory and tissue remodeling properties. GHK-Cu has been shown to promote skin remodeling, wound healing and regeneration, and has prominent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in in vitro and in vivo studies. In addition, preliminary observations suggest GHK can partially reverse cognitive impairment in aging mice by targeting anti-inflammatory and epigenetic pathways. The evidence as presented provides the rationale to further investigate this naturally occurring peptide in preclinical and clinical aging studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Dou
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Amanda Lee
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Lida Zhu
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - John Morton
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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Darvas M, Mukherjee K, Lee A, Ladiges W. A Novel One-Day Learning Procedure for Mice. CURRENT PROTOCOLS IN MOUSE BIOLOGY 2020; 10:e68. [PMID: 32096920 DOI: 10.1002/cpmo.68] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Current preclinical cognitive assessments are highly time intensive, with lengthy assessment procedures. In this regard, a single-day assay that focuses just on assessing learning behavior in a time-effective and relatable manner would be of value. This article describes the box maze as a short-term behavioral procedure to measure learning in mice. The protocol consists of allowing mice to explore an enclosed space that has eight holes. One of these holes leads to a tunnel that connects to an escape cage, and the latency to enter this escape hole is recorded for each mouse. Mice are tested four times within a single day, and the decrease in escape latency over time is used as a measure of learning. Age is a factor that affects escape latency in the box maze. Hence, the box-maze procedure is proposed as an efficient test to probe aging and aging intervention-related research questions. © 2020 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Darvas
- Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Kishore Mukherjee
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Amanda Lee
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Warren Ladiges
- Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
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