Methylene Blue Preserves Cytochrome Oxidase Activity and Prevents Neurodegeneration and Memory Impairment in Rats With Chronic Cerebral Hypoperfusion

Methylene blue and its potential in the treatment of traumatic brain injury, brain ischemia, and Alzheimer's disease

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) and brain ischemia/reperfusion cause neurodegenerative processes that can continue after the acute stage with the development of severe brain atrophy with dementia. In this case, the long-term neurodegeneration of the brain is similar to the neurodegeneration characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and is associated with the accumulation of beta amyloid and tau protein. In the pathogenesis of AD as well as in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia and TBI oxidative stress, progressive inflammation, glial activation, blood-brain barrier dysfunction, and excessive activation of autophagy are involved, which implies the presence of many targets that can be affected by neuroprotectors. That is, multivariate cascades of nerve tissue damage represent many potential targets for therapeutic interventions. One of such substances that can be used in multi-purpose therapeutic strategies is methylene blue (MB). This drug can have an antiapoptotic and anti-inflammatory effect, activate autophagy, inhibit the aggregation of proteins with an irregular shape, inhibit NO synthase, and bypass impaired electron transfer in the respiratory chain of mitochondria. MB is a well-described treatment for methemoglobinemia, malaria, and encephalopathy caused by ifosfamide. In recent years, this drug has attracted great interest as a potential treatment for a number of neurodegenerative disorders, including the effects of TBI, ischemia, and AD.

Acrobatic training prevents learning impairments and astrocyte remodeling in the hippocampus of rats undergoing chronic cerebral hypoperfusion: sex-specific benefits

Background

Chronic cerebral hypoperfusion (CCH) leads to memory and learning impairments associated with degeneration and gliosis in the hippocampus. Treatment with physical exercise carries different therapeutic benefits for each sex. We investigated the effects of acrobatic training on astrocyte remodeling in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus and spatial memory impairment in male and female rats at different stages of the two-vessel occlusion (2VO) model.

Methods

Wistar rats were randomly allocated into four groups of males and females: 2VO acrobatic, 2VO sedentary, sham acrobatic, and sham sedentary. The acrobatic training was performed for 4 weeks prior to the 2VO procedure. Brain samples were collected for morphological and biochemical analysis at 3 and 7 days after 2VO. The dorsal hippocampi were removed and prepared for Western blot quantification of Akt, p-Akt, COX IV, cleaved caspase-3, PARP, and GFAP. GFAP immunofluorescence was performed on slices of the hippocampus to count astrocytes and apply the Sholl's circle technique. The Morris water maze was run after 45 days of 2VO.

Results

Acutely, the trained female rats showed increased PARP expression, and the 2VO-trained rats of both sexes presented increased GFAP levels in Western blot. Training, mainly in males, induced an increase in the number of astrocytes in the CA1 subfield. The 2VO rats presented branched astrocytes, while acrobatic training prevented branching. However, the 2VO-induced spatial memory impairment was partially prevented by the acrobatic training.

Conclusion

Acrobatic training restricted the astrocytic remodeling caused by 2VO in the CA1 and CA3 subfields of the hippocampus. The improvement in spatial memory was associated with more organized glial scarring in the trained rats and better cell viability observed in females.

Histochemical mapping of the duration of action of photobiomodulation on cytochrome c oxidase in the rat brain

Introduction

This is the first study mapping the duration of action of in vivo photobiomodulation (PBM) on cytochrome-c-oxidase (CCO). In cellular bioenergetics, CCO is the terminal rate-limiting enzyme in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, which catalyzes oxygen utilization for aerobic energy production. PBM using transcranial infrared laser stimulation (TILS) is a promising intervention for non-invasively modulating CCO in the brain. TILS of the human prefrontal cortex directly causes CCO photo-oxidation, which is associated with increased cerebral oxygenation and improved cognition.

Methods

This experiment aimed to map the duration of action of in vivo PBM on CCO activity in discrete neuroanatomic locations within rat brains up to 4 weeks after a single TILS session (50 s, 1064 nm CW, 250 mW/cm2). Control brains from rats treated with a sham session without TILS (laser off) were compared to brains from TILS-treated rats that were collected 1 day, 2 weeks, or 4 weeks post-TILS. Cryostat sections of the 36 collected brains were processed using quantitative enzyme histochemistry and digitally imaged. Densitometric readings of 28 regions of interest were recorded and converted to CCO activity units of oxygen utilization using calibration standards. Data analysis (ANCOVA) compared each laser-treated group to sham with whole-brain average as a covariate.

Results

The prefrontal infralimbic cortex showed the earliest significant increase in CCO activity between 1-day post-TILS and sham groups, which continued elevated for 2-4 weeks post-TILS. Significant differences in CCO activity between 2-weeks and sham groups were also found in the lateral septum, accumbens core, CA3 of the hippocampus, and the molecular layer of the hippocampus. The medial amygdala showed a significant decrease in CCO activity between 4-weeks and sham. Further analyses showed significant inter-regional CCO activity correlations among the brain regions as the result of TILS, with the most pronounced changes at 4-weeks post-stimulation.

Discussion

The time course of changes in CCO activity and network connectivity suggested that TILS caused different neuroplasticity types of bioenergetic changes at different time scales, depending on brain region and its depth from the cortex. In conclusion, this controlled CCO histochemical study demonstrated a long-lasting duration of action of PBM in the rat brain.

Sexual dimorphism in spatial learning and brain metabolism after exposure to a western diet and early life stress in rats

Prolonged daily intake of Western-type diet rich in saturated fats and sugars, and exposure to early life stress have been independently linked to impaired neurodevelopment and behaviour in animal models. However, sex-specific effects of both environmental factors combined on spatial learning and memory, behavioural flexibility, and brain oxidative capacity have still not been addressed. The current study aimed to evaluate the impact of maternal and postnatal exposure to a high-fat and high-sugar diet (HFS), and exposure to early life stress by maternal separation in adult male and female Wistar rats. For this purpose, spatial learning and memory and behavioural flexibility were evaluated in the Morris water maze, and regional brain oxidative capacity and oxidative stress levels were measured in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex. Spatial memory, regional brain oxidative metabolism, and levels of oxidative stress differed between females and males, suggesting sexual dimorphism in the effects of a HFS diet and early life stress. Males fed the HFS diet performed better than all other experimental groups independently of early life stress exposure. However, behavioural flexibility evaluated in the spatial reversal leaning task was impaired in males fed the HFS diet. In addition, exposure to maternal separation or the HFS diet increased the metabolic capacity of the prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in males and females. Levels of oxidative stress measured in the latter brain regions were also increased in groups fed the HFS diet, but maternal separation seemed to dampen regional brain oxidative stress levels. Therefore, these results suggest a compensatory effect resulting from the interaction between prolonged exposure to a HFS diet and early life stress.

Early-life stress induces emotional and molecular alterations in female mice that are partially reversed by cannabidiol

Gender is considered as a pivotal determinant of mental health. Indeed, several psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression are more common and persistent in women than in men. In the past two decades, impaired brain energy metabolism has been highlighted as a risk factor for the development of these psychiatric disorders. However, comprehensive behavioural and neurobiological studies in brain regions relevant to anxiety and depression symptomatology are scarce. In the present study, we summarize findings describing cannabidiol effects on anxiety and depression in maternally separated female mice as a well-established rodent model of early-life stress associated with many mental disorders. Our results indicate that cannabidiol could prevent anxiolytic- and depressive-related behaviour in early-life stressed female mice. Additionally, maternal separation with early weaning (MSEW) caused long-term changes in brain oxidative metabolism in both nucleus accumbens and amygdalar complex measured by cytochrome c oxidase quantitative histochemistry. However, cannabidiol treatment could not revert brain oxidative metabolism impairment. Moreover, we identified hyperphosphorylation of mTOR and ERK 1/2 proteins in the amygdala but not in the striatum, that could also reflect altered brain intracellular signalling related with to bioenergetic impairment. Altogether, our study supports the hypothesis that MSEW induces profound long-lasting molecular changes in mTOR signalling and brain energy metabolism related to depressive-like and anxiety-like behaviours in female mice, which were partially ameliorated by CBD administration.

Photobiomodulation of Cytochrome c Oxidase by Chronic Transcranial Laser in Young and Aged Brains

In cellular bioenergetics, cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) is the enzyme responsible for oxygen consumption in the mitochondrial electron transport chain, which drives oxidative phosphorylation for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. CCO is also the major intracellular acceptor of photons in the light wavelengths used for photobiomodulation (PBM). Brain function is critically dependent on oxygen consumption by CCO for ATP production. Therefore, our objectives were (1) to conduct the first detailed brain mapping study of the effects of PBM on regional CCO activity, and (2) to compare the chronic effects of PBM on young and aged brains. Specifically, we used quantitative CCO histochemistry to map the differences in CCO activity of brain regions in healthy young (4 months old) and aged (20 months old) rats from control groups with sham stimulation and from treated groups with 58 consecutive days of transcranial laser PBM (810 nm wavelength and 100 mW power). We found that aging predominantly decreased regional brain CCO activity and systems-level functional connectivity, while the chronic laser stimulation predominantly reversed these age-related effects. We concluded that chronic PBM modified the effects of aging by causing the CCO activity on brain regions in laser-treated aged rats to reach levels similar to those found in young rats. Given the crucial role of CCO in bioenergetics, PBM may be used to augment brain and behavioral functions of older individuals by improving oxidative energy metabolism.

Pretreatment with combined low-level laser therapy and methylene blue improves learning and memory in sleep-deprived mice

Low-level laser therapy (LLLT) and methylene blue (MB) were proved to have neuroprotective effects. In this study, we evaluated the preventive effects of LLLT and MB alone and in combination to examine their efficacy against sleep deprivation (SD)-induced cognitive impairment. Sixty Balb/c male mice were randomly divided into five groups as follows: wide platform (WP), SD, LLLT, MB, LMB (treatment with both LLLT and MB). Daily MB (0.5 mg/kg) was injected for ten consecutive days. An 810-nm, 10-Hz pulsed laser was used in LLLT every other day. We used the T-maze test, social interaction test (SIT), and shuttle box to assess learning and memory and PSD-95, GAP-43, and synaptophysin (SYN) markers to examine synaptic proteins levels in the hippocampus. Our results showed that SD decreased alternation rate in the T-maze test, sociability and social novelty in SIT, and memory index in the shuttle box. Single treatments were not able to reverse these in most of the behavioral parameters. However, behavioral tests showed a significant difference between combined therapy and the SD group. The levels of synaptic plasticity markers were also significantly reduced after SD. There was a significant difference between the MB group and SD animals in GAP-43 and SYN biomarkers. Combination treatment with LLLT and MB also increased GAP-43, PSD-95, and SYN compared to the SD group. We found that the combined use of LLLT and MB pretreatment is more effective in protecting SD-induced cognitive impairment, which may be imparted via modulation of synaptic proteins.

The Potentials of Methylene Blue as an Anti-Aging Drug

Methylene blue (MB), as the first fully man-made medicine, has a wide range of clinical applications. Apart from its well-known applications in surgical staining, malaria, and methemoglobinemia, the anti-oxidative properties of MB recently brought new attention to this century-old drug. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been observed in systematic aging that affects many different tissues, including the brain and skin. This leads to increaseding oxidative stress and results in downstream phenotypes under age-related conditions. MB can bypass Complex I/III activity in mitochondria and diminish oxidative stress to some degree. This review summarizes the recent studies on the applications of MB in treating age-related conditions, including neurodegeneration, memory loss, skin aging, and a premature aging disease, progeria.

Mitochondrial Disorders in Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is the most common age-related neurodegenerative disease. Understanding of its etiology and pathogenesis is constantly expanding. Thus, the increasing attention of researchers is directed to the study of the role of mitochondrial disorders. In addition, in recent years, the concept of Alzheimer's disease as a stress-induced disease has begun to form more and more actively. The stress-induced damage to the neuronal system can trigger a vicious circle of pathological processes, among which mitochondrial dysfunctions have a significant place, since mitochondria represent a substantial component in the anti-stress activity of the cell. The study of mitochondrial disorders in Alzheimer's disease is relevant for at least two reasons: first, as important pathogenetic component in this disease; second, due to vital role of mitochondria in formation of the body resistance to various conditions, including stressful ones, throughout the life. This literature review analyzes the results of a number of recent studies assessing potential significance of the mitochondrial disorders in Alzheimer's disease. The probable mechanisms of mitochondrial disorders associated with the development of this disease are considered: bioenergetic dysfunctions, changes in mitochondrial DNA (including assessment of the significance of its haplogroup features), disorders in the dynamics of these organelles, oxidative damage to calcium channels, damage to MAM complexes (membranes associated with mitochondria; mitochondria-associated membranes), disruptions of the mitochondrial quality control system, mitochondrial permeability, etc. The issues of the "primary" or "secondary" mitochondrial damage in Alzheimer's disease are discussed. Potentials for the development of new methods for diagnosis and therapy of mitochondrial disorders in Alzheimer's disease are considered.