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Soares-Cardoso C, Leal S, Sá SI, Dantas-Barros R, Dinis-Oliveira RJ, Faria J, Barbosa J. Unraveling the Hippocampal Molecular and Cellular Alterations behind Tramadol and Tapentadol Neurobehavioral Toxicity. Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 2024; 17:796. [PMID: 38931463 PMCID: PMC11206790 DOI: 10.3390/ph17060796] [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: 05/27/2024] [Revised: 06/11/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Tramadol and tapentadol are chemically related opioids prescribed for the analgesia of moderate to severe pain. Although safer than classical opioids, they are associated with neurotoxicity and behavioral dysfunction, which arise as a concern, considering their central action and growing misuse and abuse. The hippocampal formation is known to participate in memory and learning processes and has been documented to contribute to opioid dependence. Accordingly, the present study assessed molecular and cellular alterations in the hippocampal formation of Wistar rats intraperitoneally administered with 50 mg/kg tramadol or tapentadol for eight alternate days. Alterations were found in serum hydrogen peroxide, cysteine, homocysteine, and dopamine concentrations upon exposure to one or both opioids, as well as in hippocampal 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine and gene expression levels of a panel of neurotoxicity, neuroinflammation, and neuromodulation biomarkers, assessed through quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Immunohistochemical analysis of hippocampal formation sections showed increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and decreased cluster of differentiation 11b (CD11b) protein expression, suggesting opioid-induced astrogliosis and microgliosis. Collectively, the results emphasize the hippocampal neuromodulator effects of tramadol and tapentadol, with potential behavioral implications, underlining the need to prescribe and use both opioids cautiously.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristiana Soares-Cardoso
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Translational Toxicology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Sandra Leal
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Toxicologic Pathology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Susana I. Sá
- RISE-HEALTH, Unit of Anatomy, Department of Biomedicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Plácido da Costa, 4200-450 Porto, Portugal;
| | - Rita Dantas-Barros
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Translational Toxicology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Ricardo Jorge Dinis-Oliveira
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Translational Toxicology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
- Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-319 Porto, Portugal
- FOREN-Forensic Science Experts, Av. Dr. Mário Moutinho 33-A, 1400-136 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Juliana Faria
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Translational Toxicology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
| | - Joana Barbosa
- Associate Laboratory i4HB—Institute for Health and Bioeconomy, University Institute of Health Sciences—CESPU, 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal; (C.S.-C.); (S.L.); (R.D.-B.); or (R.J.D.-O.)
- UCIBIO—Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit, Translational Toxicology Research Laboratory, University Institute of Health Sciences (1H-TOXRUN, IUCS-CESPU), 4585-116 Gandra, Portugal
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Ševc J, Mochnacký F, Košuth J, Alexovič Matiašová A, Slovinská L, Blaško J, Bukhun I, Holota R, Tomori Z, Daxnerová Z. Comparative model of minimal spinal cord injury reveals a rather anti-inflammatory response in the lesion site as well as increased proliferation in the central canal lining in the neonates compared to the adult rats. Dev Neurobiol 2024. [PMID: 38812372 DOI: 10.1002/dneu.22942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2023] [Revised: 04/30/2024] [Accepted: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Spinal cord injury (SCI) resulting from trauma decreases the quality of human life. Numerous clues indicate that the limited endogenous regenerative potential is a result of the interplay between the inhibitory nature of mature nervous tissue and the inflammatory actions of immune and glial cells. Knowledge gained from comparing regeneration in adult and juvenile animals could draw attention to factors that should be removed or added for effective therapy in adults. Therefore, we generated a minimal SCI (mSCI) model with a comparable impact on the spinal cord of Wistar rats during adulthood, preadolescence, and the neonatal period. The mechanism of injury is based on unilateral incision with a 20 ga needle tip according to stereotaxic coordinates into the dorsal horn of the L4 lumbar spinal segment. The incision should harm a similar amount of gray matter on a coronal section in each group of experimental animals. According to our results, the impact causes mild injury with minimal adverse effects on the neurological functions of animals but still has a remarkable effect on nervous tissue and its cellular and humoral components. Testing the mSCI model in adults, preadolescents, and neonates revealed a rather anti-inflammatory response of immune cells and astrocytes at the lesion site, as well as increased proliferation in the central canal lining in neonates compared with adult animals. Our results indicate that developing nervous tissue could possess superior reparative potential and confirm the importance of comparative studies to advance in the field of neuroregeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juraj Ševc
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Filip Mochnacký
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Ján Košuth
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Anna Alexovič Matiašová
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Lucia Slovinská
- Faculty of Medicine, Associated Tissue Bank, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Košice, Slovak Republic
- Institute of Neurobiology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Juraj Blaško
- Institute of Neurobiology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Ivan Bukhun
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Radovan Holota
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Zoltán Tomori
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Zuzana Daxnerová
- Faculty of Science, Institute of Biology and Ecology, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Košice, Slovak Republic
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Beckers P, Belo Do Nascimento I, Charlier M, Desmet N, Massie A, Hermans E. Implication of system x c- in neuroinflammation during the onset and maintenance of neuropathic pain. J Neuroinflammation 2024; 21:117. [PMID: 38715127 PMCID: PMC11077843 DOI: 10.1186/s12974-024-03112-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite the high prevalence of neuropathic pain, treating this neurological disease remains challenging, given the limited efficacy and numerous side effects associated with current therapies. The complexity in patient management is largely attributed to an incomplete understanding of the underlying pathological mechanisms. Central sensitization, that refers to the adaptation of the central nervous system to persistent inflammation and heightened excitatory transmission within pain pathways, stands as a significant contributor to persistent pain. Considering the role of the cystine/glutamate exchanger (also designated as system xc-) in modulating glutamate transmission and in supporting neuroinflammatory responses, we investigated the contribution of this exchanger in the development of neuropathic pain. METHODS We examined the implication of system xc- by evaluating changes in the expression/activity of this exchanger in the dorsal spinal cord of mice after unilateral partial sciatic nerve ligation. In this surgical model of neuropathic pain, we also examined the consequence of the genetic suppression of system xc- (using mice lacking the system xc- specific subunit xCT) or its pharmacological manipulation (using the pharmacological inhibitor sulfasalazine) on the pain-associated behavioral responses. Finally, we assessed the glial activation and the inflammatory response in the spinal cord by measuring mRNA and protein levels of GFAP and selected M1 and M2 microglial markers. RESULTS The sciatic nerve lesion was found to upregulate system xc- at the spinal level. The genetic deletion of xCT attenuated both the amplitude and the duration of the pain sensitization after nerve surgery, as evidenced by reduced responses to mechanical and thermal stimuli, and this was accompanied by reduced glial activation. Consistently, pharmacological inhibition of system xc- had an analgesic effect in lesioned mice. CONCLUSION Together, these observations provide evidence for a role of system xc- in the biochemical processes underlying central sensitization. We propose that the reduced hypersensitivity observed in the transgenic mice lacking xCT or in sulfasalazine-treated mice is mediated by a reduced gliosis in the lumbar spinal cord and/or a shift in microglial M1/M2 polarization towards an anti-inflammatory phenotype in the absence of system xc-. These findings suggest that drugs targeting system xc- could contribute to prevent or reduce neuropathic pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Beckers
- Institute of Neuroscience, Group of Neuropharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 53 (B1.53.01), Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Inês Belo Do Nascimento
- Institute of Neuroscience, Group of Neuropharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 53 (B1.53.01), Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Mathilde Charlier
- Institute of Neuroscience, Group of Neuropharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 53 (B1.53.01), Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Nathalie Desmet
- Institute of Neuroscience, Group of Neuropharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 53 (B1.53.01), Brussels, 1200, Belgium
| | - Ann Massie
- Neuro-Aging & Viro-Immunotherapy, Center for Neurosciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Laarbeeklaan 103, Brussels, 1090, Belgium
| | - Emmanuel Hermans
- Institute of Neuroscience, Group of Neuropharmacology, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), Avenue Hippocrate 53 (B1.53.01), Brussels, 1200, Belgium.
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Huo Y, Li X, Sun C, Pan Z, Li Q, Du X. From stability to reliability: Unveiling the un-biased reference genes in porcine ovarian granulosa cells under different conditions. Gene 2024; 897:148089. [PMID: 38123003 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.148089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 12/02/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Selection of optimal reference genes (RGs) is fundamental for functional genomics studies and gene expression analysis, which are two main approaches to identify functional genes and their expression patterns. However, no systematic study has identified the suitable RGs in porcine ovarian granulosa cells (GCs) which are essential for follicle fate and sow fertility. In this study, the expression profiles of 12 widely-used RGs (GAPDH, RPLP0, ACTB, TUBA1B, EIF3K, PPIA, ATP5F1, B2M, HPRT1, UBC, RPS3, and EEF1A1) in porcine GCs during follicular development and under different abiotic stresses were systematically investigated. Expression stability of the candidate RGs were comprehensively accessed by five statistical algorithms including ΔCt, NormFinder, BestKeeper, geNorm, and RefFinder, indicating that RPS3 and PPIA are the optimal RGs during follicular development, EEF1A1 and RPLP0 are most stable under oxidative stress and inflammation, while ATP5F1, B2M, and RPS3 have higher stability under starvation and heat stress. Notably, the most commonly used RGs (ACTB, GAPDH, and TUBA1B) exhibited low stability in GCs. Reliability of stable RGs was verified by RT-qPCR and showed that selection of the stable RGs significantly improved the detection accuracy of qPCR, which confirms once again that the stability of RGs should not be taken for granted. Our findings identified optimal RG sets in porcine GCs under different conditions, which is helpful in future studies to accurately identify the key regulators and their expression patterns during follicular development in sows.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yangan Huo
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Xiaoxue Li
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Chen Sun
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Zengxiang Pan
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Qifa Li
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China
| | - Xing Du
- Laboratory of Statistical Genetics and Epigenetics, College of Animal Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210095, China.
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Holota R, Dečmanová V, Alexovič Matiašová A, Košuth J, Slovinská L, Pačut L, Tomori Z, Daxnerová Z, Ševc J. Cleaved caspase-3 is present in the majority of glial cells in the intact rat spinal cord during postnatal life. Histochem Cell Biol 2024; 161:269-286. [PMID: 37938347 PMCID: PMC10912154 DOI: 10.1007/s00418-023-02249-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
Cell death is an essential process that occurs during the development of the central nervous system. Despite the availability of a wide range of commercially produced antibodies against various apoptotic markers, data regarding apoptosis in intact spinal cord during postnatal development and adulthood are mostly missing. We investigated apoptosis in rat spinal cord at different stages of ontogenesis (postnatal days 8, 29, and 90). For this purpose, we applied immunofluorescent detection of two widely used apoptotic markers, cleaved caspase-3 (cC3) and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (cPARP). Surprisingly, we found significant discrepancy between the number of cC3+ cells and PARP+ cells, with a ratio between 500:1 and 5000:1 in rat spinal cord at all postnatal time points. The majority of cC3+ cells were glial cells and did not exhibit an apoptotic phenotype. In contrast with in vivo results, in vitro analysis of primary cell cultures derived from neonatal rat spinal cord and treated with the apoptotic inductor staurosporine revealed a similar onset of occurrence of both cC3 and cPARP in cells subjected to apoptosis. Gene expression analysis of spinal cord revealed elevated expression of the Birc4 (XIAP), Birc2, and Birc5 (Survivin) genes, which are known potent inhibitors of apoptosis. Our data indicate that cC3 is not an exclusive marker of apoptosis, especially in glial cells, owing its possible presence in inhibited forms and/or its participation in other non-apoptotic roles. Therefore, cPARP appears to be a more appropriate marker to detect apoptosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Holota
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - V Dečmanová
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - A Alexovič Matiašová
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic.
| | - J Košuth
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - L Slovinská
- Associated Tissue Bank, Faculty of Medicine, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice and L. Pasteur University Hospital, Tr. SNP 1, 04011, Košice, Slovak Republic
- Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy, Institute of Neurobiology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Šoltésovej 4, 04001, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - L Pačut
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Z Tomori
- Institute of Experimental Physics, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Watsonova 47, 04001, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - Z Daxnerová
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
| | - J Ševc
- Institute of Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Science, P. J. Šafárik University in Košice, Šrobárova 2, 04154, Košice, Slovak Republic
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Liu W, Yu J, Wang YF, Shan QQ, Wang YX. Selection of suitable internal controls for gene expression normalization in rats with spinal cord injury. Neural Regen Res 2021; 17:1387-1392. [PMID: 34782586 PMCID: PMC8643046 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.327350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a lack of systematic research on the expression of internal control genes used for gene expression normalization in real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in spinal cord injury research. In this study, we used rat models of spinal cord hemisection to analyze the expression stability of 13 commonly applied reference genes: Actb, Ankrd27, CypA, Gapdh, Hprt1, Mrpl10, Pgk1, Rictor, Rn18s, Tbp, Ubc, Ubxn11, and Ywhaz. Our results show that the expression of Ankrd27, Ubc, and Tbp were stable after spinal cord injury, while Actb was the most unstable internal control gene. Ankrd27, Ubc, Tbp, and Actb were consequently used to investigate the effects of internal control genes with differing stabilities on the normalization of target gene expression. Target gene expression levels and changes over time were similar when Ankrd27, Ubc, and Tbp were used as internal controls but different when Actb was used as an internal control. We recommend that Ankrd27, Ubc, and Tbp are used as internal control genes for real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction in spinal cord injury research. This study was approved by the Administration Committee of Experimental Animals, Jiangsu Province, China (approval No. 20180304-008) on March 4, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wei Liu
- Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Jie Yu
- Department of Nursing, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University; Department of Clinical Medicine, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Yi-Fan Wang
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Medical School of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Qian-Qian Shan
- Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, The Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
| | - Ya-Xian Wang
- Key Laboratory of Neuroregeneration of Jiangsu and Ministry of Education, Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Tissue Engineering Technology Products, Nantong University, Nantong, Jiangsu Province, China
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