Batroxobin protects against spinal cord injury in rats by promoting the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor to reduce apoptosis

Navigating neurological disorders: harnessing the power of natural compounds for innovative therapeutic breakthroughs

Novel treatments are needed as neurological issues become more frequent worldwide. According to the report, plants, oceans, microorganisms, and animals contain interesting drug discovery compounds. Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and stroke reviews emphasize neurological disorders' complexity and natural substances' safety. Learn about marine-derived and herbal substances' neuroprotective characteristics and applications. Molecular pathways show these substances' neurological healing effects. This article discusses clinical usage of Bryostatin-1, Fucoidan, Icariin, Salvianolic acid, Curcumin, Resveratrol, etc. Their potential benefits for asthma and Alzheimer's disease are complex. Although limited, the study promotes rigorous scientific research and collaboration between traditional and alternative medical practitioners. Unexplored natural compounds, quality control, well-structured clinical trials, and interdisciplinary collaboration should guide future study. Developing and employing natural chemicals to treat neurological illnesses requires ethical sourcing, sustainability, and public awareness. This detailed analysis covers natural chemicals' current state, challenges, and opportunities in neurological disorder treatment. See also the graphical abstract(Fig. 1).

Use of Batroxobin in Central and Peripheral Ischemic Vascular Diseases: A Systematic Review

Background and Purpose: The mechanism of action of Batroxobin included the decomposition of the fibrinogen to fibrin degradation products (FDPs) and D-dimer and mobilization of endothelial cells to release endogenous nt-PA and to promote thrombolysis. This review aims to summarize current study findings about batroxobin on correcting cerebral arterial, venous, and peripheral vascular diseases, to explore the mechanism of batroxobin on anti-thrombosis process.

Methods: A thorough literature search was conducted utilizing the PubMed Central (PMC) and EMBASE databases to identify studies up to June 2021. Data from clinical studies and animal experiments about batroxobin were extracted, integrated and analyzed based on Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions approach and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols (PRISMA-P), including the condition of subjects, the usage and dosage, research observation index and main findings.

Results: A total of 62 studies were enrolled in this systematic review, including 26 clinical studies and 36 animal experiments. The 26 clinical studies involved 873 patients with arterial ischemic events, 92 cases with cerebral venous thrombosis, 13 cases with cerebral cortical vein thrombosis, and 1,049 cases with peripheral vascular diseases. These patients included 452 males and 392 females aged 65.6 ± 5.53 years. The results revealed that batroxobin had broad effects, including improving clinical prognosis (n = 12), preventing thrombosis (n = 7), promoting thrombolysis (n = 6), and improving vascular cognitive dysfunction (n = 1). The effects of batroxobin on reducing neuronal apoptosis (n = 8),relieving cellular edema (n = 4), improving spatial memory (n = 3), and promoting thrombolysis (n = 13) were concluded in animal experiments. The predominant mechanisms explored in animal experiments involved promoting depolymerization of fibrinogen polymers (n = 6), regulating the expression of related molecules (n = 9); such as intercellular adhesion molecule, heat shock proteins, tumor necrosis factor), reducing oxidative stress (n = 5), and reducing inflammation response (n = 4).

Conclusion: Batroxobin can correct both arterial and venous ischemic diseases by promoting depolymerization of fibrinogen polymers, regulating the expression of related molecules, reducing oxidative stress, and reducing the inflammation response.

Autophagy and apoptosis cascade: which is more prominent in neuronal death?

Autophagy and apoptosis are two crucial self-destructive processes that maintain cellular homeostasis, which are characterized by their morphology and regulated through signal transduction mechanisms. These pathways determine the fate of cellular organelle and protein involved in human health and disease such as neurodegeneration, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Cell death pathways share common molecular mechanisms, such as mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, calcium ion concentration, reactive oxygen species, and endoplasmic reticulum stress. Some key signaling molecules such as p53 and VEGF mediated angiogenic pathway exhibit cellular and molecular responses resulting in the triggering of apoptotic and autophagic pathways. Herein, based on previous studies, we describe the intricate relation between cell death pathways through their common genes and the role of various stress-causing agents. Further, extensive research on autophagy and apoptotic machinery excavates the implementation of selective biomarkers, for instance, mTOR, Bcl-2, BH3 family members, caspases, AMPK, PI3K/Akt/GSK3β, and p38/JNK/MAPK, in the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases. This molecular phenomenon will lead to the discovery of possible therapeutic biomolecules as a pharmacological intervention that are involved in the modulation of apoptosis and autophagy pathways. Moreover, we describe the potential role of micro-RNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and biomolecules as therapeutic agents that regulate cell death machinery to treat neurodegenerative diseases. Mounting evidence demonstrated that under stress conditions, such as calcium efflux, endoplasmic reticulum stress, the ubiquitin-proteasome system, and oxidative stress intermediate molecules, namely p53 and VEGF, activate and cause cell death. Further, activation of p53 and VEGF cause alteration in gene expression and dysregulated signaling pathways through the involvement of signaling molecules, namely mTOR, Bcl-2, BH3, AMPK, MAPK, JNK, and PI3K/Akt, and caspases. Alteration in gene expression and signaling cascades cause neurotoxicity and misfolded protein aggregates, which are characteristics features of neurodegenerative diseases. Excessive neurotoxicity and misfolded protein aggregates lead to neuronal cell death by activating death pathways like autophagy and apoptosis. However, autophagy has a dual role in the apoptosis pathways, i.e., activation and inhibition of the apoptosis signaling. Further, micro-RNAs and LncRNAs act as pharmacological regulators of autophagy and apoptosis cascade, whereas, natural compounds and chemical compounds act as pharmacological inhibitors that rescue neuronal cell death through inhibition of apoptosis and autophagic cell death.

Pretreatment with kaempferol attenuates microglia-mediate neuroinflammation by inhibiting MAPKs-NF-κB signaling pathway and pyroptosis after secondary spinal cord injury

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating injury that characterized by oxidative stress and inflammatory response. Kaempferol is reported to be an anti-neuroinflammation in neurologic disorders. Nevertheless, the role and mechanism of kaempferol in SCI remains unclear. The present study aims to investigate effects of kaempferol on SCI and its possible underlying mechanisms in in vivo and in vitro models. A C5 hemi-contusion injury was induced in Sprague-Dawley rats to investigate the neuroprotective effects of kaempferol after SCI. For in vitro study, the BV2 microglia cell lines were pretreated with or without kaempferol. A combination of molecular and histological methods was used to clarify the mechanism and explore the signaling pathway both in vivo and in vitro. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was conducted with Bonferroni post hoc tests to examine the differences between groups. The in vivo studies showed that kaempferol could improve the recovery of hindlimb motor function and ameliorate tissue damage in the spinal cord after SCI. Moreover, administration of kaempferol reduced microglia activation and oxidative stress level in the spinal cord. The in vitro studies showed that kaempferol suppressed the microglia activation resulting from the administration of LPS with ATP to BV-2 cells. Pretreated BV2 cells with kaempferol reduced the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by inhibiting NADPH oxidase 4, and then, suppressed the phosphorylation of p38 MAPK and JNK, which subsequently inhibited nuclear translocation of NF-κB p65 to express pro-inflammatory factors. We also observed that kaempferol could inhibite the pyroptosis related proteins (NLRP3 Caspase-1 p10 ASC N-GSDMD) and reduce the release of IL-18 and IL-1β. In conclusion, kaempferol was able to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory response through down-regulation of ROS dependent MAPKs- NF-κB and pyroptosis signaling pathway, which suggested that kaempferol might be a novel promising therapeutic agent for SCI.

Batroxobin inhibits astrocyte activation following nigrostriatal pathway injury

Batroxobin is a thrombin-like serine protease from the venom of the Bothrops atrox and Bothrops moojeni snake species. Sirtuin 1 (Sirt1) has been shown to play an important role in neuroprotection after traumatic brain injury. However, its underlying mechanism of action remains poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the mechanism by which batroxobin participates in the activation of astrocytes is associated with Sirt1. Mouse models of nigrostriatal pathway injury were established. Immediately after modeling, mice were intraperitoneally administered 39 U/kg batroxobin. Batroxobin significantly reduced the expression of cleaved caspase-3 in both the substantia nigra and striatum, inhibited neuronal apoptosis, and promoted the recovery of rat locomotor function. These changes coincided with a remarkable reduction in astrocyte activation. Batroxobin also reduced Sirt1 expression and extracellular signal-regulated kinase activation in brain tissue. Intraperitoneal administration of the Sirt1-specific inhibitor EX527 (5 mg/kg) 30 minutes prior to injury could inhibit the abovementioned effects. In mouse astrocyte cultures, 1 ng/mL batroxobin attenuated interleukin-1β-induced activation of astrocytes and extracellular signal-regulated kinase. EX527 could also inhibit the effects of batroxobin. These findings suggest that batroxobin inhibits astrocyte activation after nigrostriatal pathway injury through the Sirt1 pathway. This study was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of China Medical University, China (approval No. CMU2020037) on July 19, 2015.

Protective effects of batroxobin on a nigrostriatal pathway injury in mice

Traumatic brain injury triggers a series of damaged processes, such as neuronal death and apoptosis, inflammation and scar formation, which contribute to evolution of brain injury. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of batroxobin, a drug widely used clinically for ischemia, in a nigrostriatal pathway injury model. Mice subjected to the nigrostriatal pathway injury were injected with batroxobin (30 BU/kg) or vehicle immediately after injury. The behavioral studies showed that batroxobin could improve the motor function in injured mice in long term. Batroxobin also reduced neuronal apoptosis and inflammation at the acute stage. Moreover, administration of batroxobin attenuated the scar formation and reduced the lesion size at 4 and 14days after brain injury. These results suggest that batroxobin has beneficial effects on the nigrostriatal pathway injury, indicating a potential clinical application.