Therapeutic potential of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor and cell reprogramming for hippocampal-related neurological disorders

Plasma and CSF biomarkers of aging and cognitive decline in Caribbean vervets

INTRODUCTION

Vervets are non-human primates that share high genetic homology with humans and develop amyloid beta (Aβ) pathology with aging. We expand current knowledge by examining Aβ pathology, aging, cognition, and biomarker proteomics.

METHODS

Amyloid immunoreactivity in the frontal cortex and temporal cortex/hippocampal regions from archived vervet brain samples ranging from young adulthood to old age was quantified. We also obtained cognitive scores, plasma samples, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples in additional animals. Plasma and CSF proteins were quantified with platforms utilizing human antibodies.

RESULTS

We found age-related increases in Aβ deposition in both brain regions. Bioinformatic analyses assessed associations between biomarkers and age, sex, cognition, and CSF Aβ levels, revealing changes in proteins related to immune-related inflammation, metabolism, and cellular processes.

DISCUSSION

Vervets are an effective model of aging and early-stage Alzheimer's disease, and we provide translational biomarker data that both align with previous results in humans and provide a basis for future investigations.

HIGHLIGHTS

We found changes in immune and metabolic plasma biomarkers associated with age and cognition. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers revealed changes in cell signaling indicative of adaptative processes. TNFRSF19 (TROY) and Artemin co-localize with Alzheimer's disease pathology. Vervets are a relevant model for translational studies of early-stage Alzheimer's disease.

Antidepressant effect of teriflunomide via oligodendrocyte protection in a mouse model

Addressing the treatment of depression is crucial; nevertheless, the etiology and pathogenesis remain unelucidated. Therefore, this study investigated the effects of teriflunomide (TF) on corticosterone (CORT)-induced depression-like behaviors in mice. Notably, TF administration resulted in a substantial amelioration of anxiety and depression-like behaviors observed in CORT-treated mice. This was evidenced by behavioral assessments conducted via the sucrose preference test (SPT), open-field test (OFT), novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSFT), forced swimming test (FST), and tail suspension test (TST). The administration of CORT inflicts damage upon oligodendrocytes and neurons within the hippocampus. Our findings indicate that TF offers significant protective effects on oligodendrocytes, mitigating apoptosis both invivo and invitro. Additionally, TF was found to counteract the CORT-induced neuronal loss and synaptic damage, as demonstrated by an increase in Nissl-positive cells across hippocampal regions CA1, CA3, and the dentate gyrus (DG) alongside elevated levels of synapse-related proteins including PSD-95 and synaptophysin. Additionally, TF treatment facilitated a reduction in the levels of apoptosis-related proteins while simultaneously augmenting the levels of Bcl2. Our findings indicate that TF administration effectively mitigates CORT-induced depression-like behaviors and reverses damage to oligodendrocytes and neurons in the hippocampus, suggesting TF as a promising candidate for depression.

Reduced Levels of Lacrimal Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (GDNF) in Patients with Focal Epilepsy and Focal Epilepsy with Comorbid Depression: A Biomarker Candidate

Our previous studies showed that in patients with brain diseases, neurotrophic factors in lacrimal fluid (LF) may change more prominently than in blood serum (BS). Since glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is involved in the control of neuronal networks in an epileptic brain, we aimed to assess the GDNF levels in LF and BS as well as the BDNF and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical and inflammation indices in BS of patients with focal epilepsy (FE) and epilepsy and comorbid depression (FE + MDD) and to compare them with those of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls (HC). GDNF levels in BS were similar in patients and HC and higher in FE taking valproates. GDNF levels in LF were significantly lower in all patient groups compared to controls, and independent of drugs used. GDNF concentrations in LF and BS positively correlated in HC, but not in patient groups. BDNF level was lower in BS of patients compared with HC and higher in FE + MDD taking valproates. A reduction in the GDNF level in LF might be an important biomarker of FE. Logistic regression models demonstrated that the probability of FE can be evaluated using GDNF in LF and BDNF in BS; that of MDD using GDNF in LF and cortisol and TNF-α in BS; and that of epilepsy with MDD using GDNF in LF and TNF-α and BDNF in BS.

The Use of Stem Cells as a Potential Treatment Method for Selected Neurodegenerative Diseases: Review

Stem cells have been the subject of research for years due to their enormous therapeutic potential. Most neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and Huntington's disease (HD) are incurable or very difficult to treat. Therefore new therapies are sought in which autologous stem cells are used. They are often the patient's only hope for recovery or slowing down the progress of the disease symptoms. The most important conclusions arise after analyzing the literature on the use of stem cells in neurodegenerative diseases. The effectiveness of MSC cell therapy has been confirmed in ALS and HD therapy. MSC cells slow down ALS progression and show early promising signs of efficacy. In HD, they reduced huntingtin (Htt) aggregation and stimulation of endogenous neurogenesis. MS therapy with hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) inducted significant recalibration of pro-inflammatory and immunoregulatory components of the immune system. iPSC cells allow for accurate PD modeling. They are patient-specific and therefore minimize the risk of immune rejection and, in long-term observation, did not form any tumors in the brain. Extracellular vesicles derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSC-EVs) and Human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (hASCs) cells are widely used to treat AD. Due to the reduction of Aβ42 deposits and increasing the survival of neurons, they improve memory and learning abilities. Despite many animal models and clinical trial studies, cell therapy still needs to be refined to increase its effectiveness in the human body.

Effects of multi-mode physical stimulation on APP/PS1 Alzheimer's disease model mice

Some researchers and clinics have reported that non-drug treatments for Alzheimer disease (AD) such as electrical stimulation, light stimulation, music stimulation, laser stimulation, and transcranial magnetic stimulation may have beneficial treatment effects. Following these findings, in this study, we performed multimodel physical stimulation on APP/PS1 mice using visible light, music with a γ rhythm, and an infrared laser. And the effects of physical stimulation on APP/PS1 mice were evaluated by behavioral analysis, the content of amyloid (Aβ40 and Aβ42), and NISSL staining of hippocampal tissue slices. The results of subsequent behavioral and tissue analyses showed that the multi-model physical stimulations could relieve APP/PS1 mice's dementia symptoms, such as the behavior ability, the content of Aβ40 and Aβ42 in the hippocampal tissue suspension, and Nissl staining for hippocampal tissue analyses.

Anticonvulsive Effects of Chondroitin Sulfate on Pilocarpine and Pentylenetetrazole Induced Epileptogenesis in Mice

Chondroitin sulfate is a proteoglycan component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) that supports neuronal and non-neuronal cell activity, provides a negative domain to the extracellular matrix, regulates the intracellular positive ion concentration, and maintains the hypersynchronous epileptiform activity. Therefore, the present study hypothesized an antiepileptic potential of chondroitin sulfate (CS) in pentylenetetrazole-induced kindled epilepsy and pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus in mice. Levels of various oxidative stress markers and inflammatory mediators were estimated in the brain tissue homogenate of mice, and histopathological changes were evaluated. Treatment with valproate (110 mg/kg; i.p.) as a standard drug and chondroitin sulfate (100 & 200 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly (p < 0.01) and dose-dependently prevented the severity of kindled and spontaneous recurrent seizures in mice. Additionally, chondroitin sulfate showed its antioxidant potential by restoring the various biochemical levels and anti-inflammatory properties by reducing NF-kB levels and pro-inflammatory mediators like TNF-alpha, IL-1β, and IL-6, indicating the neuroprotective effect as well as the suppressed levels of caspase-3, which indicated a neuroprotective treatment strategy in epilepsy. The proteoglycan chondroitin sulfate restores the normal physiology and configuration of the neuronal tissue. Further, the molecular docking of chondroitin sulfate at the active pockets of TNF-alpha, IL-1β, and IL-6 showed excellent interactions with critical amino acid residues. In conclusion, the present work provides preclinical evidence of chondroitin sulfate as a new therapeutic approach in attenuating and preventing seizures with a better understanding of the mechanism of alteration in ECM changes influencing abnormal neuronal activities.