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Manchinu MF, Pala M, Palmas MF, Diana MA, Maschio A, Etzi M, Pisanu A, Diana FI, Marongiu J, Mansueto S, Carboni E, Fusco G, De Simone A, Carta AR. Region-specific changes in gene expression are associated with cognitive deficits in the alpha-synuclein-induced model of Parkinson's disease: A transcriptomic profiling study. Exp Neurol 2024; 372:114651. [PMID: 38092188 DOI: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2023.114651] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023]
Abstract
Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is a common trait of Parkinson's disease (PD), often associated with early motor deficits, eventually evolving to PD with dementia in later disease stages. The neuropathological substrate of MCI is poorly understood, which weakens the development and administration of proper therapies. In an α-synuclein (αSyn)-based model of PD featuring early motor and cognitive impairments, we investigated the transcriptome profile of brain regions involved in PD with cognitive deficits, via a transcriptomic analysis based on RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) technology. Rats infused in the substantia nigra with human α-synuclein oligomers (H-SynOs) developed mild cognitive deficits after three months, as measured by the two-trial recognition test in a Y-maze and the novel object recognition test. RNA-seq analysis showed that 17,436 genes were expressed in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and 17,216 genes in the hippocampus (HC). In the ACC, 51 genes were differentially expressed between vehicle and H-αSynOs treated samples, which showed N= 21 upregulated and N = 30 downregulated genes. In the HC, 104 genes were differentially expressed, the majority of them not overlapping with DEGs in the ACC, with N = 41 upregulated and N = 63 downregulated in H-αSynOs-treated samples. The Gene Ontology (GO) and the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Gene and Genomes (KEGG) analysis, followed by the protein-protein interaction (PPI) network inspection of DEGs, revealed that in the ACC most enriched terms were related with immune functions, specifically with antigen processing/presentation via the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and phagocytosis via CD68, supporting a role for dysregulated immune responses in early PD cognitive dysfunction. Immunofluorescence analysis confirmed the decreased expression of CD68 within microglial cells. In contrast, the most significantly enriched terms in the HC were mainly involved in mitochondrial homeostasis, potassium voltage-gated channel, cytoskeleton and fiber organisation, suggesting that the gene expression in the neuronal population was mostly affected in this region in early disease stages. Altogether results show that H-αSynOs trigger a region-specific dysregulation of gene expression in ACC and HC, providing a pathological substrate for MCI associated with early PD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Mauro Pala
- National Research Council, Biomedical and Genetic Research Institute, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Maria Antonietta Diana
- National Research Council, Biomedical and Genetic Research Institute, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Andrea Maschio
- National Research Council, Biomedical and Genetic Research Institute, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michela Etzi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Jacopo Marongiu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Silvia Mansueto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giuliana Fusco
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Anna R Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy.
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Angius F, Mocci I, Ercoli T, Loy F, Fadda L, Palmas MF, Cannas G, Manzin A, Defazio G, Carta AR. Combined measure of salivary alpha-synuclein species as diagnostic biomarker for Parkinson's disease. J Neurol 2023; 270:5613-5621. [PMID: 37552278 PMCID: PMC10576686 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11893-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Parkinson's disease (PD) diagnosis is still vulnerable to bias, and a definitive diagnosis often relies on post-mortem neuropathological diagnosis. In this regard, alpha-synuclein (αsyn)-specific in vivo biomarkers remain a critical unmet need, based on its relevance in the neuropathology. Specifically, content changes in αsyn species such as total (tot-αsyn), oligomeric (o-αsyn), and phosphorylated (p-αsyn) within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and peripheral fluids (i.e., blood and saliva) have been proposed as PD biomarkers possibly reflecting the neuropathological outcome. Here, we measured the p-αsyn levels in the saliva from 15 PD patients along with tot-αsyn, o-αsyn and their ratios, and compared the results with those from 23 healthy subjects (HS), matched per age and sex. We also calculated the optimal cutoff values for different αsyn species to provide information about their capability to discriminate PD from HS. We found that p-αsyn was the most abundant alpha-synuclein species in the saliva. While p-αsyn concentration did not differ between PD and HS when adjusted for total salivary proteins, the ratio p-αsyn/tot-αsyn was largely lower in PD patients than in HS. Moreover, the concentration of o-αsyn was increased in the saliva of PD patients, and tot-αsyn did not differ between PD and HS. The ROC curves indicated that no single αsyn form or ratio could provide an accurate diagnosis of PD. On the other hand, the ratio of different items, namely p-αsyn/tot-αsyn and o-αsyn, yielded more satisfactory diagnostic accuracy, suggesting that the combined measure of different species in the saliva may show more promises as a diagnostic means for PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Angius
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ignazia Mocci
- CNR Institute of Translational Pharmacology, Unit of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Tommaso Ercoli
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Loy
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Laura Fadda
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Giada Cannas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Aldo Manzin
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giovanni Defazio
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
- Department of Translational Biomedicine and Neuroscience, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
| | - Anna R Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
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Scherma M, Palmas MF, Pisanu A, Masia P, Dedoni S, Camoglio C, Fratta W, Carta AR, Fadda P. Induction of Activity-Regulated Cytoskeleton-Associated Protein and c-Fos Expression in an Animal Model of Anorexia Nervosa. Nutrients 2023; 15:3830. [PMID: 37686862 PMCID: PMC10490422 DOI: 10.3390/nu15173830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 08/19/2023] [Accepted: 08/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a complex eating disorder characterized by reduced caloric intake to achieve body-weight loss. Furthermore, over-exercise is commonly reported. In recent years, animal models of AN have provided evidence for neuroplasticity changes in specific brain areas of the mesocorticolimbic circuit, which controls a multitude of functions including reward, emotion, motivation, and cognition. The activity-regulated cytoskeleton-associated protein (Arc) is an immediate early gene that modulates several forms of synaptic plasticity and has been linked to neuropsychiatric illness. Since the role of Arc in AN has never been investigated, in this study we evaluated whether the anorexic-like phenotype reproduced by the activity-based anorexia (ABA) model may impact its expression in selected brain regions that belong to the mesocorticolimbic circuit (i.e., prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hippocampus). The marker of neuronal activation c-Fos was also assessed. We found that the expression of both markers increased in all the analyzed brain areas of ABA rats in comparison to the control groups. Moreover, a negative correlation between the density of Arc-positive cells and body-weight loss was found. Together, our findings suggest the importance of Arc and neuroplasticity changes within the brain circuits involved in dysfunctional behaviors associated with AN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Scherma
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Maria Francesca Palmas
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council (CNR), 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
| | - Paolo Masia
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Simona Dedoni
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Chiara Camoglio
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Walter Fratta
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
| | - Paola Fadda
- Division of Neuroscience and Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (M.F.P.); (S.D.); (C.C.); (W.F.); (A.R.C.); (P.F.)
- Neuroscience Institute, Section of Cagliari, National Research Council (CNR), 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
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Palmas MF, Etzi M, Pisanu A, Camoglio C, Sagheddu C, Santoni M, Manchinu MF, Pala M, Fusco G, De Simone A, Picci L, Mulas G, Spiga S, Scherma M, Fadda P, Pistis M, Simola N, Carboni E, Carta AR. The Intranigral Infusion of Human-Alpha Synuclein Oligomers Induces a Cognitive Impairment in Rats Associated with Changes in Neuronal Firing and Neuroinflammation in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. Cells 2022; 11:cells11172628. [PMID: 36078036 PMCID: PMC9454687 DOI: 10.3390/cells11172628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Revised: 08/03/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a complex pathology causing a plethora of non-motor symptoms besides classical motor impairments, including cognitive disturbances. Recent studies in the PD human brain have reported microgliosis in limbic and neocortical structures, suggesting a role for neuroinflammation in the development of cognitive decline. Yet, the mechanism underlying the cognitive pathology is under investigated, mainly for the lack of a valid preclinical neuropathological model reproducing the disease’s motor and non-motor aspects. Here, we show that the bilateral intracerebral infusion of pre-formed human alpha synuclein oligomers (H-αSynOs) within the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) offers a valid model for studying the cognitive symptoms of PD, which adds to the classical motor aspects previously described in the same model. Indeed, H-αSynOs-infused rats displayed memory deficits in the two-trial recognition task in a Y maze and the novel object recognition (NOR) test performed three months after the oligomer infusion. In the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of H-αSynOs-infused rats the in vivo electrophysiological activity was altered and the expression of the neuron-specific immediate early gene (IEG) Npas4 (Neuronal PAS domain protein 4) and the AMPA receptor subunit GluR1 were decreased. The histological analysis of the brain of cognitively impaired rats showed a neuroinflammatory response in cognition-related regions such as the ACC and discrete subareas of the hippocampus, in the absence of any evident neuronal loss, supporting a role of neuroinflammation in cognitive decline. We found an increased GFAP reactivity and the acquisition of a proinflammatory phenotype by microglia, as indicated by the increased levels of microglial Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) as compared to vehicle-infused rats. Moreover, diffused deposits of phospho-alpha synuclein (p-αSyn) and Lewy neurite-like aggregates were found in the SNpc and striatum, suggesting the spreading of toxic protein within anatomically interconnected areas. Altogether, we present a neuropathological rat model of PD that is relevant for the study of cognitive dysfunction featuring the disease. The intranigral infusion of toxic oligomeric species of alpha-synuclein (α-Syn) induced spreading and neuroinflammation in distant cognition-relevant regions, which may drive the altered neuronal activity underlying cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Michela Etzi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Chiara Camoglio
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Claudia Sagheddu
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michele Santoni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Francesca Manchinu
- Istituto Di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica Del Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, 09040 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Mauro Pala
- Istituto Di Ricerca Genetica e Biomedica Del Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche, 09040 Monserrato, Italy
| | - Giuliana Fusco
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Luca Picci
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Giovanna Mulas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Saturnino Spiga
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Maria Scherma
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Paola Fadda
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Marco Pistis
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Nicola Simola
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09040 Cagliari, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Cristina Cardia M, Francesca Palmas M, Casula L, Pisanu A, Marceddu S, Valenti D, Sinico C, Pini E, Scerba MT, Tweedie D, Greig NH, Rosa Carta A, Lai F. Nanocrystals as an effective strategy to improve Pomalidomide bioavailability in rodent. Int J Pharm 2022; 625:122079. [PMID: 35932932 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpharm.2022.122079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 06/14/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Pomalidomide (POM) is an FDA-approved immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiDs) an it is effectively used in the treatment of multiple myeloma. IMiDs are analogs of the drug thalidomide and they have been repurposed for the treatment of several diseases such as psoriatic arthritis and Kaposi Sarcoma. In recent years, IMiDs have been also evaluated as a new treatment for neurological disorders with an inflammatory and neuroinflammatory component. POM draws particular interest for its potent anti-TNF-α activity at significantly lower concentrations than the parent compound thalidomide. However, POM's low water solubility underpins its low gastrointestinal permeability resulting in irregular and poor absorption. The purpose of this work was to prepare a POM nanocrystal-based formulation that could efficiently improve POM's plasma and brain concentration after intraperitoneal injection. POM nanocrystals prepared as a nanosuspension by the media milling method showed a mean diameter of 219 nm and a polydispersity index of 0.21. POM's nanocrystal solubility value (22.97 µg/mL) in phosphate buffer was about 1.58 folds higher than the POM raw powder. Finally, in vivo studies conducted in adult Male Sprague-Dawley rats indicated that POM nanocrystal ensured higher and longer-lasting drug levels in plasma and brain when compared with POM coarse suspension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Cristina Cardia
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Drug Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | | | - Luca Casula
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Drug Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Salvatore Marceddu
- Institute of Sciences of Food Production (ISPA-CNR), Baldinca (Sassari), Italy
| | - Donatella Valenti
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Drug Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Chiara Sinico
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Drug Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Elena Pini
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy
| | - Michael T Scerba
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - David Tweedie
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Nigel H Greig
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Anna Rosa Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Francesco Lai
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Unit of Drug Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
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Palmas MF, Ena A, Burgaletto C, Casu MA, Cantarella G, Carboni E, Etzi M, De Simone A, Fusco G, Cardia MC, Lai F, Picci L, Tweedie D, Scerba MT, Coroneo V, Bernardini R, Greig NH, Pisanu A, Carta AR. Repurposing Pomalidomide as a Neuroprotective Drug: Efficacy in an Alpha-Synuclein-Based Model of Parkinson's Disease. Neurotherapeutics 2022; 19:305-324. [PMID: 35072912 PMCID: PMC9130415 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-022-01182-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Marketed drugs for Parkinson's disease (PD) treat disease motor symptoms but are ineffective in stopping or slowing disease progression. In the quest of novel pharmacological approaches that may target disease progression, drug-repurposing provides a strategy to accelerate the preclinical and clinical testing of drugs already approved for other medical indications. Here, we targeted the inflammatory component of PD pathology, by testing for the first time the disease-modifying properties of the immunomodulatory imide drug (IMiD) pomalidomide in a translational rat model of PD neuropathology based on the intranigral bilateral infusion of toxic preformed oligomers of human α-synuclein (H-αSynOs). The neuroprotective effect of pomalidomide (20 mg/kg; i.p. three times/week 48 h apart) was tested in the first stage of disease progression by means of a chronic two-month administration, starting 1 month after H-αSynOs infusion, when an already ongoing neuroinflammation is observed. The intracerebral infusion of H-αSynOs induced an impairment in motor and coordination performance that was fully rescued by pomalidomide, as assessed via a battery of motor tests three months after infusion. Moreover, H-αSynOs-infused rats displayed a 40-45% cell loss within the bilateral substantia nigra, as measured by stereological counting of TH + and Nissl-stained neurons, that was largely abolished by pomalidomide. The inflammatory response to H-αSynOs infusion and the pomalidomide treatment was evaluated both in CNS affected areas and peripherally in the serum. A reactive microgliosis, measured as the volume occupied by the microglial marker Iba-1, was present in the substantia nigra three months after H-αSynOs infusion as well as after H-αSynOs plus pomalidomide treatment. However, microglia differed for their phenotype among experimental groups. After H-αSynOs infusion, microglia displayed a proinflammatory profile, producing a large amount of the proinflammatory cytokine TNF-α. In contrast, pomalidomide inhibited the TNF-α overproduction and elevated the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Moreover, the H-αSynOs infusion induced a systemic inflammation with overproduction of serum proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines, that was largely mitigated by pomalidomide. Results provide evidence of the disease modifying potential of pomalidomide in a neuropathological rodent model of PD and support the repurposing of this drug for clinical testing in PD patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anna Ena
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Chiara Burgaletto
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | | | - Giuseppina Cantarella
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Michela Etzi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
| | - Giuliana Fusco
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Cristina Cardia
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Francesco Lai
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Luca Picci
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - David Tweedie
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute On Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Michael T Scerba
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute On Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Valentina Coroneo
- Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Renato Bernardini
- Department of Biomedical and Biotechnological Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
| | - Nigel H Greig
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, National Institute On Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Augusta Pisanu
- National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, Cagliari, Italy.
| | - Anna R Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
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Jung YJ, Tweedie D, Scerba MT, Kim DS, Palmas MF, Pisanu A, Carta AR, Greig NH. Repurposing Immunomodulatory Imide Drugs (IMiDs) in Neuropsychiatric and Neurodegenerative Disorders. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:656921. [PMID: 33854417 PMCID: PMC8039148 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.656921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroinflammation represents a common trait in the pathology and progression of the major psychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders. Neuropsychiatric disorders have emerged as a global crisis, affecting 1 in 4 people, while neurological disorders are the second leading cause of death in the elderly population worldwide (WHO, 2001; GBD 2016 Neurology Collaborators, 2019). However, there remains an immense deficit in availability of effective drug treatments for most neurological disorders. In fact, for disorders such as depression, placebos and behavioral therapies have equal effectiveness as antidepressants. For neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, drugs that can prevent, slow, or cure the disease have yet to be found. Several non-traditional avenues of drug target identification have emerged with ongoing neurological disease research to meet the need for novel and efficacious treatments. Of these novel avenues is that of neuroinflammation, which has been found to be involved in the progression and pathology of many of the leading neurological disorders. Neuroinflammation is characterized by glial inflammatory factors in certain stages of neurological disorders. Although the meta-analyses have provided evidence of genetic/proteomic upregulation of inflammatory factors in certain stages of neurological disorders. Although the mechanisms underpinning the connections between neuroinflammation and neurological disorders are unclear, and meta-analysis results have shown high sensitivity to factors such as disorder severity and sample type, there is significant evidence of neuroinflammation associations across neurological disorders. In this review, we summarize the role of neuroinflammation in psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and bipolar disorder, as well as in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, and introduce current research on the potential of immunomodulatory imide drugs (IMiDs) as a new treatment strategy for these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Jin Jung
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Stanford Neurosciences Interdepartmental Program, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, United States
| | - David Tweedie
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Michael T. Scerba
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Dong Seok Kim
- AevisBio, Inc., Gaithersburg, MD, United States
- Aevis Bio, Inc., Daejeon, South Korea
| | | | - Augusta Pisanu
- National Research Council, Institute of Neuroscience, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
| | - Nigel H. Greig
- Drug Design & Development Section, Translational Gerontology Branch, Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, MD, United States
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Boi L, Pisanu A, Palmas MF, Fusco G, Carboni E, Casu MA, Satta V, Scherma M, Janda E, Mocci I, Mulas G, Ena A, Spiga S, Fadda P, De Simone A, Carta AR. Modeling Parkinson's Disease Neuropathology and Symptoms by Intranigral Inoculation of Preformed Human α-Synuclein Oligomers. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:E8535. [PMID: 33198335 PMCID: PMC7696693 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21228535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 11/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The accumulation of aggregated α-synuclein (αSyn) is a hallmark of Parkinson's disease (PD). Current evidence indicates that small soluble αSyn oligomers (αSynOs) are the most toxic species among the forms of αSyn aggregates, and that size and topological structural properties are crucial factors for αSynOs-mediated toxicity, involving the interaction with either neurons or glial cells. We previously characterized a human αSynO (H-αSynO) with specific structural properties promoting toxicity against neuronal membranes. Here, we tested the neurotoxic potential of these H-αSynOs in vivo, in relation to the neuropathological and symptomatic features of PD. The H-αSynOs were unilaterally infused into the rat substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Phosphorylated αSyn (p129-αSyn), reactive microglia, and cytokine levels were measured at progressive time points. Additionally, a phagocytosis assay in vitro was performed after microglia pre-exposure to αsynOs. Dopaminergic loss, motor, and cognitive performances were assessed. H-αSynOs triggered p129-αSyn deposition in SNpc neurons and microglia and spread to the striatum. Early and persistent neuroinflammatory responses were induced in the SNpc. In vitro, H-αSynOs inhibited the phagocytic function of microglia. H-αsynOs-infused rats displayed early mitochondrial loss and abnormalities in SNpc neurons, followed by a gradual nigrostriatal dopaminergic loss, associated with motor and cognitive impairment. The intracerebral inoculation of structurally characterized H-αSynOs provides a model of progressive PD neuropathology in rats, which will be helpful for testing neuroprotective therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Boi
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | | | - Maria Francesca Palmas
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | - Giuliana Fusco
- Centre for Misfolding Diseases, Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW Cambridge, UK;
| | - Ezio Carboni
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | - Maria Antonietta Casu
- CNR Institute of Translational Pharmacology, 09010 Cagliari, Italy; (M.A.C.); (I.M.)
| | - Valentina Satta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | - Maria Scherma
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | - Elzbieta Janda
- Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy;
| | - Ignazia Mocci
- CNR Institute of Translational Pharmacology, 09010 Cagliari, Italy; (M.A.C.); (I.M.)
| | - Giovanna Mulas
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09126 Cagliari, Italy; (G.M.); (S.S.)
| | - Anna Ena
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
| | - Saturnino Spiga
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09126 Cagliari, Italy; (G.M.); (S.S.)
| | - Paola Fadda
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
- CNR Institute of Neuroscience, 09042 Cagliari, Italy;
- Italian Neuroscience Institute (INN), 10126 Torino, Italy
| | - Alfonso De Simone
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples “Federico II”, 80131 Naples, Italy
| | - Anna R. Carta
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Cagliari, 09042 Cagliari, Italy; (L.B.); (M.F.P.); (E.C.); (V.S.); (M.S.); (A.E.); (P.F.)
- Italian Neuroscience Institute (INN), 10126 Torino, Italy
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