Imaging upregulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in HIV-1 transgenic rats

This article has been retracted by the Editors in Chief at the request of the author Stanley I Rapoport following the finding of the National Institutes of Health that Dr Mireille Basselin engaged in research misconduct by fabricating data in Figure 4A–C and Figure 5B. None of the other authors are implicated in any way.

Valnoctamide, a non-teratogenic amide derivative of valproic acid, inhibits arachidonic acid activation in vitro by recombinant acyl-CoA synthetase-4

OBJECTIVE

Valproic acid (VPA), a mood stabilizer used for treating bipolar disorder (BD), uncompetitively inhibits acylation of arachidonic acid (AA) by recombinant AA-selective acyl-CoA synthetase 4 (Acsl4) at an enzyme inhibition constant (Ki ) of 25 mM. Inhibition may account for VPA's ability to reduce AA turnover in brain phospholipids of unanesthetized rats and to be therapeutic in BD. However, VPA is teratogenic. We tested whether valnoctamide (VCD), a non-teratogenic amide derivative of a VPA chiral isomer, which had antimanic potency in a phase III BD trial, also inhibits recombinant Acsl4.

METHODS

Rat Acsl4-flag protein was expressed in Escherichia coli. We used Michaelis-Menten kinetics to characterize and quantify the ability of VCD to inhibit conversion of AA to AA-CoA by recombinant Acsl4 in vitro.

RESULTS

Acsl4-mediated activation of AA to AA-CoA by Acsl4 was inhibited uncompetitively by VCD, with a Ki of 6.38 mM.

CONCLUSIONS

VCD's ability to uncompetitively inhibit AA activation to AA-CoA by Acsl4, at a lower Ki than VPA, suggests that, like VPA, VCD may reduce AA turnover in rat brain phospholipids. If so, VCD and other non-teratogenic Acsl4 inhibitors might be considered further for treating BD.

Transient postnatal fluoxetine leads to decreased brain arachidonic acid metabolism and cytochrome P450 4A in adult mice

Fetal and perinatal exposure to selective serotonin (5-HT) reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) has been reported to alter childhood behavior, while transient early exposure in rodents is reported to alter their behavior and decrease brain extracellular 5-HT in adulthood. Since 5-HT2A/2C receptor-mediated neurotransmission can involve G-protein coupled activation of cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2), releasing arachidonic acid (ARA) from synaptic membrane phospholipid, we hypothesized that transient postnatal exposure to fluoxetine would alter brain ARA metabolism in adult mice. Brain ARA incorporation coefficients k* and rates Jin were quantitatively imaged following intravenous [1-(14)C]ARA infusion of unanesthetized adult mice that had been injected daily with fluoxetine (10mg/kg i.p.) or saline during postnatal days P4-P21. Expression of brain ARA metabolic enzymes and other relevant markers also was measured. On neuroimaging, k* and Jin was decreased widely in early fluoxetine- compared to saline-treated adult mice. Of the enzymes measured, cPLA2 activity was unchanged, while Ca(2+)-independent iPLA2 activity was increased. There was a significant 74% reduced protein level of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 4A, which can convert ARA to 20-HETE. Reduced brain ARA metabolism in adult mice transiently exposed to postnatal fluoxetine, and a 74% reduction in CYP4A protein, suggest long-term effects independent of drug presence in brain ARA metabolism, and in CYP4A metabolites. These changes might contribute to reported altered behavior following early SSRI in rodents.

Propylisopropylacetic acid (PIA), a constitutional isomer of valproic acid, uncompetitively inhibits arachidonic acid acylation by rat acyl-CoA synthetase 4: a potential drug for bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Mood stabilizers used for treating bipolar disorder (BD) selectively downregulate arachidonic acid (AA) turnover (deacylation-reacylation) in brain phospholipids, when given chronically to rats. In vitro studies suggest that one of these, valproic acid (VPA), which is teratogenic, reduces AA turnover by inhibiting the brain long-chain acyl-CoA synthetase (Acsl)4 mediated acylation of AA to AA-CoA. We tested whether non-teratogenic VPA analogues might also inhibit Acsl4 catalyzed acylation, and thus have a potential anti-BD action.

METHODS

Rat Acsl4-flag protein was expressed in Escherichia coli, and the ability of three VPA analogues, propylisopropylacetic acid (PIA), propylisopropylacetamide (PID) and N-methyl-2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropanecarboxamide (MTMCD), and of sodium butyrate, to inhibit conversion of AA to AA-CoA by Acsl4 was quantified using Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

RESULTS

Acsl4-mediated conversion of AA to AA-CoA in vitro was inhibited uncompetitively by PIA, with a Ki of 11.4mM compared to a published Ki of 25mM for VPA, while PID, MTMCD and sodium butyrate had no inhibitory effect.

CONCLUSIONS

PIA's ability to inhibit conversion of AA to AA-CoA by Acsl4 in vitro suggests that, like VPA, PIA may reduce AA turnover in brain phospholipids in unanesthetized rats, and if so, may be effective as a non-teratogenic mood stabilizer in BD patients.

Altered lipid concentrations of liver, heart and plasma but not brain in HIV-1 transgenic rats

Disturbed lipid metabolism has been reported in antiretroviral-naive HIV-1-infected patients suggesting a direct effect of the virus on lipid metabolism. To test that the HIV-1 virus alone could alter lipid concentrations, we measured these concentrations in an HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rat model of human HIV-1 infection, which demonstrates peripheral and central pathology by 7-9 months of age. Concentrations were measured in high-energy microwaved heart, brain and liver from 7-9 month-old HIV-1 Tg and wildtype rats, and in plasma from non-microwaved rats. Plasma triglycerides and liver cholesteryl ester and total cholesterol concentrations were significantly higher in HIV-1 Tg rats than controls. Heart and plasma fatty acid concentrations reflected concentration differences in liver, which showed higher n-3 and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) concentrations in multiple lipid compartments. Fatty acid concentrations were increased or decreased in heart and liver phospholipid subfractions. Brain fatty acid concentrations differed significantly between the groups for minor fatty acids such as linoleic acid and n-3 docosapentaenoic acid. The profound changes in heart, plasma and liver lipid concentrations suggest a direct effect of chronic exposure to the HIV-1 virus on peripheral lipid (including PUFA) metabolism.

Chronic lithium feeding reduces upregulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in HIV-1 transgenic rat

HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats, a model for human HIV-1 associated neurocognitive disorder (HAND), show upregulated markers of brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism with neuroinflammation after 7 months of age. Since lithium decreases AA metabolism in a rat lipopolysaccharide model of neuroinflammation, and may be useful in HAND, we hypothesized that lithium would dampen upregulated brain AA metabolism in HIV-1 Tg rats. Regional brain AA incorporation coefficients k* and rates J ( in ), markers of AA signaling and metabolism, were measured in 81 brain regions using quantitative autoradiography, after intravenous [1-(14) C]AA infusion in unanesthetized 10-month-old HIV-1 Tg and age-matched wildtype rats that had been fed a control or LiCl diet for 6 weeks. k* and J ( in ) for AA were significantly higher in HIV-1 Tg than wildtype rats fed the control diet. Lithium feeding reduced plasma unesterified AA concentration in both groups and J ( in ) in wildtype rats, and blocked increments in k* (19 of 54 regions) and J ( in ) (77 of 81 regions) in HIV-1 Tg rats. These in vivo neuroimaging data indicate that lithium treatment dampened upregulated brain AA metabolism in HIV-1 Tg rats. Lithium may improve cognitive dysfunction and be neuroprotective in HIV-1 patients with HAND through a comparable effect.

Lamotrigine blocks NMDA receptor-initiated arachidonic acid signalling in rat brain: implications for its efficacy in bipolar disorder

An up-regulated brain arachidonic acid (AA) cascade and a hyperglutamatergic state characterize bipolar disorder (BD). Lamotrigine (LTG), a mood stabilizer approved for treating BD, is reported to interfere with glutamatergic neurotransmission involving N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). NMDARs allow extracellular calcium into the cell, thereby stimulating calcium-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) to release AA from membrane phospholipid. We hypothesized that LTG, like other approved mood stabilizers, would reduce NMDAR-mediated AA signalling in rat brain. An acute subconvulsant dose of NMDA (25 mg/kg) or saline was administered intraperitoneally to unanaesthetized rats that had been treated p.o. daily for 42 d with vehicle or a therapeutically relevant dose of LTG (10 mg/kg.d). Regional brain AA incorporation coefficients k* and rates J in, and AA signals, were measured using quantitative autoradiography after intravenous [1-14C]AA infusion, as were other AA cascade markers. In chronic vehicle-treated rats, acute NMDA compared to saline increased k* and J in in widespread regions of the brain, as well as prostaglandin (PG)E2 and thromboxane B2 concentrations. Chronic LTG treatment compared to vehicle reduced brain cyclooxygenase (COX) activity, PGE2 concentration, and DNA-binding activity of the COX-2 transcription factor, NF-κB. Pretreatment with chronic LTG blocked the acute NMDA effects on AA cascade markers. In summary, chronic LTG like other mood stabilizers blocks NMDA-mediated signalling involving the AA metabolic cascade. Since markers of the AA cascade and of NMDAR signalling are up-regulated in the post-mortem BD brain, mood stabilizers generally may be effective in BD by dampening NMDAR signalling and the AA cascade.

Dose-dependent changes in neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers with synaptic marker loss in rat lipopolysaccharide infusion model of neuroinflammation

Background

Neuroinflammation, caused by six days of intracerebroventricular infusion of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS), stimulates rat brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. The molecular changes associated with increased AA metabolism are not clear. We examined effects of a six-day infusion of a low-dose (0.5 ng/h) and a high-dose (250 ng/h) of LPS on neuroinflammatory, AA cascade, and pre- and post-synaptic markers in rat brain. We used artificial cerebrospinal fluid-infused brains as controls.

Results

Infusion of low- or high-dose LPS increased brain protein levels of TNFα, and iNOS, without significantly changing GFAP. High-dose LPS infusion upregulated brain protein and mRNA levels of AA cascade markers (cytosolic cPLA₂-IVA, secretory sPLA₂-V, cyclooxygenase-2 and 5-lipoxygenase), and of transcription factor NF-κB p50 DNA binding activity. Both LPS doses increased cPLA₂ and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase levels, while reducing protein levels of the pre-synaptic marker, synaptophysin. Post-synaptic markers drebrin and PSD95 protein levels were decreased with high- but not low-dose LPS.

Conclusions

Chronic LPS infusion has differential effects, depending on dose, on inflammatory, AA and synaptic markers in rat brain. Neuroinflammation associated with upregulated brain AA metabolism can lead to synaptic dysfunction.

Knocking out the dopamine reuptake transporter (DAT) does not change the baseline brain arachidonic acid signal in the mouse

BACKGROUND

Dopamine transporter (DAT) homozygous knockout (DAT(-/-)) mice have a 10-fold higher extracellular (DA) concentration in the caudate-putamen and nucleus accumbens than do wildtype (DAT(+/+)) mice, but show reduced presynaptic DA synthesis and fewer postsynaptic D(2) receptors. One aspect of neurotransmission involves DA binding to postsynaptic D(2)-like receptors coupled to cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), which releases the second messenger, arachidonic acid (AA), from synaptic membrane phospholipid. We hypothesized that tonic overactivation of D(2)-like receptors in DAT(-/-) mice due to the excess DA would not increase brain AA signaling, because of compensatory downregulation of postsynaptic DA signaling mechanisms.

METHODS

[1-(14)C]AA was infused intravenously for 3 min in unanesthetized DAT(+/+), heterozygous (DAT(+/-)), and DAT(-/-) mice. AA incorporation coefficients k* and rates J(in), markers of AA metabolism and signaling, were imaged in 83 brain regions using quantitative autoradiography; brain cPLA(2)-IV activity also was measured.

RESULTS

Neither k* nor J(in) for AA in any brain region, or brain cPLA(2)-IV activity, differed significantly among DAT(-/-), DAT(+/-), and DAT(+/+) mice.

CONCLUSIONS

These results differ from reported increases in k* and J(in) for AA, and in brain cPLA(2) expression, in serotonin reuptake transporter (5-HTT) knockout mice, and suggest that postsynaptic dopaminergic neurotransmission mechanisms involving AA are downregulated despite elevated DA in DAT(-/-) mice.

Imaging brain signal transduction and metabolism via arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acid in animals and humans

The polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), important second messengers in brain, are released from membrane phospholipid following receptor-mediated activation of specific phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2)) enzymes. We developed an in vivo method in rodents using quantitative autoradiography to image PUFA incorporation into brain from plasma, and showed that their incorporation rates equal their rates of metabolic consumption by brain. Thus, quantitative imaging of unesterified plasma AA or DHA incorporation into brain can be used as a biomarker of brain PUFA metabolism and neurotransmission. We have employed our method to image and quantify effects of mood stabilizers on brain AA/DHA incorporation during neurotransmission by muscarinic M(1,3,5), serotonergic 5-HT(2A/2C), dopaminergic D(2)-like (D(2), D(3), D(4)) or glutamatergic N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors, and effects of inhibition of acetylcholinesterase, of selective serotonin and dopamine reuptake transporter inhibitors, of neuroinflammation (HIV-1 and lipopolysaccharide) and excitotoxicity, and in genetically modified rodents. The method has been extended for the use with positron emission tomography (PET), and can be employed to determine how human brain AA/DHA signaling and consumption are influenced by diet, aging, disease and genetics.

Erratum to: Increased neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers, and reduced synaptic proteins, in brain of HIV-1 transgenic rats

Correction to Rao J S, Kim H W, Kellom M, Greenstein D, Chen M, Kraft A D, Harry G J, Rapoport S I, Basselin M. Increased neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers, and reduced synaptic proteins, in brain of HIV-1 transgenic rats. Journal of Neuroinflammation 8:101.

Increased neuroinflammatory and arachidonic acid cascade markers, and reduced synaptic proteins, in brain of HIV-1 transgenic rats

Background

Cognitive impairment has been reported in human immune deficiency virus-1- (HIV-1-) infected patients as well as in HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rats. This impairment has been linked to neuroinflammation, disturbed brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism, and synapto-dendritic injury. We recently reported upregulated brain AA metabolism in 7- to 9-month-old HIV-1 Tg rats. We hypothesized that these HIV-1 Tg rats also would show upregulated brain inflammatory and AA cascade markers and a deficit of synaptic proteins.

Methods

We measured protein and mRNA levels of markers of neuroinflammation and the AA cascade, as well as pro-apoptotic factors and synaptic proteins, in brains from 7- to 9-month-old HIV-1 Tg and control rats.

Results

Compared with control brain, HIV-1 Tg rat brain showed immunoreactivity to glycoprotein 120 and tat HIV-1 viral proteins, and significantly higher protein and mRNA levels of (1) the inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor α, (2) the activated microglial/macrophage marker CD11b, (3) AA cascade enzymes: AA-selective Ca²⁺-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A₂ (cPLA₂)-IVA, secretory sPLA₂-IIA, cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, membrane prostaglandin E₂ synthase, 5-lipoxygenase (LOX) and 15-LOX, cytochrome p450 epoxygenase, and (4) transcription factor NF-κBp50 DNA binding activity. HIV-1 Tg rat brain also exhibited signs of cell injury, including significantly decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and drebrin, a marker of post-synaptic excitatory dendritic spines. Expression of Ca²⁺-independent iPLA₂-VIA and COX-1 was unchanged.

Conclusions

HIV-1 Tg rats show elevated brain markers of neuroinflammation and AA metabolism, with a deficit in several synaptic proteins. These changes are associated with viral proteins and may contribute to cognitive impairment. The HIV-1 Tg rat may be a useful model for understanding progression and treatment of cognitive impairment in HIV-1 patients.

Chronic valproate treatment blocks D2-like receptor-mediated brain signaling via arachidonic acid in rats

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Hyperdopaminergic signaling and an upregulated brain arachidonic acid (AA) cascade may contribute to bipolar disorder (BD). Lithium and carbamazepine, FDA-approved for the treatment of BD, attenuate brain dopaminergic D(2)-like (D(2), D(3), and D(4)) receptor signaling involving AA when given chronically to awake rats. We hypothesized that valproate (VPA), with mood-stabilizing properties, would also reduce D(2)-like-mediated signaling via AA.

METHODS

An acute dose of quinpirole (1 mg/kg) or saline was administered to unanesthetized rats that had been treated for 30 days with a therapeutically relevant dose of VPA (200 mg/kg/day) or vehicle. Regional brain AA incorporation coefficients, k*, and incorporation rates, J(in), markers of AA signaling and metabolism, were measured by quantitative autoradiography after intravenous [1-(14)C]AA infusion. Whole brain concentrations of prostaglandin (PG)E(2) and thromboxane (TX)B(2) also were measured.

RESULTS

Quinpirole compared to saline significantly increased k* in 40 of 83 brain regions, and increased brain concentrations of PGE(2) in chronic vehicle-treated rats. VPA treatment by itself reduced concentrations of plasma unesterified AA and whole brain PGE(2) and TXB(2), and blocked the quinpirole-induced increments in k* and PGE(2).

CONCLUSION

These results further provide evidence that mood stabilizers downregulate brain dopaminergic D(2)-like receptor signaling involving AA.

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) incorporation into the brain from plasma, as an in vivo biomarker of brain DHA metabolism and neurotransmission

Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is critical for maintaining normal brain structure and function, and is considered neuroprotective. Its brain concentration depends on dietary DHA content and hepatic conversion from its dietary derived n-3 precursor, α-linolenic acid (α-LNA). We have developed an in vivo method in rats using quantitative autoradiography and intravenously injected radiolabeled DHA to image net incorporation into the brain of unesterified plasma DHA, and showed with this method that the incorporation rate of DHA equals the rate of brain metabolic DHA consumption. The method has been extended for use in humans with positron emission tomography (PET). Furthermore, imaging in unanesthetized rats using DHA incorporation as a biomarker in response to acute N-methyl-D-aspartate administration confirms that regional DHA signaling is independent of extracellular calcium, and likely mediated by a calcium-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)). Studies in mice in which iPLA(2)-VIA (β) was knocked out confirmed that this enzyme is critical for baseline and muscarinic cholinergic signaling involving DHA. Thus, quantitative imaging of DHA incorporation from plasma into brain can be used as an in vivo biomarker of brain DHA metabolism and neurotransmission.

Imaging upregulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in HIV-1 transgenic rats

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated infection involves the entry of virus-bearing monocytes into the brain, followed by microglial activation, neuroinflammation, and upregulated arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism. The HIV-1 transgenic (Tg) rat, a noninfectious HIV-1 model, shows neurologic and behavioral abnormalities after 5 months of age. We hypothesized that brain AA metabolism would be elevated in older HIV-1 Tg rats in vivo. Arachidonic acid incorporation from the plasma into the brain of unanesthetized 7-to-9-month-old rats was imaged using quantitative autoradiography, after [1-(14)C]AA infusion. Brain phospholipase (PLA(2)) activities and eicosanoid concentrations were measured, and enzymes were localized by immunostaining. AA incorporation coefficients k* and rates J(in), measures of AA metabolism, were significantly higher in 69 of 81 brain regions in HIV-1 Tg than in control rats, as were activities of cytosolic (c)PLA(2)-IV, secretory (s)PLA(2), and calcium independent (i)PLA(2)-VI, as well as prostaglandin E(2) and leukotriene B(4) concentrations. Immunostaining of somatosensory cortex showed elevated cPLA(2)-IV, sPLA(2)-IIA, and cyclooxygenase-2 in neurons. Brain AA incorporation and other markers of AA metabolism are upregulated in HIV-1 Tg rats, in which neurologic changes and neuroinflammation have been reported. Positron emission tomography with [1-(11)C]AA could be used to test whether brain AA metabolism is upregulated in HIV-1-infected patients, in relation to cognitive and behavioral disturbances.

Anti-inflammatory effects of chronic aspirin on brain arachidonic acid metabolites

Pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators derived from arachidonic acid (AA) modulate peripheral inflammation and its resolution. Aspirin (ASA) is a unique non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, which switches AA metabolism from prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) and thromboxane B₂ (TXB₂) to lipoxin A₄ (LXA₄) and 15-epi-LXA₄. However, it is unknown whether chronic therapeutic doses of ASA are anti-inflammatory in the brain. We hypothesized that ASA would dampen increases in brain concentrations of AA metabolites in a rat model of neuroinflammation, produced by a 6-day intracerebroventricular infusion of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In rats infused with LPS (0.5 ng/h) and given ASA-free water to drink, concentrations in high-energy microwaved brain of PGE₂, TXB₂ and leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) were elevated. In rats infused with artificial cerebrospinal fluid, 6 weeks of treatment with a low (10 mg/kg/day) or high (100 mg/kg/day) ASA dose in drinking water decreased brain PGE₂, but increased LTB₄, LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ concentrations. Both doses attenuated the LPS effects on PGE₂, and TXB₂. The increments in LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ caused by high-dose ASA were significantly greater in LPS-infused rats. The ability of ASA to increase anti-inflammatory LXA₄ and 15-epi-LXA₄ and reduce pro-inflammatory PGE₂ and TXB₂ suggests considering aspirin further for treating clinical neuroinflammation.

Valproate uncompetitively inhibits arachidonic acid acylation by rat acyl-CoA synthetase 4: relevance to valproate's efficacy against bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

The ability of chronic valproate (VPA) to reduce arachidonic acid (AA) turnover in brain phospholipids of unanesthetized rats has been ascribed to its inhibition of acyl-CoA synthetase (Acsl)-mediated activation of AA to AA-CoA. Our aim was to identify a rat Acsl isoenzyme that could be inhibited by VPA in vitro.

METHODS

Rat Acsl3-, Acsl6v1- and Acsl6v2-, and Acsl4-flag proteins were expressed in E. coli, and the ability of VPA to inhibit their activation of long-chain fatty acids to acyl-CoA was estimated using Michaelis-Menten kinetics.

RESULTS

VPA uncompetitively inhibited Acsl4-mediated conversion of AA and of docosahexaenoic (DHA) but not of palmitic acid to acyl-CoA, but did not affect AA conversion by Acsl3, Acsl6v1 or Acsl6v2. Acsl4-mediated conversion of AA to AA-CoA showed substrate inhibition and had a 10-times higher catalytic efficiency than did conversion of DHA to DHA-CoA. Butyrate, octanoate, or lithium did not inhibit AA activation by Acsl4.

CONCLUSIONS

VPA's ability to inhibit Acsl4 activation of AA and of DHA to their respective acyl-CoAs, when related to the higher catalytic efficiency of AA than DHA conversion, may account for VPA's selective reduction of AA turnover in rat brain phospholipids, and contribute to VPA's efficacy against bipolar disorder.

Imaging decreased brain docosahexaenoic acid metabolism and signaling in iPLA(2)β (VIA)-deficient mice

Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2)β (iPLA(2)β) selectively hydrolyzes docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3) in vitro from phospholipid. Mutations in the PLA2G6 gene encoding this enzyme occur in patients with idiopathic neurodegeneration plus brain iron accumulation and dystonia-parkinsonism without iron accumulation, whereas mice lacking PLA2G6 show neurological dysfunction and neuropathology after 13 months. We hypothesized that brain DHA metabolism and signaling would be reduced in 4-month-old iPLA(2)β-deficient mice without overt neuropathology. Saline or the cholinergic muscarinic M(1,3,5) receptor agonist arecoline (30 mg/kg) was administered to unanesthetized iPLA(2)β(-/-), iPLA(2)β(+/-), and iPLA(2)β(+/+) mice, and [1-(14)C]DHA was infused intravenously. DHA incorporation coefficients k* and rates J(in), representing DHA metabolism, were determined using quantitative autoradiography in 81 brain regions. iPLA(2)β(-/-) or iPLA(2)β(+/-) compared with iPLA(2)β(+/+) mice showed widespread and significant baseline reductions in k* and J(in) for DHA. Arecoline increased both parameters in brain regions of iPLA(2)β(+/+) mice but quantitatively less so in iPLA(2)β(-/-) and iPLA(2)β(+/-) mice. Consistent with iPLA(2)β's reported ability to selectively hydrolyze DHA from phospholipid in vitro, iPLA(2)β deficiency reduces brain DHA metabolism and signaling in vivo at baseline and following M(1,3,5) receptor activation. Positron emission tomography might be used to image disturbed brain DHA metabolism in patients with PLA2G6 mutations.

Extracellular-derived calcium does not initiate in vivo neurotransmission involving docosahexaenoic acid

In vitro studies show that docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) can be released from membrane phospholipid by Ca(2+)-independent phospholipase A(2) (iPLA(2)), Ca(2+)-independent plasmalogen PLA(2) or secretory PLA(2 (sPLA2)), but not by Ca(2+)-dependent cytosolic PLA(2) (cPLA2), which selectively releases arachidonic acid (AA). Since glutamatergic NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor activation allows extracellular Ca(2+) into cells, we hypothesized that brain DHA signaling would not be altered in rats given NMDA, to the extent that in vivo signaling was mediated by Ca(2+)-independent mechanisms. Isotonic saline, a subconvulsive dose of NMDA (25 mg/kg), MK-801, or MK-801 followed by NMDA was administered i.p. to unanesthetized rats. Radiolabeled DHA or AA was infused intravenously and their brain incorporation coefficients k*, measures of signaling, were imaged with quantitative autoradiography. NMDA or MK-801 compared with saline did not alter k* for DHA in any of 81 brain regions examined, whereas NMDA produced widespread and significant increments in k* for AA. In conclusion, in vivo brain DHA but not AA signaling via NMDA receptors is independent of extracellular Ca(2+) and of cPLA(2). DHA signaling may be mediated by iPLA(2), plasmalogen PLA(2), or other enzymes insensitive to low concentrations of Ca(2+). Greater AA than DHA release during glutamate-induced excitotoxicity could cause brain cell damage.

Lithium modifies brain arachidonic and docosahexaenoic metabolism in rat lipopolysaccharide model of neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation, caused by 6 days of intracerebroventricular infusion of a low dose of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 0.5 ng/h), stimulates brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in rats, but 6 weeks of lithium pretreatment reduces this effect. To further understand this action of lithium, we measured concentrations of eicosanoids and docosanoids generated from AA and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), respectively, in high-energy microwaved rat brain using LC/MS/MS and two doses of LPS. In rats fed a lithium-free diet, low (0.5 ng/h)- or high (250 ng/h)-dose LPS compared with artificial cerebrospinal fluid increased brain unesterified AA and prostaglandin E(2) concentrations and activities of AA-selective Ca(2+)-dependent cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2))-IV and Ca(2+)-dependent secretory sPLA(2). LiCl feeding prevented these increments. Lithium had a significant main effect by increasing brain concentrations of lipoxygenase-derived AA metabolites, 5- hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (HETE), 5-oxo-eicosatetranoic acid, and 17-hydroxy-DHA by 1.8-, 4.3- and 1.9-fold compared with control diet. Lithium also increased 15-HETE in high-dose LPS-infused rats. Ca(2+)-independent iPLA(2)-VI activity and unesterified DHA and docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-3) concentrations were unaffected by LPS or lithium. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that lithium can increase brain 17-hydroxy-DHA formation, indicating a new and potentially important therapeutic action of lithium.

Is phosphoadenosine phosphate phosphatase a target of lithium's therapeutic effect?

Lithium, which is approved for treating patients with bipolar disorder, is reported to inhibit 3'(2')-phosphoadenosine-5'-phosphate (PAP) phosphatase activity. In yeast, deletion of PAP phosphatase results in elevated PAP levels and in inhibition of sulfation and of growth. The effect of lithium on PAP phosphatase is remarkable for the low Ki (approximately 0.2 mM), suggesting that this system would be almost completely shut down in vivo with therapeutic levels of 1 mM lithium, thereby elevating PAP levels. To test the hypothesis that lithium inhibition of PAP phosphatase is pharmacologically relevant to bipolar disorder, we fed rats LiCl for 6 weeks, and assayed brain PAP levels after subjecting the brain to high-energy microwaving. We also measured PAP phosphatase mRNA and protein levels in frozen brain tissue of lithium-treated mice. Brain adenosine phosphates were extracted by trichloroacetic acid and assayed by HPLC with a gradient system of two phases. PAP phosphatase mRNA was measured by RT-PCR, and PAP phosphatase protein was measured by Western blotting. Brain PAP levels were below detection limit of 2 nmol/g wet weight, even following lithium treatment. Lithium treatment also did not significantly change brain PAP phosphatase mRNA or protein levels. These results question the relevance of PAP phosphatase to the therapeutic mechanism of lithium. A statistically significant 25% reduced brain ADP/ATP ratio was found following lithium treatment in line with lithium's suggested neuroprotective effects.

Bipolar disorder and mechanisms of action of mood stabilizers

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a major medical and social burden, whose cause, pathophysiology and treatment are not agreed on. It is characterized by recurrent periods of mania and depression (Bipolar I) or of hypomania and depression (Bipolar II). Its inheritance is polygenic, with evidence of a neurotransmission imbalance and disease progression. Patients often take multiple agents concurrently, with incomplete therapeutic success, particularly with regard to depression. Suicide is common. Of the hypotheses regarding the action of mood stabilizers in BD, the "arachidonic acid (AA) cascade" hypothesis is presented in detail in this review. It is based on evidence that chronic administration of lithium, carbamazepine, sodium valproate, or lamotrigine to rats downregulated AA turnover in brain phospholipids, formation of prostaglandin E(2), and/or expression of AA cascade enzymes, including cytosolic phospholipase A(2), cyclooxygenase-2 and/or acyl-CoA synthetase. The changes were selective for AA, since brain docosahexaenoic or palmitic acid metabolism, when measured, was unaffected, and topiramate, ineffective in BD, did not modify the rat brain AA cascade. Downregulation of the cascade by the mood stabilizers corresponded to inhibition of AA neurotransmission via dopaminergic D(2)-like and glutamatergic NMDA receptors. Unlike the mood stabilizers, antidepressants that increase switching of bipolar depression to mania upregulated the rat brain AA cascade. These observations suggest that the brain AA cascade is a common target of mood stabilizers, and that bipolar symptoms, particularly mania, are associated with an upregulated cascade and excess AA signaling via D(2)-like and NMDA receptors. This review presents ways to test these suggestions.

Imaging elevated brain arachidonic acid signaling in unanesthetized serotonin transporter (5-HTT)-deficient mice

Certain polymorphisms reduce serotonin (5-HT) reuptake transporter (5-HTT) function and increase susceptibility to psychiatric disorders. Heterozygous (5-HTT(+/-))-deficient mice, models for humans with these polymorphisms, have elevated brain 5-HT concentrations and behavioral abnormalities. As postsynaptic 5-HT(2A/2C) receptors are coupled to cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), which releases arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipid, 5-HTT-deficient mice may have altered brain AA signaling and metabolism. To test this hypothesis, signaling was imaged as an AA incorporation coefficient k(*) in unanesthetized homozygous knockout (5-HTT(-/-)), 5-HTT(+/-) and wild-type (5-HTT(+/+)), mice following saline (baseline) or 1.5 mg/kg s.c. DOI, a partial 5-HT(2A/2C) receptor agonist. Enzyme activities, metabolite concentrations, and head-twitch responses to DOI were also measured. Baseline k(*) was widely elevated by 20-70% in brains of 5-HTT(+/-) and 5-HTT(-/-) compared to 5-HTT(+/+) mice. DOI increased k(*) in 5-HTT(+/+) mice, but decreased k(*) in 5-HTT-deficient mice. Brain cPLA(2) activity was elevated in 5-HTT-deficient mice; cyclooxygenase activity and prostaglandin E(2) and F(2alpha) and thromboxane B(2) concentrations were reduced. Head-twitch responses to DOI, although robust in 5-HTT(+/+) and 5-HTT(+/-) mice, were markedly fewer in 5-HTT(-/-) mice. Pretreatment with para-chlorophenylalanine, a 5-HT synthesis inhibitor, restored head twitches in 5-HTT(-/-) mice to levels in 5-HTT(+/+) mice. We propose that increased baseline values of k(*) in 5-HTT-deficient mice reflect tonic cPLA(2) stimulation through 5-HT(2A/2C) receptors occupied by excess 5-HT, and that reduced k(*) and head-twitch responses to DOI reflected displacement of receptor-bound 5-HT by DOI with a lower affinity. Increased baseline AA signaling in humans having polymorphisms with reduced 5-HTT function might be identified using positron emission tomography.

Acute nicotine reduces brain arachidonic acid signaling in unanesthetized rats

Nicotine exerts its central effects by activating pre- and postsynaptic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). Presynaptic nAChRs modulate the release of many neurotransmitters that bind to postsynaptic receptors. These may be coupled to the activation of cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)), which hydrolyzes arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipids. We hypothesized that nicotine would modify brain signaling involving AA by binding to nAChRs. Nicotine (0.1 mg/kg, subcutaneously) or saline was injected 2 or 10 mins before infusing [1-(14)C]AA in unanesthetized rats. The AA incorporation coefficient k(*) (a marker of the AA signal) was measured in 80 brain regions by quantitative autoradiography. Nicotine, compared to saline, when administrated 2 mins before [1-(14)C]AA infusion, significantly decreased k(*) for AA in 26 regions, including cerebral cortex, thalamus, and habenula-interpeduncular regions, by 13% to 45%. These decreases could be entirely prevented by pretreatment with mecamylamine (1.0 mg/kg, subcutaneously). When administered 10 mins before [1-(14)C]AA infusion, nicotine did not alter any value of k(*). In summary, nicotine given to unanesthetized rats rapidly reduces signaling involving AA in brain regions containing nAChRs, likely by modulating the presynaptic release of neurotransmitters. The effect shows rapid desensitization and is produced at a nicotine dose equivalent to smoking one cigarette in humans.

Acute but not chronic donepezil increases muscarinic receptor-mediated signaling via arachidonic acid in unanesthetized rats

Donepezil, an acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor used for treating Alzheimer's disease patients, is thought to act by increasing brain extracellular acetylcholine (ACh), and ACh binding to cholinergic receptors. Muscarinic receptors are coupled to cytosolic phospholipase A2 (cPLA2) activation and arachidonic acid (AA) release from synaptic membrane phospholipid. This activation can be imaged in rodents as an AA incorporation coefficient k*, using quantitative autoradiography. Acute and chronic effects of donepezil on the AA signal, k* for AA, were measured in 81 brain regions of unanesthetized rats. Twenty min after a single oral dose (3.0 mg/kg) of donepezil, k* was increased significantly in 37 brain regions, whereas k* did not differ from control 7 h afterwards or following chronic (21 days) of donepezil. Pretreatment with atropine prevented the 20-min increments in k* following donepezil. Donepezil also increased the brain ACh concentration and reduced brain AChE activity, but did not change cPLA2 activity, regardless of administration regimen. These results show that donepezil acutely increases the brain AA signal that is mediated by ACh acting at muscarinic receptors, but that this signal is rapidly desensitized despite continued elevated brain ACh concentration. In contrast, the AA signal in response to arecoline was not altered following donepezil.

Chronic administration of valproic acid reduces brain NMDA signaling via arachidonic acid in unanesthetized rats

Evidence that brain glutamatergic activity is pathologically elevated in bipolar disorder suggests that mood stabilizers are therapeutic in the disease in part by downregulating glutamatergic activity. Such activity can involve the second messenger, arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n - 6). We tested this hypothesis with regard to valproic acid (VPA), when stimulating glutamatergic N-methyl-D: -aspartate (NMDA) receptors in rat brain and measuring AA and related responses. An acute subconvulsant dose of NMDA (25 mg/kg i.p.) or saline was administered to unanesthetized rats that had been treated i.p. daily with VPA (200 mg/kg) or vehicle for 30 days. Quantitative autoradiography following intravenous [1-(14)C]AA infusion was used to image regional brain AA incorporation coefficients k*, markers of AA signaling. In chronic vehicle-pretreated rats, NMDA compared with saline significantly increased k* in 41 of 82 examined brain regions, many of which have high NMDA receptor densities, and also increased brain concentrations of the AA metabolites, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)). VPA pretreatment reduced baseline concentrations of PGE(2) and TXB(2), and blocked the NMDA induced increases in k* and in eicosanoid concentrations. These results, taken with evidence that carbamazepine and lithium also block k* responses to NMDA in rat brain, suggest that mood stabilizers act in bipolar disorder in part by downregulating glutamatergic signaling involving AA.

Chronic carbamazepine administration attenuates dopamine D2-like receptor-initiated signaling via arachidonic acid in rat brain

Observations that dopaminergic antagonists are beneficial in bipolar disorder and that dopaminergic agonists can produce mania suggest that bipolar disorder involves excessive dopaminergic transmission. Thus, mood stabilizers used to treat the disease might act in part by downregulating dopaminergic transmission. In agreement, we reported that dopamine D2-like receptor mediated signaling involving arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4n-6) was downregulated in rats chronically treated with lithium. To see whether chronic carbamazepine, another mood stabilizer, did this as well, we injected i.p. saline or the D2-like receptor agonist, quinpirole (1 mg/kg), into unanesthetized rats that had been pretreated for 30 days with i.p. carbamazepine (25 mg/kg/day) or vehicle, and used quantitative autoradiography to measure regional brain incorporation coefficients (k*) for AA, markers of signaling. We also measured brain prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), an AA metabolite. In vehicle-treated rats, quinpirole compared with saline significantly increased k* for AA in 35 of 82 brain regions examined, as well as brain PGE2 concentration. Affected regions belong to dopaminergic circuits and have high D2-like receptor densities. Chronic carbamazepine pretreatment prevented the quinpirole-induced increments in k* and in PGE2. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that effective mood stabilizers generally downregulate brain AA signaling via D2-like receptors, and that this signaling is upregulated in bipolar disorder.

Formation of eicosanoids, E2/D2 isoprostanes, and docosanoids following decapitation-induced ischemia, measured in high-energy-microwaved rat brain

Inflammatory lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid (AA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) modify the pathophysiology of brain ischemia. The goal of this work was to investigate the formation of eicosanoids and docosanoids generated from AA and DHA, respectively, during no-flow cerebral ischemia. Rats were subjected to head-focused microwave irradiation 5 min following decapitation (complete ischemia) or prior to decapitation (controls). Brain lipids were extracted and analyzed by reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. After complete ischemia, brain AA, DHA, and docosapentaenoic acid concentrations increased 18-, 5- and 4-fold compared with controls, respectively. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and PGD(2) could not be detected in control microwaved rat brain, suggesting little endogenous PGE(2)/D(2) production in the brain in the absence of experimental manipulation. Concentrations of thromboxane B(2), E(2)/D(2)-isoprostanes, 5-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (5-HETE), 5-oxo-eicosatetraenoic acid, and 12-HETE were significantly elevated in ischemic brains. In addition, DHA products such as mono-, di- and trihydroxy-DHA were detected in control and ischemic brains. Monohydroxy-DHA, identified as 17-hydroxy-DHA and thought to be the immediate precursor of neuroprotectin D(1), was 6.5-fold higher in ischemic than in control brain. The present study demonstrated increased formation of eicosanoids, E(2)/D(2)-IsoPs, and docosanoids following cerebral ischemia. A balance of these lipid mediators may mediate immediate events of ischemic injury and recovery.

Ubiquinone synthesis and its regulation in Pneumocystis carinii

The opportunistic pathogen Pneumocystis causes a type of pneumonia in individuals with defective immune systems such as AIDS patients. Atovaquone, an analog of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q [CoQ]), is effective in clearing mild to moderate cases of the infection. Rat-derived Pneumocystis carinii was the first organism in which CoQ synthesis was clearly demonstrated to occur in both mitochondrial and microsomal subcellular fractions. Atovaquone inhibits microsomal CoQ synthesis with no effect on mitochondrial CoQ synthesis. We here report on additional studies evaluating CoQ synthesis and its regulation in the organism. Buparvaquone also inhibited CoQ synthesis and it reduced the synthesis of all four CoQ homologs in the microsomal but not the mitochondrial fraction. Glyphosate, which inhibits a reaction in the de novo synthesis of the benzoquinone moiety of CoQ reduced cellular ATP levels. Bacterial and plant quinones, and several chemically synthesized phenolics, flavanoids, and naphthoquinones that inhibit electron transport in other organisms were shown to reduce CoQ synthesis in P. carinii. The inhibitory action of naphthoquinone compounds appeared to depend on their molecular size and structural flexibility rather than redox potential. Results of experiments examining the synthesis of the polyprenyl chain of CoQ were consistent with negative feedback control of CoQ synthesis. These studies on P. carinii suggest that cellular sites and the control of CoQ synthesis in different organisms and cell types might be more diverse than previously thought.

Chronic carbamazepine administration reduces N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-initiated signaling via arachidonic acid in rat brain

BACKGROUND

Lithium and carbamazepine (CBZ) are used to treat mania in bipolar disorder. When given chronically to rats, both agents reduce arachidonic acid (AA) turnover in brain phospholipids and downstream AA metabolism. Lithium in rats also attenuates brain N-methyl-D-aspartic acid receptor (NMDAR) signaling via AA. We hypothesized that, like chronic lithium, chronic CBZ administration to rats would reduce NMDAR-mediated signaling via AA.

METHODS

We used our fatty acid method with quantitative autoradiography to image the regional brain incorporation coefficient k* of AA, a marker of AA signaling, in unanesthetized rats that had been given 25 mg/kg/day I.P. CBZ or vehicle for 30 days, then injected with NMDA (25 mg/kg I.P.) or saline. We also measured brain concentrations of two AA metabolites, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)).

RESULTS

In chronic vehicle-treated rats, NMDA compared with saline increased k* significantly in 69 of 82 brain regions examined, but did not change k* significantly in any region in CBZ-treated rats. In vehicle- but not CBZ-treated rats, NMDA also increased brain concentrations of PGE(2) and TXB(2).

CONCLUSIONS

Chronic CBZ administration to rats blocks increments in the AA signal k*, and in PGE(2) and TXB(2) concentrations that are produced by NMDA in vehicle-treated rats. The clinical action of antimanic drugs might involve inhibition of brain NMDAR-mediated signaling involving AA and its metabolites.

Flurbiprofen, A Cyclooxygenase Inhibitor, Reduces the Brain Arachidonic Acid Signal in Response to the Cholinergic Muscarinic Agonist, Arecoline, in Awake Rats

Cholinergic muscarinic receptors, when stimulated by arecoline, can activate cytosolic phospholipase A(2) (cPLA(2)) to release arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipid. This signal can be imaged in the brain in vivo using quantitative autoradiography following the intravenous injection of radiolabeled AA, as an increment in a regional brain AA incorporation coefficient k*. Arecoline increases k* significantly in brain regions having muscarinic M(1,3,5) receptors in wild-type but not in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 knockout mice. To further clarify the roles of COX enzymes in the AA signal, in this paper we imaged k* following arecoline (5 mg/kg i.p.) or saline in each of 81 brain regions of unanesthetized rats pretreated 6 h earlier with the non-selective COX inhibitor flurbiprofen (FB, 60 mg/kg s.c.) or with vehicle. Baseline values of k* were unaffected by FB treatment, which however reduced by 80% baseline brain concentrations of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) and thromboxane B(2) (TXB(2)), eicosanoids preferentially derived from AA via COX-2 and COX-1, respectively. In vehicle-pretreated rats, arecoline increased the brain PGE(2) but not TXB(2) concentration, as well as values for k* in 77 of the 81 brain regions. FB-pretreatment prevented these arecoline-provoked changes. These results and those reported in COX-2 knockout mice suggest that the AA released in brain following muscarinic receptor-mediated activation is lost via COX-2 to PGE(2) but not via COX-1 to TXB(2), and that increments in k* following arecoline largely represent replacement by unesterified plasma AA of this loss.

Altered brain lipid composition in cyclooxygenase-2 knockout mouse

Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 plays an important role in brain arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) metabolism, and its expression is upregulated in animal models of neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity. Our hypothesis was that brain lipid composition would be altered in COX-2 knockout (COX-2(-/-)) compared with wild-type (COX-2(+/+)) mice, reflecting the important role of COX-2 in brain lipid metabolism. Concentrations of different lipids were measured in high-energy microwaved brain from COX-2(-/-) and COX-2(+/+) mice. Compared with the COX-2(+/+) mouse brain, the brain of the COX-2(-/-) mouse had a statistically significant 15% increase in phosphatidylserine (PtdSer) and significant 37, 27, and 32% reductions in triacylglycerol and cholesterol concentrations and in the cholesterol-to-phospholipid ratio, respectively. The normalized concentration of palmitic acid (16:0) was increased in PtdSer, as was the brain concentration of unesterified arachidic acid (20:0). A lifetime absence of COX-2 produces multiple changes in brain lipid composition. These changes may be related to reported changes in fatty acid kinetics and in resistance to neuroinflammation and excitotoxicity in the COX-2(-/-) mouse.

Chronic lithium administration attenuates up-regulated brain arachidonic acid metabolism in a rat model of neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation, caused by a 6-day intracerebroventricular infusion of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rats, is associated with the up-regulation of brain arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism markers. Because chronic LiCl down-regulates markers of brain AA metabolism, we hypothesized that it would attenuate increments of these markers in LPS-infused rats. Incorporation coefficients k* of AA from plasma into brain, and other brain AA metabolic markers, were measured in rats that had been fed a LiCl or control diet for 6 weeks, and subjected in the last 6 days on the diet to intracerebroventricular infusion of artificial CSF or of LPS. In rats on the control diet, LPS compared with CSF infusion increased k* significantly in 28 regions, whereas the LiCl diet prevented k* increments in 18 of these regions. LiCl in CSF infused rats increased k* in 14 regions, largely belonging to auditory and visual systems. Brain cytoplasmic phospholipase A(2) activity, and prostaglandin E(2) and thromboxane B(2) concentrations, were increased significantly by LPS infusion in rats fed the control but not the LiCl diet. Chronic LiCl administration attenuates LPS-induced up-regulation of a number of brain AA metabolism markers. To the extent that this up-regulation has neuropathological consequences, lithium might be considered for treating human brain diseases accompanied by neuroinflammation.

Chronic lithium chloride administration attenuates brain NMDA receptor-initiated signaling via arachidonic acid in unanesthetized rats

It has been proposed that lithium is effective in bipolar disorder (BD) by inhibiting glutamatergic neurotransmission, particularly via N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs). To test this hypothesis and to see if the neurotransmission could involve the NMDAR-mediated activation of phospholipase A2 (PLA2), to release arachidonic acid (AA) from membrane phospholipid, we administered subconvulsant doses of NMDA to unanesthetized rats fed a chronic control or LiCl diet. We used quantitative autoradiography following the intravenous injection of radiolabeled AA to measure regional brain incorporation coefficients k* for AA, which reflect receptor-mediated activation of PLA2. In control diet rats, NMDA (25 and 50 mg/kg i.p.) compared with i.p. saline increased k* significantly in 49 and 67 regions, respectively, of the 83 brain regions examined. The regions affected were those with reported NMDARs, including the neocortex, hippocampus, caudate-putamen, thalamus, substantia nigra, and nucleus accumbens. The increases could be blocked by pretreatment with the specific noncompetitive NMDA antagonist MK-801 ((5R,10S)-(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten-5,10-imine hydrogen maleate) (0.3 mg/kg i.p.), as well by a 6-week LiCl diet sufficient to produce plasma and brain lithium concentrations known to be effective in BD. MK-801 alone reduced baseline values for k* in many brain regions. The results show that it is possible to image NMDA signaling via PLA2 activation and AA release in vivo, and that chronic lithium blocks this signaling, consistent with its suggested mechanism of action in BD.

Chronic lithium chloride administration to rats elevates glucose metabolism in wide areas of brain, while potentiating negative effects on metabolism of dopamine D2-like receptor stimulation

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES

The regional cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (rCMRglc) can be imaged in vivo as a marker of brain functional activity. The effects of chronic lithium administration on baseline values of rCMRglc and values in response to administration of dopamine D2-like receptor agonists have not been examined in humans or rats. Knowing these effects may elucidate and localize the therapeutic action of lithium in bipolar disorder.

METHODS

In unanesthetized rats, we used the 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) technique to image the effects of a 6-week control diet or LiCl diet sufficient to produce a plasma lithium concentration therapeutically relevant to bipolar disorder, on rCMRglc at baseline and in response to the dopaminergic D2-like receptor agonist, quinpirole (1 mg/kg i.v.), or to i.v. saline.

RESULTS

Baseline rCMRglc was significantly elevated in 30 of 81 brain regions examined, in LiCl diet compared with control diet rats. Affected were visual and auditory structures, frontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, nucleus accumbens, caudate-putamen, interpeduncular nucleus, and substantia nigra. Acute quinpirole significantly decreased rCMRglc in four areas of the caudate-putamen in control diet rats, and in these and 19 additional brain areas in LiCl-fed rats.

CONCLUSIONS

In unanesthetized rats, chronic lithium administration widely upregulates baseline rCMRglc and potentiates the negative effects on rCMRglc of D2-like receptor stimulation. The baseline elevation may relate to lithium's reported ability to increase auditory and visual evoked responses in humans, whereas lithium's potentiation of quinpirole's negative effects on rCMRglc may be related to its therapeutic efficacy in bipolar disorder.

Resting and arecoline-stimulated brain metabolism and signaling involving arachidonic acid are altered in the cyclooxygenase-2 knockout mouse

Abstract Studies were performed to determine if cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 regulates muscarinic receptor-initiated signaling involving brain phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation and arachidonic acid (AA; 20 : 4n-6) release. AA incorporation coefficients, k* (brain [1-14C]AA radioactivity/integrated plasma radioactivity), representing this signaling, were measured following the intravenous injection of [1-14C]AA using quantitative autoradiography, in each of 81 brain regions in unanesthetized COX-2 knockout (COX-2(-/-)) and wild-type (COX-2(+/+)) mice. Mice were administered arecoline (30 mg/kg i.p.), a non-specific muscarinic receptor agonist, or saline i.p. (baseline control). At baseline, COX-2(-/-) compared with COX-2(+/+) mice had widespread and significant elevations of k*. Arecoline increased k* significantly in COX-2(+/+) mice compared with saline controls in 72 of 81 brain regions, but had no significant effect on k* in any region in COX-2(-/-) mice. These findings, when related to net incorporation rates of AA from brain into plasma, demonstrate enhanced baseline brain metabolic loss of AA in COX-2(-/-) compared with COX-2(+/+) mice, and an absence of a normal k* response to muscarinic receptor activation. This response likely reflects selective COX-2-mediated conversion of PLA2-released AA to prostanoids.

Ubiquinone synthesis in mitochondrial and microsomal subcellular fractions of Pneumocystis spp.: differential sensitivities to atovaquone

The lung pathogen Pneumocystis spp. is the causative agent of a type of pneumonia that can be fatal in people with defective immune systems, such as AIDS patients. Atovaquone, an analog of ubiquinone (coenzyme Q [CoQ]), inhibits mitochondrial electron transport and is effective in clearing mild to moderate cases of the infection. Purified rat-derived intact Pneumocystis carinii cells synthesize de novo four CoQ homologs, CoQ7, CoQ8, CoQ9, and CoQ10, as demonstrated by the incorporation of radiolabeled precursors of both the benzoquinone ring and the polyprenyl chain. A central step in CoQ biosynthesis is the condensation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid (PHBA) with a long-chain polyprenyl diphosphate molecule. In the present study, CoQ biosynthesis was evaluated by the incorporation of PHBA into completed CoQ molecules using P. carinii cell-free preparations. CoQ synthesis in whole-cell homogenates was not affected by the respiratory inhibitors antimycin A and dicyclohexylcarbodiimide but was diminished by atovaquone. Thus, atovaquone has inhibitory activity on both electron transport and CoQ synthesis in this pathogen. Furthermore, both the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions were shown to synthesize de novo all four P. carinii CoQ homologs. Interestingly, atovaquone inhibited microsomal CoQ synthesis, whereas it had no effect on mitochondrial CoQ synthesis. This is the first pathogenic eukaryotic microorganism in which biosynthesis of CoQ molecules from the initial PHBA:polyprenyl transferase reaction has been unambiguously shown to occur in two distinct compartments of the same cell.

Chronic lithium chloride administration to unanesthetized rats attenuates brain dopamine D2-like receptor-initiated signaling via arachidonic acid

We studied the effect of lithium chloride on dopaminergic neurotransmission via D2-like receptors coupled to phospholipase A2 (PLA2). In unanesthetized rats injected i.v. with radiolabeled arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4 n-6), regional PLA2 activation was imaged by measuring regional incorporation coefficients k* of AA (brain radioactivity divided by integrated plasma radioactivity) using quantitative autoradiography, following administration of the D2-like receptor agonist, quinpirole. In rats fed a control diet, quinpirole at 1 mg/kg i.v. increased k* for AA significantly in 17 regions with high densities of D2-like receptors, of 61 regions examined. Increases in k* were found in the prefrontal cortex, frontal cortex, accumbens nucleus, caudate-putamen, substantia nigra, and ventral tegmental area. Quinpirole, 0.25 mg/kg i.v. enhanced k* significantly only in the caudate-putamen. In rats fed LiCl for 6 weeks to produce a therapeutically relevant brain lithium concentration, neither 0.25 mg/kg nor 1 mg/kg quinpirole increased k* significantly in any region. Orofacial movements following quinpirole were modified but not abolished by LiCl feeding. The results suggest that downregulation by lithium of D2-like receptor signaling involving PLA2 and AA may contribute to lithium's therapeutic efficacy in bipolar disorder.

Chronic lithium administration to rats selectively modifies 5-HT2A/2C receptor-mediated brain signaling via arachidonic acid

The effects of chronic lithium administration on regional brain incorporation coefficients k* of arachidonic acid (AA), a marker of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation, were determined in unanesthetized rats administered i.p. saline or 1 mg/kg i.p. (+/-)-1-(2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenyl)-2-aminopropane hydrochloride (DOI), a 5-HT2A/2C receptor agonist. After injecting [1-(14)C]AA intravenously, k* (brain radioactivity/integrated plasma radioactivity) was measured in each of 94 brain regions by quantitative autoradiography. Studies were performed in rats fed a LiCl or a control diet for 6 weeks. In the control diet rats, DOI significantly increased k* in widespread brain areas containing 5-HT2A/2C receptors. In the LiCl-fed rats, the significant positive k* response to DOI did not differ from that in control diet rats in most brain regions, except in auditory and visual areas, where the response was absent. LiCl did not change the head turning response to DOI seen in control rats. In summary, LiCl feeding blocked PLA2-mediated signal involving AA in response to DOI in visual and auditory regions, but not generally elsewhere. These selective effects may be related to lithium's therapeutic efficacy in patients with bipolar disorder, particularly its ability to ameliorate hallucinations in that disease.

Chronic lithium administration potentiates brain arachidonic acid signaling at rest and during cholinergic activation in awake rats

Studies were performed to determine if the reported 'proconvulsant' action of lithium in rats given cholinergic drugs is related to receptor-initiated phospholipase A2 signaling via arachidonic acid. Regional brain incorporation coefficients k* of intravenously injected [1-14C]arachidonic acid, which represent this signaling, were measured by quantitative autoradiography in unanesthetized rats at baseline and following administration of subconvulsant doses of the cholinergic muscarinic agonist, arecoline. In rats fed LiCl for 6 weeks to produce a therapeutically relevant brain lithium concentration, the mean baseline values of k* in brain auditory and visual areas were significantly greater than in rats fed control diet. Arecoline at doses of 2 and 5 mg/kg intraperitoneally increased k* in widespread brain areas in rats fed the control diet as well as the LiCl diet. However, the arecoline-induced increments often were significantly greater in the LiCl-fed than in the control diet-fed rats. Lithium's elevation of baseline k* in auditory and visual regions may correspond to its ability in humans to increase auditory and visual evoked responses. Additionally, its augmentation of the k* responses to arecoline may underlie its reported 'proconvulsant' action with cholinergic drugs, as arachidonic acid and its eicosanoid metabolites can increase neuronal excitability and seizure propagation.

Resistance to pentamidine in Leishmania mexicana involves exclusion of the drug from the mitochondrion

The uptake of [(3)H]pentamidine into wild-type and drug-resistant strains of Leishmania mexicana was compared. Uptake was carrier mediated. Pentamidine-resistant parasites showed cross-resistance to other toxic diamidine derivatives. A substantial decrease in accumulation of the drug accompanied the resistance phenotype, although the apparent affinity for pentamidine by its carrier was not altered when initial uptake velocity was measured. The apparent V(max), however, was reduced. An efflux of pentamidine could be measured in both wild-type and resistant cells. Only a relatively small proportion of the total accumulated pentamidine was available for efflux in wild-type cells, while in resistant cells the majority of loaded pentamidine was available for release. Pharmacological reagents which diminish the mitochondrial membrane potential reduced pentamidine uptake in wild-type parasites, and the mitochondrial membrane potential was shown to be reduced in resistant cells. A fluorescent analogue of pentamidine, 4',6'-diamidino-2-phenylindole, accumulated in the kinetoplast of wild-type but not resistant parasites. These data together indicate that diamidine drugs accumulate in the Leishmania mitochondrion and that the development of the resistance phenotype is accompanied by lack of mitochondrial accumulation of the drug and its exclusion from the parasites.

Uptake of the neutral amino acids glutamine, leucine, and serine by Pneumocystis carinii

Experiments to elucidate the mechanism by which Pneumocystis carinii transports glutamine, leucine, and serine were performed in this study. Uptake of all three radiolabeled amino acids exhibited first-order, saturation kinetics as extracellular substrate concentrations were increased, thus ruling out simple diffusion and indicating carrier-mediated transport. Kinetic analyses of amino acid uptake and the results of competitive inhibition experiments suggested that leucine, serine, and glutamine were taken up via a common transporter system. The uptake of serine was examined in greater detail to characterize the nature of the carrier. Serine uptake was not affected by N, N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenyl hydrazone, ouabain, gramicidin, valinomycin, sodium azide, salicylhydroxamine acid (SHAM), iodoacetate, iodoacetate plus SHAM, KCN, and azide. Thus serine uptake did not require sodium or energy from ATP, an electrochemical proton gradient or a membrane potential across the cell surface (i.e., proton-motive force). Serine uptake was dependent on glucose in the extracellular compartment. In the presence of glucose, serine uptake was inhibited by chloramphenicol but not cycloheximide. The results from these experiments are most consistent with facilitated diffusion as the mechanism. After 30 min of incubation, most of the radioactivity was in the cellular soluble fraction. In most cases, incorporation into the extractable total lipids and the remaining particulate cellular components were detectable after this incubation period.