RESUMO
Amyloid-ß peptide (Aß) has been shown to cause synaptic dysfunction and can render neurons vulnerable to excitotoxicity and oxidative stress. Na,K-ATPase plays an important role to maintain cell ionic equilibrium and it can be modulated by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic GMP pathway. Disruption of NO synthase (NOS) activity and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production could lead to changes in Na,K-ATPase isoforms' activities that may be detrimental to the cells. Our aim was to evaluate the signaling pathways of Aß in relation to NMDA-NOS-cyclic GMP versus oxidative stress on α1-/α2,3-Na,K-ATPase activities in rat hippocampal slices. Aß1-40 induced a concentration-dependent increase of NOS activity and increased cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), TBARS (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances), and 3-Nitrotyrosine (3-NT)-modified protein levels in rat hippocampal slices. The increase in NOS activity and cyclic GMP levels induced by Aß1-40 was completely blocked by MK-801 (inhibitor of NMDA receptor) and L-NAME (inhibitor of NOS) pre-treatment but changes in TBARS levels were only partially blocked by both compounds. The Aß treatment also decreased Na,K-ATPase activity which was reverted by N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) but not by MK-801 pre-treatment. The decrease in enzyme activity induced by Aß was isoform-specific since only α1-Na,K-ATPase was affected. These findings suggest that the activation of NMDA-NOS signaling cascade linked to α2,3-Na,K-ATPase activity may mediate an adaptive, neuroprotective response to Aß in rat hippocampus.
Assuntos
Hipocampo , Estresse Oxidativo , Animais , GMP Cíclico , Maleato de Dizocilpina , N-Metilaspartato , NG-Nitroarginina Metil Éster/farmacologia , Óxido Nítrico , Peptídeos , Ratos , ATPase Trocadora de Sódio-Potássio , Substâncias Reativas com Ácido TiobarbitúricoRESUMO
Phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) is an important protein with key modulatory functions in cell growth and survival. PTEN is crucial during embryogenesis and plays a key role in the central nervous system (CNS), where it directly modulates neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. Loss of PTEN signaling function is associated with cognitive deficits and synaptic plasticity impairment. Accordingly, Pten mutations have a strong link with autism spectrum disorder. In this study, neuronal Pten haploinsufficient male mice were subjected to a long-term environmental intervention - intermittent fasting (IF) - and then evaluated for alterations in exploratory, anxiety and learning and memory behaviors. Although no significant effects on spatial memory were observed, mutant mice showed impaired contextual fear memory in the passive avoidance test - an outcome that was effectively rescued by IF. In this study, we demonstrated that IF modulation, in addition to its rescue of the memory deficit, was also required to uncover behavioral phenotypes otherwise hidden in this neuronal Pten haploinsufficiency model.
Assuntos
Disfunção Cognitiva/terapia , Jejum , Haploinsuficiência , PTEN Fosfo-Hidrolase/deficiência , Animais , Transtornos de Ansiedade/terapia , Comportamento Animal , Deficiências da Aprendizagem/terapia , Masculino , Transtornos da Memória/terapia , CamundongosRESUMO
Sevelamer hydrochloride is an ionic exchange resin with high affinity for phosphate. This phosphate-binding agent has few serious adverse reactions with the advantage of reducing total and low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. However, it is controversial as to whether sevelamer hydrochloride can modulate the inflammatory response via endotoxin reduction. Therefore, a single-center, open-label, prospective and randomized study was performed to compare the clinical efficacy, safety and anti-inflammatory activity of two sevelamer hydrochloride tablet forms a branded tablet form, Renagel (Genzyme manufacturer) and its generic equivalent (EMS manufacturer). Twenty-eight chronic kidney disease volunteer patients at stage 5 (CDK 5D), on chronic low-flux hemodialysis carried out in 4-hour sessions, three times a week, were studied. The serum phosphorus, ionic calcium, total cholesterol and fractions, bicarbonate, blood pH, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, IL-1 beta and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) levels were collected prior to dialysis at mid-week. The incidence of gastrointestinal adverse effects were determined at the end of the phosphate-binder washout period as well as at the end of the fourth and eighth weeks of use of both tablet forms. The same magnitude of reduction in serum phosphorus was observed with both sevelamer tablet forms. Only the Renagel group showed lower total cholesterol and lower LDL cholesterol levels at the fourth and eighth week versus baseline. No significant differences in serum cytokine levels were identified in either drug group. However, the incidence of intestinal obstipation was higher among patients who used the generic equivalent form. In conclusion, Renagel and its EMS generic equivalent tablet forms have a similar clinical efficacy in reducing phosphorus in CKD 5D patients on low-flux hemodialysis and a similar safety profile.
Assuntos
Quelantes , Medicamentos Genéricos , Fósforo/sangue , Poliaminas , Diálise Renal/efeitos adversos , Insuficiência Renal Crônica , Proteína C-Reativa/análise , Proteína C-Reativa/imunologia , Quelantes/efeitos adversos , Quelantes/farmacologia , Quelantes/uso terapêutico , Colesterol/sangue , Citocinas/sangue , Citocinas/imunologia , Medicamentos Genéricos/efeitos adversos , Medicamentos Genéricos/farmacologia , Medicamentos Genéricos/uso terapêutico , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Poliaminas/efeitos adversos , Poliaminas/farmacologia , Poliaminas/uso terapêutico , Estudos Prospectivos , Diálise Renal/métodos , Insuficiência Renal Crônica/sangue , Insuficiência Renal Crônica/tratamento farmacológico , Insuficiência Renal Crônica/imunologia , Sevelamer , Resultado do Tratamento , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/sangue , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/imunologiaRESUMO
Cocaine is a widely used drug and its abuse is associated with physical, psychiatric and social problems. Abnormalities in newborns have been demonstrated to be due to the toxic effects of cocaine during fetal development. The mechanism by which cocaine causes neurological damage is complex and involves interactions of the drug with several neurotransmitter systems, such as the increase of extracellular levels of dopamine and free radicals, and modulation of transcription factors. The aim of this review was to evaluate the importance of the dopaminergic system and the participation of inflammatory signaling in cocaine neurotoxicity. Our study showed that cocaine activates the transcription factors NF-κB and CREB, which regulate genes involved in cellular death. GBR 12909 (an inhibitor of dopamine reuptake), lidocaine (a local anesthetic), and dopamine did not activate NF-κB in the same way as cocaine. However, the attenuation of NF-κB activity after the pretreatment of the cells with SCH 23390, a D1 receptor antagonist, suggests that the activation of NF-κB by cocaine is, at least partially, due to activation of D1 receptors. NF-κB seems to have a protective role in these cells because its inhibition increased cellular death caused by cocaine. The increase in BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) mRNA can also be related to the protective role of both CREB and NF-κB transcription factors. An understanding of the mechanisms by which cocaine induces cell death in the brain will contribute to the development of new therapies for drug abusers, which can help to slow down the progress of degenerative processes.
RESUMO
Cocaine is a widely used drug and its abuse is associated with physical, psychiatric and social problems. Abnormalities in newborns have been demonstrated to be due to the toxic effects of cocaine during fetal development. The mechanism by which cocaine causes neurological damage is complex and involves interactions of the drug with several neurotransmitter systems, such as the increase of extracellular levels of dopamine and free radicals, and modulation of transcription factors. The aim of this review was to evaluate the importance of the dopaminergic system and the participation of inflammatory signaling in cocaine neurotoxicity. Our study showed that cocaine activates the transcription factors NF-κB and CREB, which regulate genes involved in cellular death. GBR 12909 (an inhibitor of dopamine reuptake), lidocaine (a local anesthetic), and dopamine did not activate NF-κB in the same way as cocaine. However, the attenuation of NF-κB activity after the pretreatment of the cells with SCH 23390, a D1 receptor antagonist, suggests that the activation of NF-κB by cocaine is, at least partially, due to activation of D1 receptors. NF-κB seems to have a protective role in these cells because its inhibition increased cellular death caused by cocaine. The increase in BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) mRNA can also be related to the protective role of both CREB and NF-κB transcription factors. An understanding of the mechanisms by which cocaine induces cell death in the brain will contribute to the development of new therapies for drug abusers, which can help to slow down the progress of degenerative processes.
RESUMO
Na,K-ATPase, an ion pump, has been shown to interact with other proteins in signaling complexes in cardiac myocytes, renal and glial cells, and several other cell types. Our previous in vivo studies indicated that intrahippocampal administration of ouabain (OUA), an inhibitor of Na,K-ATPase, induces NFκB activation, leading to an increase in mRNA levels of target genes of this transcription factor in the rat hippocampus. The present work investigated whether OUA can regulate NF-κB in primary cultured rat cerebellar cells. Cells were treated with different concentrations of OUA (1, 10 or 100 µM) for different periods of time (1, 2 and 4 h). OUA induced a time- and concentration-dependent activation of NFκB (peak of activation: 10 µM, 2 h), involving both p50/p65 and p50/p50 NFκB dimers. OUA (10 µM, 2 h) induced upregulation of tumor necrosis factor α (Tnf-α), interleukin-1ß (Il-1ß), and brain derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) mRNA levels. Both NFκB activation and gene expression activation induced by OUA (10 µM) were abolished when cells were pre-treated for 20 min with MK-801 (N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist), manumycin A (farnesyltransferase inhibitor), PP-1(Src-family tyrosine kinase inhibitor) and PD98059 (mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor). OUA (10 µM) alone or in the presence of MK-801, PP-1, PD98059 did not cause cell death or DNA fragmentation. These findings suggest that OUA activates NFκB by NMDA-Src-Ras-like protein through MAPK pathways in cultured cerebellar cells. This pathway may mediate an adaptive response in the central nervous system.
Assuntos
Cerebelo/efeitos dos fármacos , Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Ouabaína/farmacologia , Receptores de N-Metil-D-Aspartato/agonistas , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Animais , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/metabolismo , Cerebelo/metabolismo , Maleato de Dizocilpina/farmacologia , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Antagonistas de Aminoácidos Excitatórios/farmacologia , Flavonoides/farmacologia , Regulação da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Interleucina-1beta , Ouabaína/antagonistas & inibidores , Polienos/farmacologia , Alcamidas Poli-Insaturadas/farmacologia , Cultura Primária de Células , Pirazóis/farmacologia , Pirimidinas/farmacologia , Ratos , Receptores de N-Metil-D-Aspartato/antagonistas & inibidores , Fatores de Tempo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismoRESUMO
Wnt proteins are involved in tissue development and their signaling pathways play an important role during embryogenesis. Wnt signaling can promote cell survival, which is beneficial for neurons, but could also lead to tumor development in different tissues. The present study investigated the effects of a Wnt protein on the susceptibility of a neural tumor cell line (PC12 cells) to the cytotoxic compounds ferrous sulfate (10 mM), staurosporine (100 and 500 nM), 3-nitropropionic acid (5 mM), and amyloid β-peptide (Aβ25-35; 50 µM). Cells (1 x 10(6) cells/mL) were treated with the Wnt-3a recombinant peptide (200 ng/mL) for 24 h before exposure to toxic insults. The Wnt-3a protein partially protected PC12 cells, with a 6-15 percent increase in cell viability in the presence of toxic agents, similar to the effect measured using the MTT and lactate dehydrogenase cell viability assays. The Wnt-3a protein increased protein expression of β-catenin by 52 percent compared to control. These findings suggest that Wnt signaling can protect neural cells against apoptosis induced by toxic agents, which are relevant to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s diseases.
Assuntos
Animais , Ratos , Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , /efeitos dos fármacos , Peptídeos beta-Amiloides/farmacologia , Apoptose/fisiologia , Diferenciação Celular , Proliferação de Células , Compostos Ferrosos/farmacologia , Nitrocompostos/farmacologia , Estresse Oxidativo/fisiologia , Propionatos/farmacologia , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Estaurosporina/farmacologia , /fisiologiaRESUMO
It has been shown that ouabain (OUA) can activate the Na,K-ATPase complex and mediate intracellular signaling in the central nervous system (CNS). Inflammatory stimulus increases glutamatergic transmission, especially at N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, which are usually coupled to the activation of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation modulates the expression of genes involved in development, plasticity, and inflammation. The present work investigated the effects of OUA on NF-κB binding activity in rat hippocampus and the influence of this OUA-Na,K-ATPase signaling cascade in NMDA-mediated NF-κB activation. The findings presented here are the first report indicating that intrahippocampal administration of OUA, in a concentration that did not alter Na,K-ATPase or NOS activity, induced an activation of NF-κB, leading to increases in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf), inducible NOS (iNos), tumor necrosis factor-α (Tnf-α), and B-cell leukemia/lymphoma 2 (Bcl2) mRNA levels. This response was not linked to any significant signs of neurodegeneration as showed via Fluoro-Jade B and Nissl stain. Intrahippocampal administration of NMDA induced NF-κB activation and increased NOS and α(2/3) -Na,K-ATPase activities. NMDA treatment further increased OUA-induced NF-κB activation, which was partially blocked by MK-801, an antagonist of NMDA receptor. These results suggest that OUA-induced NF-κB activation is at least in part dependent on Na,K-ATPase modulatory action of NMDA receptor in hippocampus. The interaction of these signaling pathways could be associated with biological mechanisms that may underlie the basal homeostatic state linked to the inflammatory signaling cascade in the brain.
Assuntos
Inibidores Enzimáticos/farmacologia , Regulação Enzimológica da Expressão Gênica/efeitos dos fármacos , Hipocampo/efeitos dos fármacos , NF-kappa B/metabolismo , Ouabaína/farmacologia , Receptores de N-Metil-D-Aspartato/metabolismo , Análise de Variância , Animais , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/genética , Fator Neurotrófico Derivado do Encéfalo/metabolismo , Morte Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Maleato de Dizocilpina/farmacologia , Relação Dose-Resposta a Droga , Interações Medicamentosas , Ensaio de Desvio de Mobilidade Eletroforética/métodos , Ativação Enzimática/efeitos dos fármacos , Antagonistas de Aminoácidos Excitatórios/farmacologia , Hipocampo/citologia , Masculino , N-Metilaspartato/farmacologia , Neurônios/citologia , Neurônios/efeitos dos fármacos , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo II/genética , Óxido Nítrico Sintase Tipo II/metabolismo , Oligonucleotídeos/farmacologia , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2/metabolismo , RNA Mensageiro/metabolismo , Ratos , Ratos Wistar , ATPase Trocadora de Sódio-Potássio/metabolismo , Fatores de Tempo , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/genética , Fator de Necrose Tumoral alfa/metabolismo , Proteína X Associada a bcl-2/genética , Proteína X Associada a bcl-2/metabolismoRESUMO
Wnt proteins are involved in tissue development and their signaling pathways play an important role during embryogenesis. Wnt signaling can promote cell survival, which is beneficial for neurons, but could also lead to tumor development in different tissues. The present study investigated the effects of a Wnt protein on the susceptibility of a neural tumor cell line (PC12 cells) to the cytotoxic compounds ferrous sulfate (10 mM), staurosporine (100 and 500 nM), 3-nitropropionic acid (5 mM), and amyloid ß-peptide (Aß25-35; 50 µM). Cells (1 x 10(6) cells/mL) were treated with the Wnt-3a recombinant peptide (200 ng/mL) for 24 h before exposure to toxic insults. The Wnt-3a protein partially protected PC12 cells, with a 6-15% increase in cell viability in the presence of toxic agents, similar to the effect measured using the MTT and lactate dehydrogenase cell viability assays. The Wnt-3a protein increased protein expression of ß-catenin by 52% compared to control. These findings suggest that Wnt signaling can protect neural cells against apoptosis induced by toxic agents, which are relevant to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases.
Assuntos
Apoptose/efeitos dos fármacos , Estresse Oxidativo/efeitos dos fármacos , Transdução de Sinais/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteína Wnt3A/efeitos dos fármacos , Peptídeos beta-Amiloides/farmacologia , Animais , Apoptose/fisiologia , Diferenciação Celular , Proliferação de Células , Compostos Ferrosos/farmacologia , Nitrocompostos/farmacologia , Estresse Oxidativo/fisiologia , Células PC12 , Propionatos/farmacologia , Ratos , Transdução de Sinais/fisiologia , Estaurosporina/farmacologia , Proteína Wnt3A/fisiologiaRESUMO
Stress is triggered by numerous unexpected environmental, social or pathological stimuli occurring during the life of animals, including humans, which determine changes in all of their systems. Although acute stress is essential for survival, chronic, long-lasting stress can be detrimental. In this review, we present data supporting the hypothesis that stress-related events are characterized by modifications of oxidative/nitrosative pathways in the brain in response to the activation of inflammatory mediators. Recent findings indicate a key role for nitric oxide (NO) and an excess of pro-oxidants in various brain areas as responsible for both neuronal functional impairment and structural damage. Similarly, cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), another known source of oxidants, may account for stress-induced brain damage. Interestingly, some of the COX-2-derived mediators, such as the prostaglandin 15d-PGJ2 and its peroxisome proliferator-activated nuclear receptor PPARγ, are activated in the brain in response to stress, constituting a possible endogenous anti-inflammatory mechanism of defense against excessive inflammation. The stress-induced activation of both biochemical pathways depends on the activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor and on the activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor kappa B (NFκB). In the case of inducible NO synthase (iNOS), release of the cytokine TNF-α also accounts for its expression. Different pharmacological strategies directed towards different sites in iNOS or COX-2 pathways have been shown to be neuroprotective in stress-induced brain damage: NMDA receptor blockers, inhibitors of TNF-α activation and release, inhibitors of NFκB, specific inhibitors of iNOS and COX-2 activities and PPARγ agonists. This article reviews recent contributions to this area addressing possible new pharmacological targets for the treatment of stress-induced neuropsychiatric disorders.