Scopoletin Activates Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase/Mammalian Target of Rapamycin Signaling Pathway and Improves Functional Recovery after Spinal Cord Injury in Rats

Pharmacology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 349-359
Author(s):  
Ruijuan Zhou ◽  
Shifeng Kan ◽  
Song Cai ◽  
Ran Sun ◽  
Haixin Yuan ◽  
...  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 562-568
Author(s):  
Xianfeng Jiang ◽  
Fengwu Tang ◽  
Guang Han ◽  
Chen Yun ◽  
Xuyi Chen ◽  
...  

Objective: Curcumin possesses extensive therapeutic effects on several diseases and tumor cells, which has inhibitory effects on mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-STAT3 signaling. Our study aims to explore the influences of curcumin on promoting the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury (SCI) in rats through the mTOR-STAT3 signaling pathway. Methods : SCI rats were treated with rapamycin and curcumin followed by establishing rat models of SCI. The influences of rapamycin and curcumin on the protein expressions of PTEN, Akt, phosphorylated S6 and chondroitin sulphate proteoglycans (CSPGs) were measured by western blot. Means of Basso, Beattie and Bresnahan (BBB) locomotor rating scale was used to assess motor function. Results: After SCI, curcumin promoted the expression of PTEN, reduced the proliferation of neuroglia cells, affected the expressions of CSPGs and improved the motor function. Conclusion: Curcumin can promote motor function recovery after SCI which is possibly by up-regulating the PTEN expression via the mTOR-STAT3 signaling pathway.


2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoping Wang ◽  
Xiaojia Li ◽  
Bin Huang ◽  
Shuai Ma

AbstractSpinal cord injury (SCI) is an extremely serious type of physical trauma observed in clinics. Neuropathic pain resulting from SCI has a lasting and significant impact on most aspects of daily life. Thus, a better understanding of the molecular pathways responsible for the cause of neuropathic pain observed in SCI is important to develop effective therapeutic agents and treatment strategies. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a serine/threonine protein kinase that is well known for its critical roles in regulating protein synthesis and growth. Furthermore, compelling evidence supports the notion that widespread dysregulation of mTOR and its downstream pathways are involved in neuropathic pain. Thus, in this study we specifically examined the underlying mechanisms by which mTOR and its signaling pathways are involved in SCI-evoked neuropathic pain in a rat model. Overall, we demonstrated that SCI increased the protein expression of p-mTOR, and mTORmediated- phosphorylation of 4E–binding protein 4 (4E-BP1) and p70 ribosomal S6 protein kinase 1 (S6K1) in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. Also, we showed that blocking spinal mTOR by intrathecal injection of rapamycin significantly inhibited pain responses induced by mechanical and thermal stimulation. In addition, blocking spinal phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (p-PI3K) pathway significantly attenuated activities of p-mTOR pathways as well as mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in SCI rats. Moreover, blocking mTOR and PI3K decreased the enhanced levels of substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) in the dorsal horn of SCI rats. We revealed specific signaling pathways leading to SCI-evoked neuropathic pain, including the activation of PI3K, mTOR and its downstream signaling pathways. Targeting one or more of these signaling molecules may present new opportunities for treatment and management of neuropathic pain often observed in patients with SCI.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xu Yan ◽  
Yong Cao ◽  
Chunyuan Chen ◽  
Hui Xie ◽  
Hongbin Lu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating clinical diseasewithout effectivetherapeuticapproach recently. In this study, we aim to investigate the effect of locally injection with exosome derived human urine stem cell (USC) embedding with hydrogelcould improve the spinal cord functional recovery after injury and the underlying mechanism.Methods:Exosome were isolate from USC andidentified by transmission electron microscopy and western blot. Functional assays using human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) in vitro were performed to assess the effects of USC-Exosdeliverythe angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) on tube formation and migration as well as their regulatory role in the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway activation. In vivo experiment we locally injection with exosome derived USC embedding with hydrogel for treatment of SCI. The effects of USC-Exos on functional recovery in spinal cord injury mice were tested by measuring motor evoked potential, histological and neovascular numbers. Meanwhile, the role of the candidate protein ANGPTL3 in USC-Exo for promoting angiogenesisin SCI was assessed.Results:In current study, we demonstrate that when given locallyinjection with exosomederivedhuman urine stem cell (USC) embeddingwith hydrogelcould pass the spinal cord blood brain barrier and delivery the angiopoietin-like protein 3 (ANGPTL3) to the injured spinal cord region. In addition, the administration of exosome derived from human USC could enhance spinal cord neurological functional recovery by promoting angiogenesis.The mechanism studies revealed that ANGPTL3 are enriched in USCexosome(USC-Exo) and required for USC exosome promoting angiogenesis. Functional studies further confirmed the effects caused by exosome derived from USC on angiogenesis wasmediated by PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Conclusion:Collectively, our results indicated that USC derived exosome serve as a critical regulator of angiogenesis by transferring ANGPTL3 and may represent a promising novel therapeutic agent for SCI repair.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dayu Pan ◽  
Yongjin Li ◽  
Fuhan Yang ◽  
Zenghui Lv ◽  
Shibo Zhu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severely disabling disease that leads to loss of sensation, motor, and autonomic function. As exosomes have great potential in diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of SCI because of their ability to easily cross the blood–brain barrier, the function of Schwann cell-derived exosomes (SCDEs) is still largely unknown. Methods A T10 spinal cord contusion was established in adult female mice. SCDEs were injected into the tail veins of mice three times a week for 4 weeks after the induction of SCI, and the control group was injected with PBS. High-resolution transmission electron microscope and western blot were used to characterize the SCDEs. Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) expression on astrocytes, chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) deposition and neurological function recovery were measured in the spinal cord tissues of each group by immunofluorescence staining of TLR2, GFAP, CS56, 5-HT, and β-III-tublin, respectively. TLR2f/f mice were crossed to the GFAP-Cre strain to generate astrocyte specific TLR2 knockout mice (TLR2−/−). Finally, western blot analysis was used to determine the expression of signaling proteins and IKKβ inhibitor SC-514 was used to validate the involved signaling pathway. Results Here, we found that TLR2 increased significantly on astrocytes post-SCI. SCDEs treatment can promote functional recovery and induce the expression of TLR2 on astrocytes accompanied with decreased CSPGs deposition. The specific knockout of TLR2 on astrocytes abolished the decreasing CSPGs deposition and neurological functional recovery post-SCI. In addition, the signaling pathway of NF-κB/PI3K involved in the TLR2 activation was validated by western blot. Furthermore, IKKβ inhibitor SC-514 was also used to validate this signaling pathway. Conclusion Thus, our results uncovered that SCDEs can promote functional recovery of mice post-SCI by decreasing the CSPGs deposition via increasing the TLR2 expression on astrocytes through NF-κB/PI3K signaling pathway.


2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingying Zhou ◽  
Xue Huo ◽  
Benson O. A. Botchway ◽  
Luyao Xu ◽  
Xiaofang Meng ◽  
...  

Spinal cord injury (SCI) causes a high rate of morbidity and disability. The clinical features of SCI are divided into acute, subacute, and chronic phases according to its pathophysiological events. The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway plays an important role in cell death and inflammation in the acute phase and neuroregeneration in the subacute/chronic phases at different times. Resveratrol has the potential of regulating cell growth, proliferation, metabolism, and angiogenesis through the mTOR signaling pathway. Herein, we explicate the role of resveratrol in the repair of SCI through the inhibition of the mTOR signaling pathway. The inhibition of the mTOR pathway by resveratrol has the potential of serving as a neuronal restorative mechanism following SCI.


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