scholarly journals SkQ1 Suppresses the p38 MAPK Signaling Pathway Involved in Alzheimer’s Disease-Like Pathology in OXYS Rats

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 676
Author(s):  
Natalia A. Muraleva ◽  
Natalia A. Stefanova ◽  
Nataliya G. Kolosova

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia and is currently incurable, and mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) p38 is implicated in the pathogenesis of AD. p38 MAPK inhibition is considered a promising strategy against AD, but there are no safe inhibitors capable of penetrating the blood–brain barrier. Earlier, we have shown that mitochondria-targeted antioxidant plastoquinonyl-decyltriphenylphosphonium (SkQ1) at nanomolar concentrations can prevent, slow down, or partially alleviate AD-like pathology in accelerated-senescence OXYS rats. Here we confirmed that dietary supplementation with SkQ1 during active progression of AD-like pathology in OXYS rats (aged 12–18 months) suppresses AD-like pathology progression, and for the first time, we showed that its effects are associated with suppression of p38 MAPK signaling pathway (MAPKsp) activity. Transcriptome analysis, western blotting, and immunofluorescent staining revealed that SkQ1 suppresses p38 MAPKsp activity in the hippocampus at the level of expression of genes involved in the p38 MAPKsp and reduces the phosphorylation of intermediate kinases (p38 MAPK and MK2) and a downstream protein (αB-crystallin). Thus, the anti-AD effects of SkQ1 are associated with improvement in the functioning of relevant signaling pathways and intracellular processes, thus making it a promising therapeutic agent for human AD.

Author(s):  
Yehong Du ◽  
Yexiang Du ◽  
Yun Zhang ◽  
Zhilin Huang ◽  
Min Fu ◽  
...  

AbstractMitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphatase 1 (MKP-1) is an essential negative regulator of MAPKs by dephosphorylating MAPKs at both tyrosine and threonine residues. Dysregulation of the MAPK signaling pathway has been associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the role of MKP-1 in AD pathogenesis remains elusive. Here, we report that MKP-1 levels were decreased in the brain tissues of patients with AD and an AD mouse model. The reduction in MKP-1 gene expression appeared to be a result of transcriptional inhibition via transcription factor specificity protein 1 (Sp1) cis-acting binding elements in the MKP-1 gene promoter. Amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced Sp1 activation decreased MKP-1 expression. However, upregulation of MKP-1 inhibited the expression of both Aβ precursor protein (APP) and β-site APP-cleaving enzyme 1 by inactivating the extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK)/MAPK signaling pathway. Furthermore, upregulation of MKP-1 reduced Aβ production and plaque formation and improved hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP) and cognitive deficits in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Our results demonstrate that MKP-1 impairment facilitates the pathogenesis of AD, whereas upregulation of MKP-1 plays a neuroprotective role to reduce Alzheimer-related phenotypes. Thus, this study suggests that MKP-1 is a novel molecule for AD treatment.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yadi Wang ◽  
Yang Zhang ◽  
Bo Sun ◽  
Qing Tong ◽  
Liqun Ren

We investigated the potential protective effect of rutinum (RUT) against pirarubicin- (THP-) induced cardiotoxicity. THP was used to induce toxicity in rat H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Positive control cells were pretreated with a cardioprotective agent dexrazoxane (DZR) prior to treatment with THP. Some of the cells were preincubated with RUT and a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitor, SB203580, both individually and in combination, prior to THP exposure. At a dose range of 30–70 μM, RUT significantly prevented THP-induced reduction in cell viability; the best cardioprotective effect was observed at a dose of 50 μM. Administration of RUT and SB203580, both individually as well as in combination, suppressed the elevation of intracellular ROS, inhibited cell apoptosis, and reversed the THP-induced upregulation of TGF-β1, p-p38 MAPK, cleaved Caspase-9, Caspase-7, and Caspase-3. A synergistic effect was observed on coadministration of RUT and SB203580. RUT protected against THP-induced cardiotoxicity by inhibition of ROS generation and suppression of cell apoptosis. The cardioprotective effect of RUT appears to be associated with the modulation of the TGF-β1-p38 MAPK signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Bosco Ruganzu ◽  
Xiaoqian Peng ◽  
Yingying He ◽  
Xiangyuan Wu ◽  
Quzhao Zheng ◽  
...  

Abstract Activation of glial cells and neuroinflammation play an important role in the onset and development of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2) is a microglia-specific receptor in the brain that is involved in regulating neuroinflammation. However, the precise effects of TREM2 on neuroinflammatory responses and its underlying molecular mechanisms in AD have not been studied in detail. Here, we employed a lentiviral-mediated strategy to downregulation of TREM2 expression on microglia in the brain of APPswe/PS1dE9 (APP/PS1) transgenic mice and BV2 cells. Our results showed that TREM2 downregulation significantly aggravated AD-related neuropathology including Aβ accumulation, peri-plaque microgliosis and astrocytosis, as well as neuronal and synapse-associated proteins loss, which was accompanied by a decline in cognitive ability. The further mechanistic study revealed that downregulation of TREM2 expression initiated neuroinflammatory responses through toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4)-mediated mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway and subsequent stimulating the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in vivo and in vitro. Moreover, blockade of p38, JNK, and ERK1/2 inhibited the release of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and interleukin-6 (IL-6) induced by Aβ1−42 in TREM2-knocked down BV2 cells. Taken together, these findings indicated that TREM2 might be a potential therapeutic target for AD and other neuroinflammation related diseases.


2020 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1166-1170
Author(s):  
Zhijuan Yu ◽  
Liguo Wang ◽  
Xiujuan Li

The objective of this study was to determine the role of miR-3150b-3p in the cervical cancer (CC) progression. Real-time PCR and western blot analysis were conducted to test the expression of miR-3150b-3p, TNFRSF11a and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway. The interaction between miR-3150b-3p and TNFRSF11a was verified by luciferase assay. Cell proliferation, migration and invasion were determined by CCK-8, wound healing and Transwell assays. In this study, we showed that miR-3150b-3p was significantly downregulated in CC cell lines. Additionally, miR-3150b-3p markedly attenuated the proliferation, migration and invasion of HeLa and SiHa cells. Moreover, we identified TNFRSF11a to be a novel target of miR-3150b-3p in CC cells. Enforced expression of TNFRSF11a abolished the antitumor effect of miR-3150b-3p. Besides, miR-3150b-3p was involved in the regulation of the p38 MAPK signaling pathway. In conclusion, our data suggested that miR-3150b-3p directly targets TNFRSF11a to inactivate the p38 MAPK signaling pathway, thus implicating miR-3150b-3p in the regulation of CC cell growth.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (15) ◽  
pp. 5362
Author(s):  
Ming-Shan Chen ◽  
Hsuan-Te Yeh ◽  
Yi-Zhen Li ◽  
Wen-Chun Lin ◽  
Ying-Ray Lee ◽  
...  

Autophagy is a potential target for the treatment of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC). Because of a lack of targeted therapies for TNBC, it is vital to find optimal agents that avoid chemoresistance and metastasis. Flavopereirine has anti-proliferation ability in cancer cells, but whether it regulates autophagy in breast cancer cells remains unclear. A Premo™ Tandem Autophagy Sensor Kit was used to image the stage at which flavopereirine affects autophagy by confocal microscopy. A plasmid that constitutively expresses p-AKT and siRNA targeting p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) was used to confirm the related signaling pathways by Western blot. We found that flavopereirine induced microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3)-II accumulation in a dose- and time-dependent manner in MDA-MB-231 cells. Confocal florescent images showed that flavopereirine blocked autophagosome fusion with lysosomes. Western blotting showed that flavopereirine directly suppressed p-AKT levels and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) translation. Recovery of AKT phosphorylation decreased the level of p-p38 MAPK and LC3-II, but not mTOR. Moreover, flavopereirine-induced LC3-II accumulation was partially reduced in MDA-MB-231 cells that were transfected with p38 MAPK siRNA. Overall, flavopereirine blocked autophagy via LC3-II accumulation in autophagosomes, which was mediated by the AKT/p38 MAPK signaling pathway.


Blood ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 667-673 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valérie Marin ◽  
Catherine Farnarier ◽  
Sandra Grès ◽  
Solange Kaplanski ◽  
Michael S.-S. Su ◽  
...  

Abstract Thrombin, the terminal serine protease in the coagulation cascade, is a proinflammatory molecule in vivo and induces endothelial activation in vitro. The cellular signaling mechanisms involved in this function are unknown. The role of the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway in thrombin-induced chemokine production was studied. Phosphorylation of both p38 MAPK and its substrate, ATF-2, was observed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated with thrombin, with a maximum after 5 minutes of stimulation. Using the selective p38 MAPK inhibitor SB203580, there was a significant decrease in thrombin-induced interleukin-8 (IL-8) and monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) protein production and messenger RNA steady-state levels. In addition, SB203580 decreased IL-8 and MCP-1 production induced by the thrombin receptor-1 agonist peptide (TRAP), suggesting functional links between the thrombin G protein–coupled receptor and the p38 MAPK pathway. Furthermore, endothelial activation in the presence of SB203580 decreased the chemotactic activity of thrombin-stimulated HUVEC supernatant on neutrophils and monocytic cells. In contrast, the p42/p44 MAPK pathway did not appear to be involved in thrombin- or TRAP-induced endothelial chemokine production, because there was no reduction in the presence of the p42/p44-specific inhibitor PD98059. These results demonstrate that the p38 rather than p42/44 MAPK signaling pathway plays an important role in thrombin-induced endothelial proinflammatory activation and suggest that inhibition of p38 MAPK may be an interesting target for anti-inflammatory strategies in vascular diseases combining thrombosis and inflammation.


2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 9-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghazaleh Kheiri ◽  
Mahsa Dolatshahi ◽  
Farzaneh Rahmani ◽  
Nima Rezaei

AbstractA myriad of environmental and genetic factors, as well as the physiologic process of aging, contribute to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Neuroinflammation is and has been a focus of interest, as a common gateway for initiation of many of the underlying pathologies of AD. Amyloid beta (Aβ) toxicity, increasing RAGE expression, tau hyperphosphorylation, induction of apoptosis, and deregulated autophagy are among other mechanisms, partly entangled and being explained by activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and MAPK signaling. p38 MAPK is the most essential regulator of Aβ induced toxicity from this family. p38 induces NF-κB activation, glutamate excitotoxicity, and disruption of synaptic plasticity, which are other implications of all justifying the p38 MAPK as a potential target to break the vicious Aβ toxicity cycle. Until recently, manyin vivoandin vitrostudies have investigated the effects of p38 MAPK inhibitors in AD. The pyridinyl imidazole compoundsSB202190andSB203580have shown promising anti-apoptotic resultsin vivo. MW108inhibits activation of p38 and is able to postpone cognitive decline in animal models. ThePD169316, with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-apoptotic features, has improved spatial memoryin vivo. Natural compounds fromCamellia sinensis(green tea), polyphenols from olive oil, pinocembrin from propolis, and the puerarine extract isoflavones, have shown strong anti-apoptotic features, mediated by p38 MAPK inhibition. Use of these drug targets is limited due to central nervous system side effects or cross-reactivity with other kinases, predicting the low efficacy of these drugs in clinical trials.


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