scholarly journals Identifying the Effects of Reactive Oxygen Species on Mitochondrial Dynamics and Cytoskeleton Stability in Dictyostelium discoideum

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2147
Author(s):  
Evan Downs ◽  
Amber D. Bottrell ◽  
Kari Naylor

Defects in mitochondrial dynamics, fission, fusion, and motility have been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and Charcot–Marie–Tooth disease. Another key feature of neurodegeneration is the increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS). Previous work has shown that the cytoskeleton, in particular the microtubules, and ROS generated by rotenone significantly regulate mitochondrial dynamics in Dictyostelium discoideum. The goal of this project is to study the effects of ROS on mitochondrial dynamics within our model organism D. discoideum to further understand the underlying issues that are the root of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. We chose three likely ROS inducers, cumene hydroperoxide, hydroxylamine hydrochloride, and Antimycin A. Our work demonstrates that alteration of the microtubule cytoskeleton is not required to alter dynamics in response to ROS and there is no easy way to predict how mitochondrial dynamics will be altered based on which ROS generator is used. This research contributes to the better understanding of the cellular mechanisms that induce the pathogenesis of incurable neurodegenerative diseases with the hope that it will translate into developing new and more effective treatments for patients afflicted by them.

2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 891-909 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruby Macdonald ◽  
Katy Barnes ◽  
Christopher Hastings ◽  
Heather Mortiboys

Mitochondrial abnormalities have been identified as a central mechanism in multiple neurodegenerative diseases and, therefore, the mitochondria have been explored as a therapeutic target. This review will focus on the evidence for mitochondrial abnormalities in the two most common neurodegenerative diseases, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. In addition, we discuss the main strategies which have been explored in these diseases to target the mitochondria for therapeutic purposes, focusing on mitochondrially targeted antioxidants, peptides, modulators of mitochondrial dynamics and phenotypic screening outcomes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 295 (32) ◽  
pp. 11231-11245
Author(s):  
Fatema B. Salem ◽  
Wyatt P. Bunner ◽  
Vishwanath V. Prabhu ◽  
Abu-Bakarr Kuyateh ◽  
Collin T. O'Bryant ◽  
...  

The hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases, including neural fibrils, reactive oxygen species, and cofilin–actin rods, present numerous challenges in the development of in vivo diagnostic tools. Biomarkers such as β-amyloid (Aβ) fibrils and Tau tangles in Alzheimer's disease are accessible only via invasive cerebrospinal fluid assays, and reactive oxygen species can be fleeting and challenging to monitor in vivo. Although remaining a challenge for in vivo detection, the protein–protein interactions underlying these disease-specific biomarkers present opportunities for the engineering of in vitro pathology-sensitive biosensors. These tools can be useful for investigating early stage events in neurodegenerative diseases in both cellular and animal models and may lead to clinically useful reagents. Here, we report a light- and cellular stress–gated protein switch based on cofilin–actin rod formation, occurring in stressed neurons in the Alzheimer's disease brain and following ischemia. By coupling the stress-sensitive cofilin–actin interaction with the light-responsive Cry2-CIB blue-light switch, referred to hereafter as the CofActor, we accomplished both light- and energetic/oxidative stress–gated control of this interaction. Site-directed mutagenesis of both cofilin and actin revealed residues critical for sustaining or abrogating the light- and stress-gated response. Of note, the switch response varied depending on whether cellular stress was generated via glycolytic inhibition or by both glycolytic inhibition and azide-induced ATP depletion. We also demonstrate light- and cellular stress–gated switch function in cultured hippocampal neurons. CofActor holds promise for the tracking of early stage events in neurodegeneration and for investigating actin's interactions with other proteins during cellular stress.


Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 371
Author(s):  
Patrycja Pawlik ◽  
Katarzyna Błochowiak

Many neurodegenerative diseases present with progressive neuronal degeneration, which can lead to cognitive and motor impairment. Early screening and diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD) are necessary to begin treatment before the onset of clinical symptoms and slow down the progression of the disease. Biomarkers have shown great potential as a diagnostic tool in the early diagnosis of many diseases, including AD and PD. However, screening for these biomarkers usually includes invasive, complex and expensive methods such as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sampling through a lumbar puncture. Researchers are continuously seeking to find a simpler and more reliable diagnostic tool that would be less invasive than CSF sampling. Saliva has been studied as a potential biological fluid that could be used in the diagnosis and early screening of neurodegenerative diseases. This review aims to provide an insight into the current literature concerning salivary biomarkers used in the diagnosis of AD and PD. The most commonly studied salivary biomarkers in AD are β-amyloid1-42/1-40 and TAU protein, as well as α-synuclein and protein deglycase (DJ-1) in PD. Studies continue to be conducted on this subject and researchers are attempting to find correlations between specific biomarkers and early clinical symptoms, which could be key in creating new treatments for patients before the onset of symptoms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tapan Behl ◽  
Gagandeep Kaur ◽  
Aayush Sehgal ◽  
Gokhan Zengin ◽  
Sukhbir Singh ◽  
...  

Background: Ionizing radiation from telluric sources is unceasingly an unprotected pitfall to humans. Thus, the foremost contributors to human exposure are global and medical radiations. Various pieces of evidences assembled during preceding years reveal the pertinent role of ionizing radiation-induced oxidative stress in the progression of neurodegenerative insults such as Parkinson’s disease, which have been contributing to increased proliferation and generation of reactive oxygen species. Objective: This review delineates the role of ionizing radiation-induced oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease and proposes novel therapeutic interventions of flavonoid family offering effective management and slowing down the progression of Parkinson’s disease. Method: Published papers were searched via MEDLINE, PubMed, etc. published to date for in-depth database collection. Results: The potential of oxidative damage may harm the non-targeted cells. It can also modulate the functions of central nervous system, such as protein misfolding, mitochondria dysfunction, increased levels of oxidized lipids, and dopaminergic cell death, which accelerates the progression of Parkinson’s disease at the molecular, cellular, or tissue levels. In Parkinson’s disease, reactive oxygen species exacerbate the production of nitric oxides and superoxides by activated microglia, rendering death of dopaminergic neuronal cell through different mechanisms. Conclusion: Rising interest has extensively engrossed on the clinical trial designs based on the plant derived family of antioxidants. They are known to exert multifarious impact either way in neuroprotection via directly suppressing ionizing radiation-induced oxidative stress and reactive oxygen species production or indirectly increasing the dopamine levels and activating the glial cells.


Author(s):  
Lars-Gunnar Gunnarsson ◽  
Lennart Bodin

Objectives: To carry out an integrated and stratified meta-analysis on occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields (EMFs), metals and pesticides and its effects on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease, and investigate the possibility of publication bias. Methods: In the current study, we updated our recently published meta-analyses on occupational exposures in relation to ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. Based on 66 original publications of good scientific epidemiological standard, according to the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations (GRADE) guidelines, we analysed subgroups by carrying out stratified meta-analyses on publication year, statistical precision of the relative risk (RR) estimates, inspection of the funnel plots and test of bias. Results: Based on 19 studies the weighted RR for occupational exposure to EMFs was 1.26 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.07–1.50) for ALS, 1.33 (95% CI 1.07–1.64) for Alzheimer’s disease and 1.02 (95% CI 0.83–1.26) for Parkinson’s disease. Thirty-one studies concerned occupational exposure to pesticides and the weighted RR was 1.35 (95% CI 1.02–1.79) for ALS, 1.50 (95% CI 0.98–2.29) for Alzheimer’s disease and 1.66 (95% CI 1.42–1.94) for Parkinson’s disease. Finally, 14 studies concerned occupational exposure to metals and only exposure to lead (five studies) involved an elevated risk for ALS or Parkinson’s disease and the weighted RR was 1.57 (95% CI 1.11–2.20). The weighted RR for all the non-lead exposures was 0.97 (95% CI 0.88–1.06). Conclusions: Exposure to pesticides increased the risk of getting the mentioned neurodegenerative diseases by at least 50%. Exposure to lead was only studied for ALS and Parkinson’s disease and involved 50% increased risk. Occupational exposure to EMFs seemed to involve some 10% increase in risk for ALS and Alzheimer’s disease only.


Author(s):  
Marta Goschorska ◽  
Izabela Gutowska ◽  
Irena Baranowska-Bosiacka ◽  
Katarzyna Piotrowska ◽  
Emilia Metryka ◽  
...  

It has been reported that donepezil and rivastigmine, the acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitors commonly used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), do not only inhibit AChE but also have antioxidant properties. As oxidative stress is involved in AD pathogenesis, in our study we attempted to examine the influence of donepezil and rivastigmine on the activity of antioxidant enzymes and glutathione concentration in macrophages—an important source of reactive oxygen species and crucial for oxidative stress progression. The macrophages were exposed to sodium fluoride induced oxidative stress. The antioxidant enzymes activity and concentration of glutathione were measured spectrophotometrically. The generation of reactive oxygen species was visualized by confocal microscopy. The results of our study showed that donepezil and rivastigmine had a stimulating effect on catalase activity. However, when exposed to fluoride-induced oxidative stress, the drugs reduced the activity of some antioxidant enzymes (Cat, SOD, GR). These observations suggest that the fluoride-induced oxidative stress may suppress the antioxidant action of AChE inhibitors. Our results may have significance in the clinical practice of treatment of AD and other dementia diseases.


Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tae Yeon Kim ◽  
Eunju Leem ◽  
Jae Man Lee ◽  
Sang Ryong Kim

Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defense systems, and it can be associated with the pathogenesis and progression of neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, stroke, and Parkinson’s disease (PD). The application of antioxidants, which can defend against oxidative stress, is able to detoxify the reactive intermediates and prevent neurodegeneration resulting from excessive ROS production. There are many reports showing that numerous flavonoids, a large group of natural phenolic compounds, can act as antioxidants and the application of flavonoids has beneficial effects in the adult brain. For instance, it is well known that the long-term consumption of the green tea-derived flavonoids catechin and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) can attenuate the onset of PD. Also, flavonoids such as ampelopsin and pinocembrin can inhibit mitochondrial dysfunction and neuronal death through the regulation of gene expression of the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) pathway. Additionally, it is well established that many flavonoids exhibit anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammatory effects through cellular signaling pathways, such as those involving (ERK), glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and (Akt), resulting in neuroprotection. In this review article, we have described the oxidative stress involved in PD and explained the therapeutic potential of flavonoids to protect the nigrostriatal DA system, which may be useful to prevent PD.


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