scholarly journals Apelin-13 Protects Dopaminergic Neurons against Rotenone—Induced Neurotoxicity through the AMPK/mTOR/ULK-1 Mediated Autophagy Activation

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (21) ◽  
pp. 8376
Author(s):  
Peng Chen ◽  
Youcui Wang ◽  
Leilei Chen ◽  
Ning Song ◽  
Junxia Xie

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta. Several brain–gut peptides are able to exert neuroprotective effects on the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system. Apelin-13 is a neuropeptide, conveying potential neuroprotective activities. However, whether, and how, apelin-13 could antagonize rotenone-induced neurotoxicity has not yet been elucidated. In the present study, rotenone-treated SH-SY5Y cells and rats were used to clarify whether apelin-13 has protective effects on dopaminergic neurons, both in vivo and in vitro. The results showed that apelin-13 could protect SH-SY5Y cells from rotenone-induced injury and apoptosis. Apelin-13 was able to activate autophagy, and restore rotenone induced autophagy impairment in SH-SY5Y cells, which could be blocked by the autophagy inhibitor 3-Methyladenine. Apelin-13 activated AMPK/mTOR/ULK-1 signaling, AMPKα inhibitor compound C, as well as apelin receptor blockage via siRNA, which could block apelin-13-induced signaling activation, autophagy activation, and protective effects, in rotenone-treated SH-SY5Y cells. These results indicated that apelin-13 exerted neuroprotective properties against rotenone by stimulating AMPK/mTOR/ULK-1 signaling-mediated autophagy via the apelin receptor. We also observed that intracerebroventricular injection of apelin-13 could alleviate nigrostriatal dopaminergic neuron degeneration in rotenone-treated rats. Our findings provide new insights into the mechanism by which apelin-13 might attenuate neurotoxicity in PD.

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi-Ching Lo ◽  
Yu-Tzu Shih ◽  
Yu-Ting Tseng ◽  
Hung-Te Hsu

San-Huang-Xie-Xin-Tang (SHXT), composed ofCoptidis rhizoma, Scutellariae radix, andRhei rhizoma, is a traditional Chinese medicine used for complementary and alternative therapy of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases via its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects. The aim of this study is to investigate the protective effects of SHXT in the 1–methyl–4–phenylpyridinium (MPP+)/1–methyl–4–phenyl–1,2,3,6–tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) models of Parkinson’s disease. Rat primary mesencephalic neurons and mouse Parkinson disease model were used in this study. Oxidative stress was induced by MPP+in vitroand MPTPin vivo. In MPP+-treated mesencephalic neuron cultures, SHXT significantly increased the numbers of TH-positive neurons. SHXT reduced apoptotic signals (cytochrome and caspase) and apoptotic death. MPP+-inducedgp91phoxactivation and ROS production were attenuated by SHXT. In addition, SHXT increased the levels of GSH and SOD in MPP+-treated neurons. In MPTP animal model, SHXT markedly increased TH-positive neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and improved motor activity of mice. In conclusion, the present results reveal the evidence that SHXT possesses beneficial protection against MPTP-induced neurotoxicity in this model of Parkinson’s disease via its antioxidative and antiapoptotic effects. SHXT might be a potentially alternative and complementary medicine for neuroprotection.


2017 ◽  
Vol 217 (2) ◽  
pp. 635-647 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenwei Gong ◽  
Inmaculada Tasset ◽  
Antonio Diaz ◽  
Jaime Anguiano ◽  
Emir Tas ◽  
...  

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) serves as quality control during stress conditions through selective degradation of cytosolic proteins in lysosomes. Humanin (HN) is a mitochondria-associated peptide that offers cytoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro. In this study, we demonstrate that HN directly activates CMA by increasing substrate binding and translocation into lysosomes. The potent HN analogue HNG protects from stressor-induced cell death in fibroblasts, cardiomyoblasts, neuronal cells, and primary cardiomyocytes. The protective effects are lost in CMA-deficient cells, suggesting that they are mediated through the activation of CMA. We identified that a fraction of endogenous HN is present at the cytosolic side of the lysosomal membrane, where it interacts with heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) and stabilizes binding of this chaperone to CMA substrates as they bind to the membrane. Inhibition of HSP90 blocks the effect of HNG on substrate translocation and abolishes the cytoprotective effects. Our study provides a novel mechanism by which HN exerts its cardioprotective and neuroprotective effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chih-Hsiang Hsu ◽  
Sheue-Er Wang ◽  
Ching-Lung Lin ◽  
Chun-Jen Hsiao ◽  
Shuenn-Jyi Sheu ◽  
...  

In this study, we have reported the herbal formula B401 that has neuroprotective effects via multifunction, multitarget characteristics. It is possible that the herbal formula B401 may also provide new insights for AD. Here, we studied protective effects in the Tet-On Aβ42-GFP SH-SY5Y cell model and the APP/PS1/Tau triple transgenic mouse model by the herbal formula B401. Inin vitroexperiments, we showed that the herbal formula B401 treatment effectively reduces glutamate-induced excitotoxicity and acetylcholinesterase activity in Tet-On Aβ42-GFP SH-SY5Y cells. Inin vivoexperiments, we found that oral B401 treatment effectively ameliorates neurocognitive dysfunctions of 3× Tg-AD mice via motor and cognitive behavior tests. By using magnetic resonance imaging, moorFLPI instruments, and chemiluminescence methods, we reported that oral B401 treatment effectively alleviates brain atrophy, improves subcutaneous blood flow, and reduces blood ROS in 3× Tg-AD mice. As observed from results of immunohistochemistry staining and western blotting, we found that oral B401 treatment significantly enhances expressions of neuroprotective proteins, while reducing expressions of AD derived proteins such as amyloid beta, phosphorylated Tau, neurofibrillary tangles, and 3-nitrotyrosine in the brain of 3× Tg-AD mice. Thus, the herbal formula B401 may have the potential to be developed into optimum TCM for AD patients.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixiao Luo ◽  
Rafi Ullah ◽  
Jinfeng Wang ◽  
Yuru Du ◽  
Shihao Huang ◽  
...  

Carbon monoxide (CO), a byproduct of heme catalyzed by heme oxygenase (HO), has been reported to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions, and to produce significant neuroprotective effects. The potential effects of CO and even HO on depressive-like behaviors are still poorly understood. Utilizing several approaches including adeno-associated virus (AAV)-mediated overexpression of HO-1, systemic CO-releasing molecules (CO-RMs), CO-rich saline or CO gas treatment procedures in combination with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced PC12 cell injury model, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced depression mouse model, the present study aimed to investigate the potential antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects of endogenous and exogenous CO administration in vivo and in vitro. The results of in vitro experiments showed that both CO-RM-3 and CO-RM-A1 pretreatment blocked H2O2-induced cellular injuries by increasing cell survival and decreasing cell apoptosis and necrosis. Similar to the effects of CO-RM-3 and CO-RM-A1 pretreatment, AAV-mediated HO-1 overexpression in the dorsal hippocampus produced significant antidepressant-like activities in mice under normal conditions. Further investigation showed that the CO gas treatment significantly blocked LPS-induced depressive- and anxiety-like behaviors in mice. Taken together, our results suggest that the activation of HO-1 and/or exogenous CO administration produces protective effects and exerts antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like effects. These data uncover a novel function of the HO-1/CO system that appears to be a promising therapeutic target for the treatment of depression and anxiety.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Md. Shahazul Islam ◽  
Cristina Quispe ◽  
Rajib Hossain ◽  
Muhammad Torequl Islam ◽  
Ahmed Al-Harrasi ◽  
...  

Quercetin (QUR) is a natural bioactive flavonoid that has been lately very studied for its beneficial properties in many pathologies. Its neuroprotective effects have been demonstrated in many in vitro studies, as well as in vivo animal experiments and human trials. QUR protects the organism against neurotoxic chemicals and also can prevent the evolution and development of neuronal injury and neurodegeneration. The present work aimed to summarize the literature about the neuroprotective effect of QUR using known database sources. Besides, this review focuses on the assessment of the potential utilization of QUR as a complementary or alternative medicine for preventing and treating neurodegenerative diseases. An up-to-date search was conducted in PubMed, Science Direct and Google Scholar for published work dealing with the neuroprotective effects of QUR against neurotoxic chemicals or in neuronal injury, and in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. Findings suggest that QUR possess neuropharmacological protective effects in neurodegenerative brain disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Amyloid β peptide, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, multiple sclerosis, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. In summary, this review emphasizes the neuroprotective effects of QUR and its advantages in being used in complementary medicine for the prevention and treatment o of different neurodegenerative diseases.


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (6) ◽  
pp. 1102 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhekang Cheng ◽  
Meng Zhang ◽  
Chengli Ling ◽  
Ying Zhu ◽  
Hongwei Ren ◽  
...  

Ginseng has been used worldwide as traditional medicine for thousands of years, and ginsenosides have been proved to be the main active components for their various pharmacological activities. Based on their structures, ginsenosides can be divided into ginseng diol-type A and ginseng triol-type B with different pharmacological effects. In this study, six ginsenosides, namely ginsenoside Rb1, Rh2, Rg3, Rg5 as diol-type ginseng saponins, and Rg1 and Re as triol-type ginseng saponins, which were reported to be effective for ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) treatment, were chosen to compare their protective effects on cerebral I/R injury, and their mechanisms were studied by in vitro and in vivo experiments. It was found that all ginsenosides could reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibit apoptosis and increase mitochondrial membrane potential in cobalt chloride-induced (CoCl2-induced) PC12 cells injury model, and they could reduce cerebral infarction volume, brain neurological dysfunction of I/R rats in vivo. The results of immunohistochemistry and western blot showed that the expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88), silencing information regulator (SIRT1) and nuclear transcription factor P65 (NF-κB) in hippocampal CA1 region of some ginsenoside groups were also reduced. In general, the effect on cerebral ischemia of Rb1 and Rg3 was significantly improved compared with the control group, and was the strongest among all the ginsenosides. The effect on SIRT1 activation of ginsenoside Rb1 and the inhibition effect of TLR4/MyD88 protein expression of ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg3 were significantly stronger than that of other groups. The results indicated that ginsenoside Rg1, Rb1, Rh2, Rg3, Rg5 and Re were effective in protecting the brain against ischemic injury, and ginsenoside Rb1 and Rg3 have the strongest therapeutic activities in all the tested ginsenosides. Their neuroprotective mechanism is associated with TLR4/MyD88 and SIRT1 activation signaling pathways, and they can reduce cerebral ischemic injury by inhibiting NF-κB transcriptional activity and the expression of proinflammatory cytokines, including interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6).


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kunwadee Noonong ◽  
Prasert Sobhon ◽  
Morakot Sroyraya ◽  
Kulathida Chaithirayanon

Extracts from Holothuria scabra (HS) have been shown to possess anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant and anti-cancer activities. More recently, it was shown to have neuroprotective potential in Caenorhabditis elegans PD model. Here, we assessed whether HS has neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects on dopaminergic neurons in both mouse and cellular models of PD. We found that both pre-treatment and post-treatment with HS improved motor deficits in PD mouse model induced with 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) as determined by grid walk test. This was likely mediated by HS protective and restorative effects on maintaining the numbers of dopaminergic neurons and fibers in both substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) and striatum. In a cellular model of PD, HS significantly attenuated 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+)-induced apoptosis of DAergic-like neurons differentiated from SH-SY5Y cells by enhancing the expression of Bcl-2, suppressing the expression of cleaved Caspase 3 and preventing depolarization of mitochondrial membrane. In addition, HS could stimulate the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and suppressed the formation of α-synuclein protein. Taken together, our in vivo and in vitro findings suggested that HS is an attractive candidate for the neuroprotection rather than neurorestoration in PD.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aline Alves Courtes ◽  
Letícia Priscila Arantes ◽  
Rômulo Pillon Barcelos ◽  
Ingrid Kich da Silva ◽  
Aline Augusti Boligon ◽  
...  

Huntington’s disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease. Accordingly, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) has been found to effectively produce HD-like symptoms.Luehea divaricata(L. divaricata), popularly known in Brazil as “açoita-cavalo,” may act as a neuroprotective agentin vitroandin vivo. We evaluated the hypothesis that the aqueous extract ofL. divaricatacould prevent behavioral and oxidative alterations induced by 3-NP in rats. 25 adult Wistar male rats were divided into 5 groups: (1) control, (2)L. divaricata(1000 mg/kg), (3) 3-NP, (4)L. divaricata(500 mg/kg) + 3-NP, and (5)L. divaricata(1000 mg/kg) + 3-NP. Groups 2, 4, and 5 receivedL. divaricatavia intragastric gavage daily for 10 days. Animals in groups 3, 4, and 5 received 20 mg/kg 3-NP daily from days 8–10. At day 10, parameters of locomotor activity and biochemical evaluations were performed. Indeed, rats treated with 3-NP showed decreased locomotor activity compared to controls. Additionally, 3-NP increased levels of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation and decreased ratio of GSH/GSSG and acetylcholinesterase activity in cortex and/or striatum. Our results suggest that rats pretreated withL. divaricataprior to 3-NP treatment showed neuroprotective effects when compared to 3-NP treated controls, which may be due to its antioxidant properties.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 444
Author(s):  
Ramona Meanti ◽  
Laura Rizzi ◽  
Elena Bresciani ◽  
Laura Molteni ◽  
Vittorio Locatelli ◽  
...  

Hexarelin, a synthetic hexapeptide, exerts cyto-protective effects at the mitochondrial level in cardiac and skeletal muscles, both in vitro and in vivo, may also have important neuroprotective bioactivities. This study examined the inhibitory effects of hexarelin on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced apoptosis in Neuro-2A cells. Neuro-2A cells were treated for 24 h with various concentrations of H2O2 or with the combination of H2O2 and hexarelin following which cell viability and nitrite (NO2−) release were measured. Cell morphology was also documented throughout and changes arising were quantified using Image J skeleton and fractal analysis procedures. Apoptotic responses were evaluated by Real-Time PCR (caspase-3, caspase-7, Bax, and Bcl-2 mRNA levels) and Western Blot (cleaved caspase-3, cleaved caspase-7, MAPK, and Akt). Our results indicate that hexarelin effectively antagonized H2O2-induced damage to Neuro-2A cells thereby (i) improving cell viability, (ii) reducing NO2− release and (iii) restoring normal morphologies. Hexarelin treatment also reduced mRNA levels of caspase-3 and its activation, and modulated mRNA levels of the BCL-2 family. Moreover, hexarelin inhibited MAPKs phosphorylation and increased p-Akt protein expression. In conclusion, our results demonstrate neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic effects of hexarelin, suggesting that new analogues could be developed for their neuroprotective effects.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Theodora Mourtzi ◽  
Dimitrios Dimitrakopoulos ◽  
Dimitrios Kakogiannis ◽  
Charalampos Salodimitris ◽  
Konstantinos Botsakis ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) underlines much of the pathology of Parkinson’s disease (PD), but the existence of an endogenous neurogenic system that could be targeted as a therapeutic strategy has been controversial. BNN-20 is a synthetic, BDNF-mimicking, microneurotrophin that we previously showed to exhibit a pleiotropic neuroprotective effect on the dopaminergic neurons of the SNpc in the “weaver” mouse model of PD. Here, we assessed its potential effects on neurogenesis. Methods We quantified total numbers of dopaminergic neurons in the SNpc of wild-type and “weaver” mice, with or without administration of BNN-20, and we employed BrdU labelling and intracerebroventricular injections of DiI to evaluate the existence of dopaminergic neurogenesis in the SNpc and to assess the origin of newborn dopaminergic neurons. The in vivo experiments were complemented by in vitro proliferation/differentiation assays of adult neural stem cells (NSCs) isolated from the substantia nigra and the subependymal zone (SEZ) stem cell niche to further characterize the effects of BNN-20. Results Our analysis revealed the existence of a low-rate turnover of dopaminergic neurons in the normal SNpc and showed, using three independent lines of experiments (stereologic cell counts, BrdU and DiI tracing), that the administration of BNN-20 leads to increased neurogenesis in the SNpc and to partial reversal of dopaminergic cell loss. The newly born dopaminergic neurons, that are partially originated from the SEZ, follow the typical nigral maturation pathway, expressing the transcription factor FoxA2. Importantly, the pro-cytogenic effects of BNN-20 were very strong in the SNpc, but were absent in other brain areas such as the cortex or the stem cell niche of the hippocampus. Moreover, although the in vitro assays showed that BNN-20 enhances the differentiation of NSCs towards glia and neurons, its in vivo administration stimulated only neurogenesis. Conclusions Our results demonstrate the existence of a neurogenic system in the SNpc that can be manipulated in order to regenerate the depleted dopaminergic cell population in the “weaver” PD mouse model. Microneurotrophin BNN-20 emerges as an excellent candidate for future PD cell replacement therapies, due to its area-specific, pro-neurogenic effects.


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