scholarly journals The Pleiotropic Potential of BDNF beyond Neurons: Implication for a Healthy Mind in a Healthy Body

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1256
Author(s):  
Maria Carmela Di Rosa ◽  
Stefania Zimbone ◽  
Miriam Wissam Saab ◽  
Marianna Flora Tomasello
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Adaptive Responses ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
The Many ◽  
Feeding Control ◽  
Healthy Body

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) represents one of the most widely studied neurotrophins because of the many mechanisms in which it is involved. Among these, a growing body of evidence indicates BDNF as a pleiotropic signaling molecule and unveils non-negligible implications in the regulation of energy balance. BDNF and its receptor are extensively expressed in the hypothalamus, regions where peripheral signals, associated with feeding control and metabolism activation, and are integrated to elaborate anorexigenic and orexigenic effects. Thus, BDNF coordinates adaptive responses to fluctuations in energy intake and expenditure, connecting the central nervous system with peripheral tissues, including muscle, liver, and the adipose tissue in a complex operational network. This review discusses the latest literature dealing with the involvement of BDNF in the maintenance of energy balance. We have focused on the physiological and molecular mechanisms by which BDNF: (I) controls the mitochondrial function and dynamics; (II) influences thermogenesis and tissue differentiation; (III) mediates the effects of exercise on cognitive functions; and (IV) modulates insulin sensitivity and glucose transport at the cellular level. Deepening the understanding of the mechanisms exploited to maintain energy homeostasis will lay the groundwork for the development of novel therapeutical approaches to help people to maintain a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Allosteric regulation of AMP-activated protein kinase by adenylate nucleotides and small-molecule drugs

2019 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 733-741 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Laura de Souza Almeida Matos ◽  
Jonathan S. Oakhill ◽  
José Moreira ◽  
Kim Loh ◽  
Sandra Galic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Small Molecule ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Allosteric Activation ◽  
Small Molecule Drugs ◽  
Body Energy

Abstract The AMP (adenosine 5′-monophosphate)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a key regulator of cellular and whole-body energy homeostasis that co-ordinates metabolic processes to ensure energy supply meets demand. At the cellular level, AMPK is activated by metabolic stresses that increase AMP or adenosine 5′-diphosphate (ADP) coupled with falling adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) and acts to restore energy balance by choreographing a shift in metabolism in favour of energy-producing catabolic pathways while inhibiting non-essential anabolic processes. AMPK also regulates systemic energy balance and is activated by hormones and nutritional signals in the hypothalamus to control appetite and body weight. Failure to maintain energy balance plays an important role in chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and inflammatory disorders, which has prompted a major drive to develop pharmacological activators of AMPK. An array of small-molecule allosteric activators has now been developed, several of which can activate AMPK by direct allosteric activation, independently of Thr172 phosphorylation, which was previously regarded as indispensable for AMPK activity. In this review, we summarise the state-of-the-art regarding our understanding of the molecular mechanisms that govern direct allosteric activation of AMPK by adenylate nucleotides and small-molecule drugs.

Serotonin and energy balance: molecular mechanisms and implications for type 2 diabetes

2007 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 1-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel D. Lam ◽  
Lora K. Heisler
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Energy Balance ◽  
Glucose Homeostasis ◽  
Metabolic Regulation ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Midbrain Raphe Nuclei ◽  
Treatment Of Obesity

The neurotransmitter serotonin is an important regulator of energy balance. In the brain, serotonergic fibres from midbrain raphe nuclei project to key feeding centres, where serotonin acts on specific receptors to modulate the activity of various downstream neuropeptide systems and autonomic pathways and thus affects ingestive behaviour and energy expenditure. Serotonin, released by intestinal enterochromaffin cells, also appears to regulate energy homeostasis through peripheral mechanisms. Serotonergic effects on energy balance lead to secondary effects on glucose homeostasis, based on a well-established link between obesity and insulin resistance. However, serotonergic pathways may also directly affect glucose homeostasis through regulation of autonomic efferents and/or action on peripheral tissues. Several serotonergic compounds have been evaluated for clinical use in the treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes; results of these trials are discussed here. Finally, future directions in the elucidation of serotonergic metabolic regulation are discussed.

scholarly journals The Effects of Ghrelin on Energy Balance and Psychomotor Activity in a Goldfish Model: An Overview

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ki Sung Kang ◽  
Satowa Yahashi ◽  
Kouhei Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Emotional Regulation ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Receptor System ◽  
Psychomotor Activity ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Molecular Variants ◽  
Feeding Control

The goldfish (Carassius auratus) has a number of merits as a laboratory animal, and we have extensively identified the mechanisms by which ghrelin regulates food intake in this species. For the first time, we have purified and characterized 11 molecular variants of ghrelin that are present in goldfish intestine and shown that 17-residue ghrelin, the predominant form with n-octanoyl modification, is biologically active and implicated in the regulation of food intake as an endogenous orexigenic factor. Ghrelin and its receptor system are present not only in peripheral tissues such as stomach and intestine, but also in the central nervous system. Recent studies have also revealed that a number of neuropeptides are widely distributed in the brain in key areas of emotional regulation, and their role as modulators of behavioral states is being increasingly recognized. Interestingly, administration of ghrelin induces an orexigenic effect and also modifies locomotor activity, suggesting the involvement of ghrelin in feeding control and regulation of energy balance. Information derived from studies of ghrelin has been increasing, and important results have been obtained from both fish and mammals. Here, we present an overview of the effects of ghrelin on energy balance and psychomotor activity in the goldfish as an animal model. The available data provide an insight into evolutionary background of ghrelin's multiple actions on energy homeostasis in vertebrates.

scholarly journals Foreign body responses in mouse central nervous system mimic natural wound responses and alter biomaterial functions

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. OʼShea ◽  
Alexander L. Wollenberg ◽  
Jae H. Kim ◽  
Yan Ao ◽  
Timothy J. Deming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Foreign Body ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Molecular Delivery ◽  
Wound Responses ◽  
The Central Nervous System

AbstractBiomaterials hold promise for therapeutic applications in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about molecular factors that determine CNS foreign body responses (FBRs) in vivo, or about how such responses influence biomaterial function. Here, we probed these factors in mice using a platform of injectable hydrogels readily modified to present interfaces with different physiochemical properties to host cells. We found that biomaterial FBRs mimic specialized multicellular CNS wound responses not present in peripheral tissues, which serve to isolate damaged neural tissue and restore barrier functions. We show that the nature and intensity of CNS FBRs are determined by definable properties that significantly influence hydrogel functions, including resorption and molecular delivery when injected into healthy brain or stroke injuries. Cationic interfaces elicit stromal cell infiltration, peripherally derived inflammation, neural damage and amyloid production. Nonionic and anionic formulations show minimal levels of these responses, which contributes to superior bioactive molecular delivery. Our results identify specific molecular mechanisms that drive FBRs in the CNS and have important implications for developing effective biomaterials for CNS applications.

Molecular Regulation of Energy Balance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Grahame Hardie ◽  
A. Mark Evans
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Adenine Nucleotides ◽  
Kinase Domain ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Energy Status ◽  
Α Subunit ◽  
Cellular Energy ◽  
Synthetic Drugs

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a sensor of cellular energy status that monitors the levels of AMP and ADP relative to ATP. If increases in AMP:ATP and/or ADP:ATP ratios are detected (indicating a reduction in cellular energy status), AMPK is activated by the canonical mechanism involving both allosteric activation and enhanced net phosphorylation at Thr172 on the catalytic subunit. Once activated, AMPK phosphorylates dozens of downstream targets, thus switching on catabolic pathways that generate ATP and switching off anabolic pathways and other energy-consuming processes. AMPK can also be activated by non-canonical mechanisms, triggered either by glucose starvation by a mechanism independent of changes in adenine nucleotides, or by increases in intracellular Ca2+ in response to hormones, mediated by the alternate upstream kinase CaMKK2. AMPK is expressed in almost all eukaryotic cells, including neurons, as heterotrimeric complexes comprising a catalytic α subunit and regulatory β and γ subunits. The α subunits contain the kinase domain and regulatory regions that interact with the other two subunits. The β subunits contain a domain that, with the small lobe of the kinase domain on the α subunit, forms the “ADaM” site that binds synthetic drugs that are potent allosteric activators of AMPK, while the γ subunits contain the binding sites for the classical regulatory nucleotides, AMP, ADP, and ATP. Although much undoubtedly remains to be discovered about the roles of AMPK in the nervous system, emerging evidence has confirmed the proposal that, in addition to its universal functions in regulating energy balance at the cellular level, AMPK also has cell- and circuit-specific roles at the whole-body level, particularly in energy homeostasis. These roles are mediated by phosphorylation of neural-specific targets such as ion channels, distinct from the targets by which AMPK regulates general, cell-autonomous energy balance. Examples of these cell- and circuit-specific functions discussed in this review include roles in the hypothalamus in balancing energy intake (feeding) and energy expenditure (thermogenesis), and its role in the brainstem, where it supports the hypoxic ventilatory response (breathing), increasing the supply of oxygen to the tissues during systemic hypoxia.

scholarly journals Hypothalamic AMPK as a Mediator of Hormonal Regulation of Energy Balance

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (11) ◽  
pp. 3552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Baile Wang ◽  
Kenneth Cheng
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Hormonal Regulation ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
Acid Oxidation ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Adaptive Thermogenesis ◽  
Increase Food Intake ◽  
Regulatory Effects ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

As a cellular energy sensor and regulator, adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of energy homeostasis in both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral organs. Activation of hypothalamic AMPK maintains energy balance by inducing appetite to increase food intake and diminishing adaptive thermogenesis in adipose tissues to reduce energy expenditure in response to food deprivation. Numerous metabolic hormones, such as leptin, adiponectin, ghrelin and insulin, exert their energy regulatory effects through hypothalamic AMPK via integration with the neural circuits. Although activation of AMPK in peripheral tissues is able to promote fatty acid oxidation and insulin sensitivity, its chronic activation in the hypothalamus causes obesity by inducing hyperphagia in both humans and rodents. In this review, we discuss the role of hypothalamic AMPK in mediating hormonal regulation of feeding and adaptive thermogenesis, and summarize the diverse underlying mechanisms by which central AMPK maintains energy homeostasis.

scholarly journals Cellular and molecular mechanisms of the demyelination in the central nervous system and cell therapy approaches

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-78
Author(s):  
V. Tsymbaliuk ◽  
V. Semenova ◽  
L. Pichkur ◽  
O. Velychko ◽  
D. Egorova
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Cell Therapy ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Molecular Genetic ◽  
Light And Electron Microscopy ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Molecular Features ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Demyelinating Disorders

The review summarizes the current concepts of cell-tissue and molecular features of development of demyelinating processes in the central nervous system related to multiple sclerosis and its animal model – allergic encephalomyelitis. An analysis of recently published studies of this pathology, carried out with light and electron microscopy and immunohistochemical and molecular genetic methods, is given. New methodological approaches to the study of the pathomorhological aspects of demyelinating disorders allowed receiving in-depth understanding of the etiology and mechanisms of demyelination processes in the brain and spinal cord tissues at the cellular level and identifying the ways to develop effective modern methods of pathogenetic treatment of these diseases using cell therapy.

scholarly journals AMPK: Regulating Energy Balance at the Cellular and Whole Body Levels

Physiology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Grahame Hardie ◽  
Michael L. J. Ashford
Keyword(s):  
Energy Balance ◽  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Adenine Nucleotide ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Balancing Energy ◽  
Body Level ◽  
Multicellular Organisms ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase

AMP-activated protein kinase appears to have evolved in single-celled eukaryotes as an adenine nucleotide sensor that maintains energy homeostasis at the cellular level. However, during evolution of more complex multicellular organisms, the system has adapted to interact with hormones so that it also plays a key role in balancing energy intake and expenditure at the whole body level.

scholarly journals Peripheral signalling involved in energy homeostasis control

2012 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-248 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andoni Lancha ◽  
Gema Frühbeck ◽  
Javier Gómez-Ambrosi
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Factor ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Energy Homeostasis ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Sex Hormone Binding Globulin ◽  
Fibroblast Growth Factor 21 ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Body Weight Control

The alarming prevalence of obesity has led to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling energy homeostasis. Regulation of energy intake and expenditure is more complex than previously thought, being influenced by signals from many peripheral tissues. In this sense, a wide variety of peripheral signals derived from different organs contributes to the regulation of body weight and energy expenditure. Besides the well-known role of insulin and adipokines, such as leptin and adiponectin, in the regulation of energy homeostasis, signals from other tissues not previously thought to play a role in body weight regulation have emerged in recent years. The role of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I), and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) produced by the liver in the regulation of body weight and insulin sensitivity has been recently described. Moreover, molecules expressed by skeletal muscle such as myostatin have also been involved in adipose tissue regulation. Better known is the involvement of ghrelin, cholecystokinin, glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and PYY3–36, produced by the gut, in energy homeostasis. Even the kidney, through the production of renin, appears to regulate body weight, with mice lacking this hormone exhibiting resistance to diet-induced obesity. In addition, the skeleton has recently emerged as an endocrine organ, with effects on body weight control and glucose homeostasis through the actions of bone-derived factors such as osteocalcin and osteopontin. The comprehension of these signals will help in a better understanding of the aetiopathology of obesity, contributing to the potential development of new therapeutic targets aimed at tackling excess body fat accumulation.

scholarly journals Foreign body responses in central nervous system mimic natural wound responses and alter biomaterial functions

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy M. O’Shea ◽  
Alexander L. Wollenberg ◽  
Jae H. Kim ◽  
Yan Ao ◽  
Timothy J. Deming ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Nervous System ◽  
Nervous System ◽  
Foreign Body ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Host Cells ◽  
Peripheral Tissues ◽  
Physiochemical Properties ◽  
Wound Responses ◽  
The Central Nervous System

AbstractBiomaterials hold promise for diverse therapeutic applications in the central nervous system (CNS). Little is known about molecular factors that determine CNS foreign body responses (FBRs)in vivo, or about how such responses influence biomaterial function. Here, we probed these factors using a platform of injectable hydrogels readily modified to present interfaces with different representative physiochemical properties to host cells. We show that biomaterial FBRs mimic specialized multicellular CNS wound responses not present in peripheral tissues, which serve to isolate damaged neural tissue and restore barrier functions. Moreover, we found that the nature and intensity of CNS FBRs are determined by definable properties. For example, cationic, anionic or nonionic interfaces with CNS cells elicit quantifiably different levels of stromal cell infiltration, inflammation, neural damage and amyloid production. The nature and intensity of FBRs significantly influenced hydrogel resorption and molecular delivery functions. These results characterize specific molecular mechanisms that drive FBRs in the CNS and have important implications for developing effective biomaterials for CNS applications.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document