scholarly journals P2X7 antagonism using Brilliant Blue G reduces body weight loss and prolongs survival in female SOD1G93Aamyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3064 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Bartlett ◽  
Vanessa Sluyter ◽  
Debbie Watson ◽  
Ronald Sluyter ◽  
Justin J. Yerbury

BackgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by the accumulation of aggregated proteins, microglia activation and motor neuron loss. The mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration and disease progression in ALS are unknown, but the ATP-gated P2X7 receptor channel is implicated in this disease. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine P2X7 in the context of neurodegeneration, and investigate whether the P2X7 antagonist, Brilliant Blue G (BBG), could alter disease progression in a murine model of ALS.MethodsHuman SOD1G93Atransgenic mice, which normally develop ALS, were injected with BBG or saline, three times per week, from pre-onset of clinical disease (62–64 days of age) until end-stage. During the course of treatment mice were assessed for weight, clinical score and survival, and motor coordination, which was assessed by rotarod performance. Various parameters from end-stage mice were assessed as follows. Motor neuron loss and microgliosis were assessed by immunohistochemistry. Relative amounts of lumbar spinal cord SOD1 and P2X7 were quantified by immunoblotting. Serum monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 was measured by ELISA. Splenic leukocyte populations were assessed by flow cytometry. Relative expression of splenic and hepatic P2X7 mRNA was measured by quantitative real-time PCR. Lumbar spinal cord SOD1 and P2X7 were also quantified by immunoblotting in untreated female SOD1G93Amice during the course of disease.ResultsBBG treatment reduced body weight loss in SOD1G93Amice of combined sex, but had no effect on clinical score, survival or motor coordination. BBG treatment reduced body weight loss in female, but not male, SOD1G93Amice. BBG treatment also prolonged survival in female, but not male, SOD1G93Amice, extending the mean survival time by 4.3% in female mice compared to female mice treated with saline. BBG treatment had no effect on clinical score or motor coordination in either sex. BBG treatment had no major effect on any end-stage parameters. Total amounts of lumbar spinal cord SOD1 and P2X7 in untreated female SOD1G93Amice did not change over time.DiscussionCollectively, this data suggests P2X7 may have a partial role in ALS progression in mice, but additional research is required to fully elucidate the contribution of this receptor in this disease.

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. dmm045732
Author(s):  
Cristina Ruiz-Ruiz ◽  
Nuria García-Magro ◽  
Pilar Negredo ◽  
Carlos Avendaño ◽  
Anindya Bhattacharya ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTNeuroinflammation is one of the main physiopathological mechanisms of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), produced by the chronic activation of microglia in the CNS. This process is triggered by the persistent activation of the ATP-gated P2X7 receptor (P2RX7, hereafter referred to as P2X7R). The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of the chronic treatment with the P2X7R antagonist JNJ-47965567 in the development and progression of ALS in the SOD1G93A murine model. SOD1G93A mice were intraperitoneally (i.p.) injected with either 30 mg/kg of JNJ-47965567 or vehicle 4 times per week, from pre-onset age (here, postnatal day 60; P60) until study endpoint. Body weight, motor coordination, phenotypic score, disease onset and survival were measured throughout the study, and compared between vehicle- and drug-injected groups. Treatment with the P2X7R antagonist JNJ-47965567 delayed disease onset, reduced body weight loss and improved motor coordination and phenotypic score in female SOD1G93A mice, although it did not increase lifespan. Interestingly, neither beneficial nor detrimental effects were observed in males in any of the analyzed parameters. Treatment did not affect motor neuron survival or ChAT, Iba-1 and P2X7R protein expression in endpoint individuals of mixed sexes. Overall, chronic administration of JNJ-47965567 for 4 times per week to SOD1G93A mice from pre-onset stage altered disease progression in female individuals while it did not have any effect in males. Our results suggest a partial, yet important, effect of P2X7R in the development and progression of ALS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luane da Guia Vieira ◽  
Alan Carlos Fernandes ◽  
Tais Nascimento ◽  
Suzelei de Castro França ◽  
Jose Antunes-Rodrigues ◽  
...  

Abstract POMC neurons expressed in the ARC are essential for energy balance and glucose homeostasis. It has been suggested the involvement of these neurons in the control of endocrine axes, such as the HPA. During fasting, POMCARC neurons are silenced as an effort to reduce body weight loss and to avoid hypoglycemia. During this process glucocorticoid secretion and activation of enzymes involved in the hepatic gluconeogenesis take place in order to preserve the homeostasis. In this study, to clarify the contribution of POMCARC neurons to the adaptive changes in energy homeostasis, glucose metabolism and HPA axis activity induced by food deprivation we used DREADDs to specifically activate POMCARC. Bilateral injections of the AAV carrying the excitatory DREADD (hM3DGq) or only the reporter gene (mCherry) have been performed into the ARC of Pomc-ires-cre and WT mice. Two weeks later the animals were fasted for 36hr, treated with saline (5 i.p. injections each 8hrs) and blood samples were collected from the facial vein at 10am. Two weeks apart, the same animals were submitted to another period of fasting and treated with CNO (1mg/Kg, 5 i.p. injections each 8hrs). Four hours after the last injection of CNO, the mice were anesthetized, blood and the liver were collected and then the animals perfused for brain harvesting. Body weight measurements have been performed before and after the 36hrs period of fasting. Another set of Pomc-ires-cre (hM3DGq or mCherry) and WT animals were fasted (36hrs), treated with CNO (5X) and subjected to GTT. DREADD–induced activation of POMCARC neurons has been confirmed by the increased cFos/mCherry expression after CNO treatment only in Pomc-ires-cre animals expressing hM3DGq. We observed that the specific activation of POMCARC neurons did not change the fasting-induced activation of HPA axis. Surprisingly, we observed reduced body weight loss and higher plasma glucose in Pomc-ires-cre animals expressing the hM3DGq and treated with CNO. The GTT showed an impaired glucose tolerance after activation of POMCARC neurons. The increased fasting glucose plasma levels was associated with increased G6pc (Glucose-6-phosphatase) mRNA expression but with no effect on other hepatic gluconeogenic genes. The present study reveals that POMCARC neurons are not involved in the increased HPA axis activity in prolonged fasting conditions. Considering the classical anorexigenic/thermogenic and the glucose-lowering action of POMCARC neurons, the present data reveal an unpredicted reduced body weight loss and impaired glucose tolerance induced by activation of these neurons during fasting. These data reinforce the notion that POMCARC neurons are heterogeneous and might be playing dual effects on energy homeostasis. Of note, because part of ARC neurons shares a common progenitor, some of the functions ascribed to POMC neurons could be mediated by non-POMC neurons expressing the Cre transgene.


Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (6) ◽  
pp. 1590
Author(s):  
Julia Post ◽  
Vanessa Kogel ◽  
Anja Schaffrath ◽  
Philipp Lohmann ◽  
Nadim Joni Shah ◽  
...  

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease characterised by selective neuronal death in the brain stem and spinal cord. The cause is unknown, but an increasing amount of evidence has firmly certified that neuroinflammation plays a key role in ALS pathogenesis. Neuroinflammation is a pathological hallmark of several neurodegenerative disorders and has been implicated as driver of disease progression. Here, we describe a treatment study demonstrating the therapeutic potential of a tandem version of the well-known all-d-peptide RD2 (RD2RD2) in a transgenic mouse model of ALS (SOD1*G93A). Mice were treated intraperitoneally for four weeks with RD2RD2 vs. placebo. SOD1*G93A mice were tested longitudinally during treatment in various behavioural and motor coordination tests. Brain and spinal cord samples were investigated immunohistochemically for gliosis and neurodegeneration. RD2RD2 treatment in SOD1*G93A mice resulted not only in a reduction of activated astrocytes and microglia in both the brain stem and lumbar spinal cord, but also in a rescue of neurons in the motor cortex. RD2RD2 treatment was able to slow progression of the disease phenotype, especially the motor deficits, to an extent that during the four weeks treatment duration, no significant progression was observed in any of the motor experiments. Based on the presented results, we conclude that RD2RD2 is a potential therapeutic candidate against ALS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (05) ◽  
pp. 323-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nele Ondreka ◽  
Sara Malberg ◽  
Emma Laws ◽  
Martin Schmidt ◽  
Sabine Schulze

SummaryA 2-year-old male neutered mixed breed dog with a body weight of 30 kg was presented for evaluation of a soft subcutaneous mass on the dorsal midline at the level of the caudal thoracic spine. A further clinical sign was intermittent pain on palpation of the area of the subcutaneous mass. The owner also described a prolonged phase of urination with repeated interruption and re-initiation of voiding. The findings of the neurological examination were consistent with a lesion localization between the 3rd thoracic and 3rd lumbar spinal cord segments. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a spina bifida with a lipomeningocele and diplomyelia (split cord malformation type I) at the level of thoracic vertebra 11 and 12 and secondary syringomyelia above the aforementioned defects in the caudal thoracic spinal cord. Surgical resection of the lipomeningocele via a hemilaminectomy was performed. After initial deterioration of the neurological status postsurgery with paraplegia and absent deep pain sensation the dog improved within 2 weeks to non-ambulatory paraparesis with voluntary urination. Six weeks postoperatively the dog was ambulatory, according to the owner. Two years after surgery the owner recorded that the dog showed a normal gait, a normal urination and no pain. Histopathological diagnosis of the biopsied material revealed a lipomeningocele which confirmed the radiological diagnosis.


Diabetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1965-P
Author(s):  
TEAYOUN KIM ◽  
JESSICA P. ANTIPENKO ◽  
SHELLY NASON ◽  
NATALIE PRESEDO ◽  
WILLIAM J. VAN DER POL ◽  
...  

2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayako Ito ◽  
Aya Nozaki ◽  
Ichiro Horie ◽  
Takao Ando ◽  
Atsushi Kawakami

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