Correction to: Invasive Italian wall lizards outcompete native congeneric species in finding food in a Y‑maze

Background: Arthrophytum scoparium (Pomel) Iljin (Amaranthaceae family) has been widely used in traditional Tunisian medicine to treat many disorders such as migraine, headache, and neurological disorders. This study investigates the effect of Arthrophytum scoparium Aqueous Extract (ASAE) on cognitive impairments and oxidative injury induced by galactose (10%) in a mouse model. Materials and Methods: The mice were divided randomly into 4 experimental groups, including the control group (saline water 9 ‰), Galactose group, Scop group (300 mg/kg/d), and Scop+Gal group (300 mg/kg/d). Mice received the corresponding solutions by intraperitoneal injection (i.p.) for 7 days before the Y-maze active tests. Galactose 10% was given to all groups except control and Scop groups, 30 min before the trial. Levels of Acetylcholinesterase Activity (AChE), Ascorbic Acid (AA), Gluthatione (GSH) and Malondialdehyde (MDA) in mice brains were examined. Results: Chronic administration of galactose significantly impaired cognitive performance in Y maze, caused marked oxidative damages and a significant increase in the acetylcholinesterase activity as compared to other groups. On the contrary, ASAE (300 mg/kg) treatment suppressed galactoseinduced oxidative damage by ameliorating the increased levels of GSH and AA. Moreover, ASAE treatment reduced brain AChE activities in the galactose-induced model. Conclusion: These findings suggest that ASAE exerts potent anti-amnesic effects via the modulation of cholinergic and antioxidant activities. The observed pharmacological activities should be further evaluated by detailed experimental studies and validated by clinical trials.

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Effect of alkaloid extracted from Huperzia phlegmaria on cognitive deficits scopolamine-induced in mice

Current Bioactive Compounds ◽

10.2174/1573407216999200520082046 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Author(s):

Dang Kim Thu ◽

Dao Thi Vui ◽

Nguyen Thi Ngoc Huyen ◽

Nguyen Thi Thanh Binh ◽

Nguyen Thi Huyen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cognitive Impairment ◽

Mouse Brain ◽

Cognitive Deficits ◽

Inhibitory Activity ◽

Water Maze ◽

Ache Activity ◽

Y Maze ◽

Ache Inhibitory Activity ◽

Kinetic Inhibition ◽

Brain Tissues

Background: Huperzia phlegmaria has been used for the treatment of neurological disorder. Alkaloids are main bioactive compounds found in Huperzia phlegmaria. We aimed to investigate the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity in vitro of Huperzia phlegmaria alkaloid extract (HpAE) and protective effects on mice which were induced cognitive deficits by scopolamine. Methods: AChE inhibitory activity and kinetic inhibition mechanism was investigated by Ellman's assay. Mice were administrated orally HpAE (30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) for fourteen days, and injected scopolamine at a dose of 1 mg/kg intraperitoneally for four days to induce cognitive impairment. The Y-maze and the Morris water maze were used for evaluating the memory behaviors. Acetylcholine (ACh) levels and AChE activity were measured in brain tissue. Glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities, and malondialdehyde (MDA) groups were also evaluated in the mouse brain tissues. Results: Our data showed that HpAE had the strong AChE inhibitory activity with an IC50 value of 5.12 ± 0.48 μg/mL in a concentration-dependent manner. Kinetic inhibition analysis demonstrated that HpPAE inhibited AChE followed the mixed inhibition type with Ki (representing the affinity of the enzyme and inhibitor) was 4.37 ± 0.35 µg/mL. Scopolamine induced the cognitive impairment in Morris Water Maze and Y-maze test along with reduced brain levels of ACh and antioxidant enzyme and increased AChE activity in mouse brain tissues. Treatment with HpAE at both dose (30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) decreased the SCP-induced cognitive impairment in both behavioral tests along with decreased acetylcholinesterase activity and MDA level, and increased ACh level and antioxidant enzyme in mouse brain tissues. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the HpAE at both dose (30 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg) may be used for prevent and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Alleviation of Memory Deficit by Bergenin via the Regulation of Reelin and Nrf-2/NF-κB Pathway in Transgenic Mouse Model

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22126603 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (12) ◽

pp. 6603

Author(s):

Bushra Shal ◽

Adnan Khan ◽

Ashraf Ullah Khan ◽

Rahim Ullah ◽

Gowhar Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Mouse Model ◽

Neuroprotective Effect ◽

Annexin V ◽

Memory Deficit ◽

Y Maze ◽

Spatial Memory Deficit ◽

Aβ Aggregation ◽

Ft Ir ◽

Reelin Signaling

The present study aims to determine the neuroprotective effect of Bergenin against spatial memory deficit associated with neurodegeneration. Preliminarily, the protective effect of Bergenin was observed against H2O2-induced oxidative stress in HT-22 and PC-12 cells. Further studies were performed in 5xFAD Tg mouse model by administering Bergenin (1, 30 and 60 mg/kg; orally), whereas Bergenin (60 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the memory deficit observed in the Y-maze and Morris water maze (MWM) test. Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy displayed restoration of lipids, proteins and their derivatives compared to the 5xFAD Tg mice group. The differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) suggested an absence of amyloid beta (Aβ) aggregation in Bergenin-treated mice. The immunohistochemistry (IHC) analysis suggested the neuroprotective effect of Bergenin by increasing Reelin signaling (Reelin/Dab-1) and attenuated Aβ (1–42) aggregation in hippocampal regions of mouse brains. Furthermore, IHC and western blot results suggested antioxidant (Keap-1/Nrf-2/HO-1), anti-inflammatory (TLR-4/NF-kB) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-2/Bax/Caspase-3) effect of Bergenin. Moreover, a decrease in Annexin V/PI-stained hippocampal cells suggested its effect against neurodegeneration. The histopathological changes were reversed significantly by Bergenin. In addition, a remarkable increase in antioxidant level with suppression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, oxidative stress and nitric oxide production were observed in specific regions of the mouse brains.

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Spatio-temporal selection of reference genes in the two congeneric species of Glycyrrhiza

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79298-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuping Li ◽

Xiaoju Liang ◽

Xuguo Zhou ◽

Yu An ◽

Ming Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Developmental Stage ◽

Reference Genes ◽

Developmental Stages ◽

Individual Factors ◽

Congeneric Species ◽

Spatio Temporal ◽

The Stability ◽

Different Tissues ◽

Selection Of

AbstractGlycyrrhiza, a genus of perennial medicinal herbs, has been traditionally used to treat human diseases, including respiratory disorders. Functional analysis of genes involved in the synthesis, accumulation, and degradation of bioactive compounds in these medicinal plants requires accurate measurement of their expression profiles. Reverse transcription quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR) is a primary tool, which requires stably expressed reference genes to serve as the internal references to normalize the target gene expression. In this study, the stability of 14 candidate reference genes from the two congeneric species G. uralensis and G. inflata, including ACT, CAC, CYP, DNAJ, DREB, EF1, RAN, TIF1, TUB, UBC2, ABCC2, COPS3, CS, R3HDM2, were evaluated across different tissues and throughout various developmental stages. More importantly, we investigated the impact of interactions between tissue and developmental stage on the performance of candidate reference genes. Four algorithms, including geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, and Delta Ct, were used to analyze the expression stability and RefFinder, a comprehensive software, provided the final recommendation. Based on previous research and our preliminary data, we hypothesized that internal references for spatio-temporal gene expression are different from the reference genes suited for individual factors. In G. uralensis, the top three most stable reference genes across different tissues were R3HDM2, CAC and TUB, while CAC, CYP and ABCC2 were most suited for different developmental stages. CAC is the only candidate recommended for both biotic factors, which is reflected in the stability ranking for the spatio (tissue)-temporal (developmental stage) interactions (CAC, R3HDM2 and DNAJ). Similarly, in G. inflata, COPS3, R3HDM2 and DREB were selected for tissues, while RAN, COPS3 and CS were recommended for developmental stages. For the tissue-developmental stage interactions, COPS3, DREB and ABCC2 were the most suited reference genes. In both species, only one of the top three candidates was shared between the individual factors and their interactions, specifically, CAC in G. uralensis and COPS3 in G. inflata, which supports our overarching hypothesis. In summary, spatio-temporal selection of reference genes not only lays the foundation for functional genomics research in Glycyrrhiza, but also facilitates these traditional medicinal herbs to reach/maximize their pharmaceutical potential.

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Limitation of current probe design for oligo-cross-FISH, exemplified by chromosome evolution studies in duckweeds

Chromosoma ◽

10.1007/s00412-020-00749-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 130 (1) ◽

pp. 15-25

Author(s):

Phuong T. N. Hoang ◽

Jean-Marie Rouillard ◽

Jiří Macas ◽

Ivona Kubalová ◽

Veit Schubert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Rate ◽

Chromosome Number ◽

Chromosome Evolution ◽

Sequence Similarity ◽

Flowering Plants ◽

The Other ◽

Probe Design ◽

Congeneric Species ◽

Specific Design ◽

Spirodela Polyrhiza

AbstractDuckweeds represent a small, free-floating aquatic family (Lemnaceae) of the monocot order Alismatales with the fastest growth rate among flowering plants. They comprise five genera (Spirodela, Landoltia, Lemna, Wolffiella, and Wolffia) varying in genome size and chromosome number. Spirodela polyrhiza had the first sequenced duckweed genome. Cytogenetic maps are available for both species of the genus Spirodela (S. polyrhiza and S. intermedia). However, elucidation of chromosome homeology and evolutionary chromosome rearrangements by cross-FISH using Spirodela BAC probes to species of other duckweed genera has not been successful so far. We investigated the potential of chromosome-specific oligo-FISH probes to address these topics. We designed oligo-FISH probes specific for one S. intermedia and one S. polyrhiza chromosome (Fig. 1a). Our results show that these oligo-probes cross-hybridize with the homeologous regions of the other congeneric species, but are not suitable to uncover chromosomal homeology across duckweeds genera. This is most likely due to too low sequence similarity between the investigated genera and/or too low probe density on the target genomes. Finally, we suggest genus-specific design of oligo-probes to elucidate chromosome evolution across duckweed genera.

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