scholarly journals Ablation of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase rescues plasma inflammatory cytokine levels in the R6/2 mouse model of Huntington’s disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Katrin Bondulich ◽  
Yilan Fan ◽  
Yeojin Song ◽  
Flaviano Giorgini ◽  
Gillian P. Bates

AbstractKynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO) regulates the levels of neuroactive metabolites in the kynurenine pathway (KP), dysregulation of which is associated with Huntington’s disease (HD) pathogenesis. KMO inhibition leads to increased levels of neuroprotective relative to neurotoxic metabolites, and has been found to ameliorate disease-relevant phenotypes in several HD models. Here, we crossed KMO knockout mice to R6/2 HD mice to examine the effect of KMO depletion in the brain and periphery. KP genes were dysregulated in peripheral tissues from R6/2 mice and KMO ablation normalised levels of a subset of these. KP metabolites were also assessed, and KMO depletion led to increased levels of neuroprotective kynurenic acid in brain and periphery, and dramatically reduced neurotoxic 3-hydroxykunurenine levels in striatum and cortex. Notably, the increased levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNFa, IL1β, IL4 and IL6 found in R6/2 plasma were normalised upon KMO deletion. Despite these improvements in KP dysregulation and peripheral inflammation, KMO ablation had no effect upon several behavioural phenotypes. Therefore, although genetic inhibition of KMO in R6/2 mice modulates several metabolic and inflammatory parameters, these do not translate to improvements in primary disease indicators—observations which will likely be relevant for other interventions targeted at peripheral inflammation in HD.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giulia Birolini ◽  
Marta Valenza ◽  
Ilaria Ottonelli ◽  
Alice Passoni ◽  
Monica Favagrossa ◽  
...  

AbstractSupplementing brain cholesterol is emerging as a potential treatment for Huntington’s disease (HD), a genetic neurodegenerative disorder characterized, among other abnormalities, by inefficient brain cholesterol biosynthesis. However, delivering cholesterol to the brain is challenging due to the bloodbrain barrier (BBB), which prevents it from reaching the striatum, especially, with therapeutically relevant doses.Here we describe the distribution, kinetics, release, and safety of novel hybrid polymeric nanoparticles made of PLGA and cholesterol which were modified with an heptapeptide (g7) for BBB transit (hybrid-g7-NPs-chol). We show that these NPs rapidly reach the brain and target neural cells. Moreover, deuterium-labeled cholesterol from hybrid-g7-NPs-chol is released in a controlled manner within the brain and accumulates over time, while being rapidly removed from peripheral tissues and plasma. We confirm that systemic and repeated injections of the new hybrid-g7-NPs-chol enhanced endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis, prevented cognitive decline, and ameliorated motor defects in HD animals, without any inflammatory reaction.In summary, this study provides insights about the benefits and safety of cholesterol delivery through advanced brain-permeable nanoparticles for HD treatment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 317-326
Author(s):  
Rhutik S Patil ◽  
Sanjoli G Vyas ◽  
Wasiyoddin T Quazi ◽  
Harshwardhan J Tembhurnikar ◽  
Priya S Milmile ◽  
...  

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurological disease caused by a trinucleotide repeat increase in the huntingtin (htt) gene, which is widely expressed in the brain and peripheral tissues. While many studies have focused on the cognitive, psychological, and motor symptoms of HD, however, the scope of peripheral pathology and its possible impact on central symptoms has received less attention. We hypothesised that because disruption of the gastrointestinal microbiota (gut dysbiosis) has lately been identified in a number of neurological and psychiatric illnesses, it might also occur in HD. In the HD gut microbiota, bacteriodetes increased whereas firmicutes decreased proportionally. Despite a larger food consumption, the gut dysbiosis was associated with a reduction in body weight growth. The presence of greater faecal water content in hd was also linked to a shift in the gut microenvironment. In this review, we present an update on the association between microbiome and brain function as it relates to huntington's disease.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Danielle A. Simmons ◽  
Brian D. Mills ◽  
Robert R. Butler III ◽  
Jason Kuan ◽  
Tyne L. M. McHugh ◽  
...  

AbstractHuntington’s disease (HD) is caused by an expansion of the CAG repeat in the huntingtin gene leading to preferential neurodegeneration of the striatum. Disease-modifying treatments are not yet available to HD patients and their development would be facilitated by translatable pharmacodynamic biomarkers. Multi-modal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and plasma cytokines have been suggested as disease onset/progression biomarkers, but their ability to detect treatment efficacy is understudied. This study used the R6/2 mouse model of HD to assess if structural neuroimaging and biofluid assays can detect treatment response using as a prototype the small molecule p75NTR ligand LM11A-31, shown previously to reduce HD phenotypes in these mice. LM11A-31 alleviated volume reductions in multiple brain regions, including striatum, of vehicle-treated R6/2 mice relative to wild-types (WTs), as assessed with in vivo MRI. LM11A-31 also normalized changes in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics and diminished increases in certain plasma cytokine levels, including tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6, in R6/2 mice. Finally, R6/2-vehicle mice had increased urinary levels of the p75NTR extracellular domain (ecd), a cleavage product released with pro-apoptotic ligand binding that detects the progression of other neurodegenerative diseases; LM11A-31 reduced this increase. These results are the first to show that urinary p75NTR-ecd levels are elevated in an HD mouse model and can be used to detect therapeutic effects. These data also indicate that multi-modal MRI and plasma cytokine levels may be effective pharmacodynamic biomarkers and that using combinations of these markers would be a viable and powerful option for clinical trials.


2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annapurna Nayak ◽  
Rafia Ansar ◽  
Sunil K. Verma ◽  
Domenico Marco Bonifati ◽  
Uday Kishore

Huntington's disease (HD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is caused by abnormal expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeats. Neuroinflammation is a typical feature of most neurodegenerative diseases that leads to an array of pathological changes within the affected areas in the brain. The neurodegeneration in HD is also caused by aberrant immune response in the presence of aggregated mutant huntingtin protein. The effects of immune activation in HD nervous system are a relatively unexplored area of research. This paper summarises immunological features associated with development and progression of HD.


2016 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 369-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jos A. Bouwens ◽  
Erik van Duijn ◽  
Christa M. Cobbaert ◽  
Raymund A.C. Roos ◽  
Roos C. van der Mast ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (22) ◽  
pp. 12499
Author(s):  
Chaebin Kim ◽  
Ali Yousefian-Jazi ◽  
Seung-Hye Choi ◽  
Inyoung Chang ◽  
Junghee Lee ◽  
...  

Huntington’s disease (HD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expansion of CAG trinucleotide repeat located in the exon 1 of Huntingtin (HTT) gene in human chromosome 4. The HTT protein is ubiquitously expressed in the brain. Specifically, mutant HTT (mHTT) protein-mediated toxicity leads to a dramatic degeneration of the striatum among many regions of the brain. HD symptoms exhibit a major involuntary movement followed by cognitive and psychiatric dysfunctions. In this review, we address the conventional role of wild type HTT (wtHTT) and how mHTT protein disrupts the function of medium spiny neurons (MSNs). We also discuss how mHTT modulates epigenetic modifications and transcriptional pathways in MSNs. In addition, we define how non-cell autonomous pathways lead to damage and death of MSNs under HD pathological conditions. Lastly, we overview therapeutic approaches for HD. Together, understanding of precise neuropathological mechanisms of HD may improve therapeutic approaches to treat the onset and progression of HD.


2009 ◽  
Vol 219 (2) ◽  
pp. 385-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Sassone ◽  
Clarissa Colciago ◽  
Giuliana Cislaghi ◽  
Vincenzo Silani ◽  
Andrea Ciammola

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julieta Saba ◽  
Federico López Couselo ◽  
Julieta Bruno ◽  
Lila Carniglia ◽  
Daniela Durand ◽  
...  

: Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative genetic disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion in the huntingtin gene. HD causes motor, cognitive, and behavioral dysfunction. Since no existing treatment affects the course of this disease, new treatments are needed. Inflammation is frequently observed in HD patients before symptom onset. Neuroinflammation, characterized by the presence of reactive microglia and astrocytes and inflammatory factors within the brain, is also detected early. However, in comparison with other neurodegenerative diseases, the role of neuroinflammation in HD is much less known. Work has been dedicated to altered microglial and astrocytic functions in the context of HD, but less attention has been given to glial participation in neuroinflammation. This review describes evidence of inflammation in HD patients and animal models. It also discusses recent knowledge on neuroinflammation in HD, highlighting astrocyte and microglia involvement in the disease and considering anti-inflammatory therapeutic approaches.


Author(s):  
Ravi Ranjan Kumar ◽  
Lovekesh Singh ◽  
Amandeep Thakur ◽  
Shamsher Singh ◽  
Bhupinder Kumar

Background: Vitamins are the micronutrients required for boosting the immune system and managing any future infection. Vitamins are involved in neurogenesis, a defense mechanism working in neurons, metabolic reactions, neuronal survival, and neuronal transmission. Their deficiency leads to abnormal functions in the brain like oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, accumulation of proteins (synuclein, Aβ plaques), neurodegeneration, and excitotoxicity. Methods: In this review, we have compiled various reports collected from PubMed, Scholar Google, Research gate, and Science direct. The findings were evaluated, compiled, and represented in this manuscript. Conclusion: The deficiency of vitamins in the body causes various neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington's disease, and depression. We have discussed the role of vitamins in neurological disorders and the normal human body. Depression is linked to a deficiency of vitamin-C and vitamin B. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease, there is a lack of vitamin-B1, B12, and vitamin-A, which results in Aβ-plaques. Similarly, in Parkinson’s disease, vitamin-D deficiency leads to a decrease in the level of dopamine, and imbalance in vitamin D leads to accumulation of synuclein. In MS, Vitamin-C and Vitamin-D deficiency causes demyelination of neurons. In Huntington's disease, vitamin- C deficiency decreases the antioxidant level, enhances oxidative stress, and disrupts the glucose cycle. Vitamin B5 deficiency in Huntington's disease disrupts the synthesis of acetylcholine and hormones in the brain.


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