Integrative view of serpins in health and disease: the contribution of serpinA3

Author(s):  
Andrea Sanchez-Navarro ◽  
Isaac González-Soria ◽  
Rebecca Caldiño-Bohn ◽  
Norma A. Bobadilla

Serpins are a superfamily of proteins characterized by their common function as serine protease inhibitors. So far, 36 serpins from nine clades have been identified. These proteins are expressed in all the organs and are involved in multiple important functions such as the regulation of blood pressure, hormone transport, insulin sensitivity, and the inflammatory response. Diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular, and kidney disorders are intensively studied to find effective therapeutic targets. Given serpins' outstanding functionality, the deficiency or overexpression of certain types of serpin have been associated with diverse pathophysiological events. In particular, we will focus on reviewing the studies evaluating the participation of serpins, and particularly SerpinA3, in diverse diseases that occur in relevant organs such as the brain, retinas, corneas, lungs, cardiac vasculature, and kidneys. In this review, we summarize the role of serpins in physiological and pathophysiological processes, as well as recent evidence on the crucial role of SerpinA3 in several pathologies. Finally, we emphasize the importance of SerpinA3 in regulating cellular processes such as angiogenesis, apoptosis, fibrosis, oxidative stress, and the inflammatory response.

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-13 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Juárez Olguín ◽  
David Calderón Guzmán ◽  
Ernestina Hernández García ◽  
Gerardo Barragán Mejía

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is produced in the substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, and hypothalamus of the brain. Dysfunction of the dopamine system has been implicated in different nervous system diseases. The level of dopamine transmission increases in response to any type of reward and by a large number of strongly additive drugs. The role of dopamine dysfunction as a consequence of oxidative stress is involved in health and disease. Introduce new potential targets for the development of therapeutic interventions based on antioxidant compounds. The present review focuses on the therapeutic potential of antioxidant compounds as a coadjuvant treatment to conventional neurological disorders is discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 334
Author(s):  
Giulia Bivona ◽  
Bruna Lo Sasso ◽  
Caterina Maria Gambino ◽  
Rosaria Vincenza Giglio ◽  
Concetta Scazzone ◽  
...  

Vitamin D and cognition is a popular association, which led to a remarkable body of literature data in the past 50 years. The brain can synthesize, catabolize, and receive Vitamin D, which has been proved to regulate many cellular processes in neurons and microglia. Vitamin D helps synaptic plasticity and neurotransmission in dopaminergic neural circuits and exerts anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective activities within the brain by reducing the synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and the oxidative stress load. Further, Vitamin D action in the brain has been related to the clearance of amyloid plaques, which represent a feature of Alzheimer Disease (AD), by the immune cell. Based on these considerations, many studies have investigated the role of circulating Vitamin D levels in patients affected by a cognitive decline to assess Vitamin D’s eventual role as a biomarker or a risk factor in AD. An association between low Vitamin D levels and the onset and progression of AD has been reported, and some interventional studies to evaluate the role of Vitamin D in preventing AD onset have been performed. However, many pitfalls affected the studies available, including substantial discrepancies in the methods used and the lack of standardized data. Despite many studies, it remains unclear whether Vitamin D can have a role in cognitive decline and AD. This narrative review aims to answer two key questions: whether Vitamin D can be used as a reliable tool for diagnosing, predicting prognosis and response to treatment in AD patients, and whether it is a modifiable risk factor for preventing AD onset.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 994
Author(s):  
Natasha Ting Lee ◽  
Lin Kooi Ong ◽  
Prajwal Gyawali ◽  
Che Mohd Nasril Che Mohd Nassir ◽  
Muzaimi Mustapha ◽  
...  

The cerebral endothelium is an active interface between blood and the central nervous system. In addition to being a physical barrier between the blood and the brain, the endothelium also actively regulates metabolic homeostasis, vascular tone and permeability, coagulation, and movement of immune cells. Being part of the blood–brain barrier, endothelial cells of the brain have specialized morphology, physiology, and phenotypes due to their unique microenvironment. Known cardiovascular risk factors facilitate cerebral endothelial dysfunction, leading to impaired vasodilation, an aggravated inflammatory response, as well as increased oxidative stress and vascular proliferation. This culminates in the thrombo-inflammatory response, an underlying cause of ischemic stroke and cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD). These events are further exacerbated when blood flow is returned to the brain after a period of ischemia, a phenomenon termed ischemia-reperfusion injury. Purinergic signaling is an endogenous molecular pathway in which the enzymes CD39 and CD73 catabolize extracellular adenosine triphosphate (eATP) to adenosine. After ischemia and CSVD, eATP is released from dying neurons as a damage molecule, triggering thrombosis and inflammation. In contrast, adenosine is anti-thrombotic, protects against oxidative stress, and suppresses the immune response. Evidently, therapies that promote adenosine generation or boost CD39 activity at the site of endothelial injury have promising benefits in the context of atherothrombotic stroke and can be extended to current CSVD known pathomechanisms. Here, we have reviewed the rationale and benefits of CD39 and CD39 therapies to treat endothelial dysfunction in the brain.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (6) ◽  
pp. 587-604 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Gibon ◽  
Philip A. Barker

Neurotrophins have been intensively studied and have multiple roles in the brain. Neurotrophins are first synthetized as proneurotrophins and then cleaved intracellularly and extracellularly. Increasing evidences demonstrate that proneurotrophins and mature neurotrophins exerts opposing role in the central nervous system. In the present review, we explore the role of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurotrophin 3 (NT3), and neurotrophin 4 (NT4) and their respective proform in cellular processes related to learning and memory. We focused on their roles in synaptic activity and plasticity in the brain with an emphasis on long-term potentiation, long-term depression, and basal synaptic transmission in the hippocampus and the temporal lobe area. We also discuss new findings on the role of the Val66Met polymorphism on the BDNF propeptide on synaptic activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (16) ◽  
pp. 8876
Author(s):  
Pierre Layrolle ◽  
Pierre Payoux ◽  
Stéphane Chavanas

Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a master regulator of metabolism, adipogenesis, inflammation and cell cycle, and it has been extensively studied in the brain in relation to inflammation or neurodegeneration. Little is known however about its role in viral infections of the brain parenchyma, although they represent the most frequent cause of encephalitis and are a major threat for the developing brain. Specific to viral infections is the ability to subvert signaling pathways of the host cell to ensure virus replication and spreading, as deleterious as the consequences may be for the host. In this respect, the pleiotropic role of PPARγ makes it a critical target of infection. This review aims to provide an update on the role of PPARγ in viral infections of the brain. Recent studies have highlighted the involvement of PPARγ in brain or neural cells infected by immunodeficiency virus 1, Zika virus, or human cytomegalovirus. They have provided a better understanding on PPARγ functions in the infected brain, and revealed that it can be a double-edged sword with respect to inflammation, viral replication, or neuronogenesis. They unraveled new roles of PPARγ in health and disease and could possibly help designing new therapeutic strategies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (9) ◽  
pp. 163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Gurvich ◽  
Kate Hoy ◽  
Natalie Thomas ◽  
Jayashri Kulkarni

Hormones of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis that regulate reproductive function have multiple effects on the development, maintenance and function of the brain. Sex differences in cognitive functioning have been reported in both health and disease, which may be partly attributed to sex hormones. The aim of the current paper was to provide a theoretical review of how sex hormones influence cognitive functioning across the lifespan as well as provide an overview of the literature on sex differences and the role of sex hormones in cognitive decline, specifically in relation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A summary of current hormone and sex-based interventions for enhancing cognitive functioning and/or reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease is also provided.


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.


Author(s):  
Rosa Delgado Jiménez ◽  
Corinne Benakis

AbstractThe intestinal microbiome is emerging as a critical factor in health and disease. The microbes, although spatially restricted to the gut, are communicating and modulating the function of distant organs such as the brain. Stroke and other neurological disorders are associated with a disrupted microbiota. In turn, stroke-induced dysbiosis has a major impact on the disease outcome by modulating the immune response. In this review, we present current knowledge on the role of the gut microbiome in stroke, one of the most devastating brain disorders worldwide with very limited therapeutic options, and we discuss novel insights into the gut-immune-brain axis after an ischemic insult. Understanding the nature of the gut bacteria-brain crosstalk may lead to microbiome-based therapeutic approaches that can improve patient recovery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergio Rius-Pérez ◽  
Isabel Torres-Cuevas ◽  
Iván Millán ◽  
Ángel L. Ortega ◽  
Salvador Pérez

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator (PGC)-1α is a transcriptional coactivator described as a master regulator of mitochondrial biogenesis and function, including oxidative phosphorylation and reactive oxygen species detoxification. PGC-1α is highly expressed in tissues with high energy demands, and it is clearly associated with the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome and its principal complications including obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease, and hepatic steatosis. We herein review the molecular pathways regulated by PGC-1α, which connect oxidative stress and mitochondrial metabolism with inflammatory response and metabolic syndrome. PGC-1α regulates the expression of mitochondrial antioxidant genes, including manganese superoxide dismutase, catalase, peroxiredoxin 3 and 5, uncoupling protein 2, thioredoxin 2, and thioredoxin reductase and thus prevents oxidative injury and mitochondrial dysfunction. Dysregulation of PGC-1α alters redox homeostasis in cells and exacerbates inflammatory response, which is commonly accompanied by metabolic disturbances. During inflammation, low levels of PGC-1α downregulate mitochondrial antioxidant gene expression, induce oxidative stress, and promote nuclear factor kappa B activation. In metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by a chronic low grade of inflammation, PGC-1α dysregulation modifies the metabolic properties of tissues by altering mitochondrial function and promoting reactive oxygen species accumulation. In conclusion, PGC-1α acts as an essential node connecting metabolic regulation, redox control, and inflammatory pathways, and it is an interesting therapeutic target that may have significant benefits for a number of metabolic diseases.


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