scholarly journals Mitochondria-Targeted Protective Compounds in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Fernández-Moriano ◽  
Elena González-Burgos ◽  
M. Pilar Gómez-Serranillos

Mitochondria are cytoplasmic organelles that regulate both metabolic and apoptotic signaling pathways; their most highlighted functions include cellular energy generation in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), regulation of cellular calcium homeostasis, balance between ROS production and detoxification, mediation of apoptosis cell death, and synthesis and metabolism of various key molecules. Consistent evidence suggests that mitochondrial failure is associated with early events in the pathogenesis of ageing-related neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. Mitochondria-targeted protective compounds that prevent or minimize mitochondrial dysfunction constitute potential therapeutic strategies in the prevention and treatment of these central nervous system diseases. This paper provides an overview of the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, with particular attention toin vitroandin vivostudies on promising endogenous and exogenous mitochondria-targeted protective compounds.

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlo Brighi ◽  
Federica Cordella ◽  
Luigi Chiriatti ◽  
Alessandro Soloperto ◽  
Silvia Di Angelantonio

2010 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling-Ling LIU ◽  
Bai-Yang SHENG ◽  
Kai GONG ◽  
Nan-Ming ZHAO ◽  
Xiu-Fang ZHANG ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tao Liang ◽  
Weijian Hang ◽  
Jiehui Chen ◽  
Yue Wu ◽  
Bin Wen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) is a major genetic risk factor of Alzheimer’s disease. Its C-terminal-truncated apoE4 (Δ272–299) has neurotoxicity by affecting mitochondrial respiratory function. However, the molecular mechanism(s) underlying the action of apoE4 (Δ272–299) in mitochondrial function remain poorly understood. Methods The impact of neuronal apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression on ER stress, mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) formation, GRP75, calcium transport and mitochondrial impairment was determined in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, the importance of ER stress or GRP75 activity in the apoE4 (Δ272–299)-promoted mitochondrial dysfunction in neuron was investigated. Results Neuronal apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression induced mitochondrial impairment by inducing ER stress and mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) formation in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, apoE4 (Δ272–299) expression promoted GRP75 expression, mitochondrial dysfunction and calcium transport into the mitochondria in neuron, which were significantly mitigated by treatment with PBA (an inhibitor of ER stress), MKT077 (a specific GRP75 inhibitor) or GRP75 silencing. Conclusions ApoE4 (Δ272–299) significantly impaired neuron mitochondrial function by triggering ER stress, up-regulating GRP75 expression to increase MAM formation, and mitochondrial calcium overload. Our findings may provide new insights into the neurotoxicity of apoE4 (Δ272–299) against mitochondrial function and uncover new therapeutic targets for the intervention of Alzheimer’s disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 601
Author(s):  
Fanpeng Zhao ◽  
Quillan Austria ◽  
Wenzhang Wang ◽  
Xiongwei Zhu

Mitochondrial dysfunction represents a critical event in the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Increasing evidence demonstrates that disturbed mitochondrial dynamics and quality control play an important role in mitochondrial dysfunction in PD. Our previous study demonstrated that MPP+ induces mitochondrial fragmentation in vitro. In this study, we aimed to assess whether blocking MPTP-induced mitochondrial fragmentation by overexpressing Mfn2 affords neuroprotection in vivo. We found that the significant loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) induced by MPTP treatment, as seen in wild-type littermate control mice, was almost completely blocked in mice overexpressing Mfn2 (hMfn2 mice). The dramatic reduction in dopamine neuronal fibers and dopamine levels in the striatum caused by MPTP administration was also partially inhibited in hMfn2 mice. MPTP-induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response in the SN and striatum were significantly alleviated in hMfn2 mice. The impairment of motor function caused by MPTP was also blocked in hMfn2 mice. Overall, our work demonstrates that restoration of mitochondrial dynamics by Mfn2 overexpression protects against neuronal toxicity in an MPTP-based PD mouse model, which supports the modulation of mitochondrial dynamics as a potential therapeutic target for PD treatment.


Cancers ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joerg Fellenberg ◽  
Burkhard Lehner ◽  
Heiner Saehr ◽  
Astrid Schenker ◽  
Pierre Kunz

Since the introduction of high-dose chemotherapy about 35 years ago, survival rates of osteosarcoma patients have not been significantly improved. New therapeutic strategies replacing or complementing conventional chemotherapy are therefore urgently required. MicroRNAs represent promising targets for such new therapies, as they are involved in the pathology of multiple types of cancer, and aberrant expression of several miRNAs has already been shown in osteosarcoma. In this study, we identified silencing of miR-127-3p and miR-376a-3p in osteosarcoma cell lines and tissues and investigated their role as potential tumor suppressors in vitro and in vivo. Transfection of osteosarcoma cells (n = 6) with miR-127-3p and miR-376a-3p mimics significantly inhibited proliferation and reduced the colony formation capacity of these cells. In contrast, we could not detect any influence of miRNA restoration on cell cycle and apoptosis induction. The effects of candidate miRNA restoration on tumor engraftment and growth in vivo were analyzed using a chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assay. Cells transfected with mir-127-3p and miR-376a-3p showed reduced tumor take rates and tumor volumes and a significant decrease of the cumulative tumor volumes to 41% and 54% compared to wildtype cells. The observed tumor suppressor function of both analyzed miRNAs indicates these miRNAs as potentially valuable targets for the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of osteosarcoma.


2013 ◽  
Vol 113 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshiyuki Ikeda ◽  
Junichi Sadoshima

Fission and fusion affect mitochondrial turnover in part by modulating mitophagy. This study aimed to clarify the role of mitochondrial fission in regulating cardiac function and autophagy in the heart. Dynamin-related protein 1 (Drp-1) plays an essential role in mediating mitochondrial fission. Therefore, we generated cardiac specific Drp-1 KO mice and utilized cultured cardiomyocytes transduced with adenovirus harboring short hairpin Drp-1 (Ad-shDrp-1) to test the effect of Drp-1 disruption both in vivo and in vitro. In Drp-1 KO hearts we observed a significantly greater mitochondrial mass ratio compared to control, as assessed by electron microscopy (Drp-1 KO: 3.57 ± 1.38, control: 1.18 ± 0.31, P<0.05). Mitochondrial ATP content was significantly lower (0.70 ± 0.07 vs 1.03 ± 0.10, P<0.05), while mitochondrial swelling was significantly greater (% decrease in absorbance; 8.01 ± 1.99 vs 2.01 ± 0.58, P<0.05) in Drp-1 KO hearts versus control. Mitochondrial membrane potential, assessed by JC-1 staining, was significantly reduced in myocytes with knockdown of Drp-1. Taken together, these results suggest that inhibition of fission causes mitochondrial dysfunction. We also examined the effect of Drp-1 depletion on autophagy. We found that the amount of LC-3 II was significantly less (0.47 ± 0.16 vs 1.32 ±0.34, P<0.05), whereas p62 expression was significantly greater (1.14 ± 0.16 vs 0.16 ± 0.06, P<0.01) in Drp-1 KO hearts compared to control. The number of LC3 dots in Ad-shDrp-1 transduced myocytes was lower than that of sh-scramble treatment. We investigated apoptosis and found that the amount of cleaved caspase-3 (0.62 ± 0.24 vs 0.18 ± 0.04, P<0.05) and the number of TUNEL positive cells (0.22 ± 0.12 vs 0.03 ± 0.06%, P<0.01) were higher in Drp-1 KO versus control hearts. Cardiac systolic function was reduced (ejection fraction; 44.5 ± 6.3 vs 85.4 ± 5.7%, P<0.01) and LVW/tibia length was greater (4.48 ± 0.38 vs 3.84 ± 0.58, P<0.05) in Drp-1 KO mice compared to control. Finally, we observed that the survival rate of Drp-1 KO mice was significantly reduced compared to control mice. Our results demonstrate that inhibition of mitochondrial fission via disruption of Drp-1 inhibits autophagy and causes mitochondrial dysfunction, thereby promoting cardiomyopathy.


Author(s):  
Lei Guan ◽  
Ting Li ◽  
Nanping Ai ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Bing He ◽  
...  

Abstract Background MEIS2 has been identified as one of the key transcription factors in the gene regulatory network in the development and pathogenesis of human cancers. Our study aims to identify the regulatory mechanisms of MEIS2 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which could be targeted to develop new therapeutic strategies. Methods The variation of MEIS2 levels were assayed in a cohort of HCC patients. The proliferation, clone-formation, migration, and invasion abilities of HCC cells were measured to analyze the effects of MEIS2C and MEIS2D (MEIS2C/D) knockdown with small hairpin RNAs in vitro and in vivo. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) was performed to identify MEIS2 binding site. Immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence assays were employed to detect proteins regulated by MEIS2. Results The expression of MEIS2C/D was increased in the HCC specimens when compared with the adjacent noncancerous liver (ANL) tissues. Moreover, MEIS2C/D expression negatively correlated with the prognosis of HCC patients. On the other hand, knockdown of MEIS2C/D could inhibit proliferation and diminish migration and invasion of hepatoma cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, MESI2C activated Wnt/β-catenin pathway in cooperation with Parafibromin (CDC73), while MEIS2D suppressed Hippo pathway by promoting YAP nuclear translocation via miR-1307-3p/LATS1 axis. Notably, CDC73 could directly either interact with MEIS2C/β-catenin or MEIS2D/YAP complex, depending on its tyrosine-phosphorylation status. Conclusions Our studies indicate that MEISC/D promote HCC development via Wnt/β-catenin and Hippo/YAP signaling pathways, highlighting the complex molecular network of MEIS2C/D in HCC pathogenesis. These results suggest that MEISC/D may serve as a potential novel therapeutic target for HCC.


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