scholarly journals VX765 Attenuates Pyroptosis and HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB Pathways to Improve Functional Outcomes in TBI Mice

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhezhe Sun ◽  
Mark Nyanzu ◽  
Su Yang ◽  
Xiaohong Zhu ◽  
Kankai Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Nf Kappa B ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Area Of Interest ◽  
Blood Brain

Background. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) refers to temporary or permanent damage to brain function caused by penetrating objects or blunt force trauma. TBI activates inflammasome-mediated pathways and other cell death pathways to remove inactive and damaged cells, however, they are also harmful to the central nervous system. The newly discovered cell death pattern termed pyroptosis has become an area of interest. It mainly relies on caspase-1-mediated pathways, leading to cell death. Methods. Our research focus is VX765, a known caspase-1 inhibitor which may offer neuroprotection after the process of TBI. We established a controlled cortical impact (CCI) mouse model and then controlled the degree of pyroptosis in TBI with VX765. The effects of caspase-1 inhibition on inflammatory response, pyroptosis, blood-brain barrier (BBB), apoptosis, and microglia activation, in addition to neurological deficits, were investigated. Results. We found that TBI led to NOD-like receptors (NLRs) as well as absent in melanoma 2 (AIM2) inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis in the damaged cerebral cortex. VX765 curbed the expressions of indispensable inflammatory subunits (caspase-1 as well as key downstream proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin- (IL-) 1β and IL-18). It also inhibited gasdermin D (GSDMD) cleavage and apoptosis-associated spot-like protein (ASC) oligomerization in the injured cortex. In addition to the above, VX765 also inhibited the inflammatory activity of the high-mobility cassette -1/Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor-kappa B (HMGB1/TLR4/NF-kappa B) pathway. By inhibiting pyroptosis and inflammatory mediator expression, we demonstrated that VX765 can decrease blood-brain barrier (BBB) leakage, apoptosis, and microglia polarization to exhibit its neuroprotective effects. Conclusion. In conclusion, VX765 can counteract neurological damage after TBI by reducing pyroptosis and HMGB1/TLR4/NF-κB pathway activities. VX765 may have a good therapeutic effect on TBI.

Berberine Protects against Neurological Impairments and Blood-Brain Barrier Injury in Mouse Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Xiuwen Wu ◽  
Xiaopeng Liu ◽  
Liang Yang ◽  
Yuanyu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Inflammatory Responses ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Peroxisome Proliferator ◽  
Intracerebral Injection ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Autologous Whole Blood

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Elevation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ coactivator-1α (PGC1α) signaling can suppress intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced neurological impairments. As an isoquinoline alkaloid, Berberine exerts neuroprotective effects in neurological disease models with activated AMPK/PGC1α signaling. <b><i>Aim:</i></b> We aim to study the effect of Berberine on ICH-induced brain injury and explore the potential molecular mechanism. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> ICH model was established in mice through intracerebral injection of autologous whole blood, followed by treatment with Berberine. Neurological impairments were assessed by the modified neurological severity score and behavioral assays. Brain edema and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity were assessed by water content in the brain, amount of extravasated Evans blue, and BBB tight junction components. Neuroinflammatory responses were assessed by inflammatory cytokine levels. AMPK/PGC1α signaling was examined by AMPK mRNA expression and phosphorylated AMPK and PGC1α protein levels. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Berberine (200 mg/kg) attenuated ICH-induced neurological deficits, motor and cognitive impairment, and BBB disruption. Berberine also suppressed ICH-induced inflammatory responses indicated by reduced production of inflammatory cytokines. Finally, Berberine drastically elevated AMPK/PGC1α signaling in the hemisphere of ICH mice. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our findings suggest that Berberine plays an important neuroprotective role against ICH-induced neurological impairments and BBB injury, probably by inhibition of inflammation and activation of AMPK/PGC1α signaling.

scholarly journals Inhibition of Caspase-1 Ameliorates Ischemia-Associated Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction and Integrity by Suppressing Pyroptosis Activation

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yubin Liang ◽  
Pingping Song ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Xuemin Xie ◽  
Rixin Luo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cerebral Infarction ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Mapk Pathway ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurological Deficits ◽  
Tissue Inhibitors Of Metalloproteinases ◽  
Inflammatory Factors ◽  
Caspase 1 ◽  
Blood Brain

Ischemic cerebral infarction represents a significant cause of disability and death worldwide. Caspase-1 is activated by the NLRP3/ASC pathway and inflammasomes, thus triggering pyroptosis, a programmed cell death. In particular, this death is mediated by gasdermin D (GSDMD), which induces secretion of interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18. Accordingly, inhibition of caspase-1 prevents the development and worsening of multiple neurodegenerative diseases. However, it is not clear whether inhibition of caspase-1 can preserve blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity following cerebral infarction. This study therefore aimed at understanding the effect of caspase-1 on BBB dysfunction and its underlying mechanisms in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Our findings in rat models revealed that expression of caspase-1 was upregulated following MCAO-induced injury in rats. Consequently, pharmacologic inhibition of caspase-1 using vx-765 ameliorated ischemia-induced infarction, neurological deficits, and neuronal injury. Furthermore, inhibition of caspase-1 enhanced the encapsulation rate of pericytes at the ischemic edge, decreased leakage of both Evans Blue (EB) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) proteins, and upregulated the levels of tight junctions (TJs) and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in MCAO-injured rats. This in turn improved the permeability of the BBB. Meanwhile, vx-765 blocked the activation of ischemia-induced pyroptosis and reduced the expression level of inflammatory factors such as caspase-1, NLRP3, ASC, GSDMD, IL-1β, and IL-18. Similarly, vx-765 treatment significantly reduced the expression levels of inflammation-related receptor for advanced glycation end products (RAGE), high-mobility family box 1 (HMGB1), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB). Evidently, inhibition of caspase-1 significantly improves ischemia-associated BBB permeability and integrity by suppressing pyroptosis activation and the RAGE/MAPK pathway.

scholarly journals The Neuroprotective Effects of Necrostatin-1 on Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Rats Are Possibly Mediated by Preventing Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption and RIP3-Mediated Necroptosis

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (11) ◽  
pp. 1358-1372 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jingsen Chen ◽  
Hanghuang Jin ◽  
Hangzhe Xu ◽  
Yucong Peng ◽  
Liyong Jie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
New Drugs ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Lesion Volume ◽  
Brain Swelling ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Pharmaceutical Therapy ◽  
Blood Brain

Despite the substantial efforts to elucidate the role of early brain injury in subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), an effective pharmaceutical therapy for patients with SAH continues to be unavailable. This study aims to reveal the role of necroptosis after SAH, and explore whether the disruption of the blood–brain barrier (BBB) and RIP3-mediated necroptosis following SAH in a rat SAH model are altered by necrostatin-1 via its selective inhibition of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIP1). Sixty-five rats were used in the experiments. The SAH model was established using endovascular perforation. Necrostatin-1 was intracerebroventricularly injected 1 h before SAH induction. The neuroprotective effects of necrostatin-1 were evaluated with multiple methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning, immunohistochemistry, propidium iodide (PI) labeling, and western blotting. Pretreatment with necrostatin-1 attenuated brain swelling and reduced the lesion volume on T2 sequence and ventricular volume on MRI 72 h after SAH induction. Albumin leakage and the degradation of tight junction proteins were also ameliorated by necrostatin-1 administration. In addition, necrostatin-1 decreased the number of PI-positive cells in the basal cortex, reduced the levels of the RIP3 and MLKL proteins, and inhibited the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. Based on the findings from the present study, the selective RIP1 inhibitor necrostatin-1 functioned as a neuroprotective agent after SAH by attenuating brain swelling and BBB disruption. Moreover, the necrostatin-1 pretreatment prevented SAH-induced necroptosis by suppressing the activity of the RIP3/MLKL signaling pathway. These results will provide insights into new drugs and pharmacological targets to manage SAH, which are worth further study.

scholarly journals The blood-brain barrier in primary CNS lymphomas: Ultrastructural evidence of endothelial cell death

1999 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-100
Author(s):  
Peter P. Molnár ◽  
Brian P. O'Neill ◽  
Bernd W. Scheithauer ◽  
Dennis R. Groothuis
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Endothelial Cell ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Ultrastructural Evidence ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Endothelial Cell Death ◽  
Cns Lymphomas

scholarly journals Polyphenols in Alzheimer’s Disease and in the Gut–Brain Axis

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Prakash Reddy ◽  
Puspa Aryal ◽  
Sara Robinson ◽  
Raheemat Rafiu ◽  
Mark Obrenovich ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Polyphenolic Compounds ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Bacterial Metabolism ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Bacterial Metabolites ◽  
Blood Brain

Polyphenolic antioxidants, including dietary plant lignans, modulate the gut–brain axis, which involves transformation of these polyphenolic compounds into physiologically active and neuroprotector compounds (called human lignans) through gut bacterial metabolism. These gut bacterial metabolites exert their neuroprotective effects in various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD), and also have protective effects against other diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and diabetes. For example, enterolactone and enterodiol, the therapeutically relevant polyphenols, are formed as the secondary gut bacterial metabolites of lignans, the non-flavonoid polyphenolic compounds found in plant-based foods. These compounds are also acetylcholinesterase inhibitors, and thereby have potential applications as therapeutics in AD and other neurological diseases. Polyphenols are also advanced glycation end product (AGE) inhibitors (antiglycating agents), and thereby exert neuroprotective effects in cases of AD. Thus, gut bacterial metabolism of lignans and other dietary polyphenolic compounds results in the formation of neuroprotective polyphenols—some of which have enhanced blood–brain barrier permeability. It is hypothesized that gut bacterial metabolism-derived polyphenols, when combined with the nanoparticle-based blood–brain barrier (BBB)-targeted drug delivery, may prove to be effective therapeutics for various neurological disorders, including traumatic brain injury (TBI), AD, and PD. This mini-review addresses the role of polyphenolic compounds in the gut–brain axis, focusing on AD.

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