Mass Fragmentography: A Method to Study Monoamine Neurotransmitters in Brain Nuclei

(1) Background: Monoamine neurotransmitters play essential roles in the normal functioning of our nervous system. However, the metabolism of monoamine neurotransmitters is accompanied by the production of neurotoxic metabolites, and inefficient removal of the metabolites has been suggested to cause neurodegeneration. (2) Methods: To examine the effect of reduced activity of catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) and aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) conferred by single nucleotide polymorphisms COMT rs4680(A) and ALDH2 rs671(A) on the symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a total of 114 PD patients were recruited cross-sectionally and received genotyping for rs4680 and rs671 along with MDS-UPDRS evaluation. (3) Results: We found that patients carrying rs4680(A) had more severe bradykinesia in the upper extremity and rest tremor. Besides, patients carrying rs671(A) had more difficulty maintaining personal hygiene, while patients with genotype rs671(GG) had higher scores in the item “depressed mood.” More importantly, we found the effect of rs4680 to be moderated by rs671 SNP for the symptom of “hand movements.” The detrimental impact of rs4680(A) is more pronounced in the presence of genotype rs671(GG). (4) Conclusions: This study facilitates a deeper understanding of the detrimental effect of reduced activity of COMT and ALDH2 conferred by genetic variation and provides novel insight into the interactions between enzymes metabolizing monoamine neurotransmitters in the pathogenesis of PD.

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Nanosilver-embedded silicon nanowires as a SERS-active substrate for the ultrasensitive detection of monoamine neurotransmitters

Surfaces and Interfaces ◽

10.1016/j.surfin.2021.101181 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 101181

Author(s):

Van-The Vo ◽

Viet-Duc Phung ◽

Sang-Wha Lee

Keyword(s):

Silicon Nanowires ◽

Ultrasensitive Detection ◽

Monoamine Neurotransmitters ◽

Active Substrate ◽

Sers Active Substrate

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NE turnover in genetically hypertensive rats of Lyon strain. I. Brain nuclei

AJP Heart and Circulatory Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpheart.1988.255.4.h729 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 255 (4) ◽

pp. H729-H735 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Sautel ◽

J. Sacquet ◽

M. Vincent ◽

J. Sassard

Keyword(s):

Blood Pressure ◽

Hypothalamic Nucleus ◽

Primary Role ◽

Hypertensive Rats ◽

Brain Areas ◽

Brain Nuclei ◽

Genetically Hypertensive Rats ◽

Low Blood Pressure ◽

Genetically Hypertensive

Several indirect evidences of alterations in the central catecholaminergic structures were obtained in genetically hypertensive rats. Because they could be of pathogenetic value, we measured, in the present work, the in vivo turnover (TO) of norepinephrine (NE) in brain areas of 5- and 22-wk-old genetically hypertensive (LH) rats of the Lyon strain, and their simultaneously selected normotensive (LN) and low blood pressure (LL) controls. Among the changes observed, the increased TO of NE in the A2 and A6 regions of 5-wk-old LH rats and its decrease in the posteroventral hypothalamic nucleus of 22-wk-old LH animals appeared likely to compensate for hypertension. On the contrary, the decreased TO of NE in the anterior hypothalamic nucleus observed at 5 wk and in the A6 and A1 areas at 22 wk of age in LH rats could participate in the development or the maintenance of hypertension. Above all, it was postulated that the increased TO of NE found in the A7 region of 5-wk-old LH rats could play a primary role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the Lyon model.

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Synergistic Effect of Several Neurotransmitters in PFC-NAc-VTA Neural Circuit for the Anti-Depression Effect of Shuganheweitang in a Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Model

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x211002415 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 1934578X2110024

Author(s):

Xin Chen ◽

Yuanchun Ma ◽

Xiongjun Mou ◽

Hao Liu ◽

Hao Ming ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Behavior ◽

Neural Circuit ◽

Concentration Level ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Mild Stress ◽

Depression Effect ◽

Monoamine Neurotransmitters ◽

Reward Circuitry ◽

High Doses ◽

The Brain

Depression, a major worldwide mental disorder, leads to massive disability and can result in death. The PFC-NAc-VTA neuro circuit is related to emotional, neurovegetative, and cognitive functions, which emerge as a circuit-level framework for understanding reward deficits in depression. Neurotransmitters, which are widely distributed in different brain regions, are important detected targets for the evaluation of depression. Shuganheweitang (SGHWT) is a popular prescription in clinical therapy for depression. In order to investigate its possible pharmacodynamics and anti-depressive mechanism, the complex plant material was separated into different fractions. These in low and high doses, along with low and high doses of SGHWT were tested in animal behavior tests. The low and high doses of SGHWT were more effective than the various fractions, which indicate the importance of synergistic function in traditional Chinese medicine. Furthermore, amino acid (GABA, Glu) and monoamine neurotransmitters (DA, 5-HT, NA, 5-HIAA) in the PFC-NAc-VTA neuro circuit were investigated by UPLC-MS/MS. The level trend of DA and 5-HT were consistent in the PFC-NAc-VTA neuro circuit, whereas 5-HIAA was decreased in the PFC, Glu was decreased in the PFC and VTA, and NA and GABA were decreased in the NAc. The results indicate that the pathogenesis of depression is associated with dysfunction of the PFC-NAc-VTA neural circuit, mainly through the neural projection effects of neurotransmitters associated with various brain regions in the neural circuit. PCA and OPLS-DA score plots demonstrated the similarities of individuals within each group and the differences among the groups. In this study, SGHWT could regulate the concentration level of different neurotransmitters in the PFC-NAc-VTA neuro circuit to improve the depression, which benefitted from the recognition of the brain reward circuitry in mood disorders.

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