Abstract P242: Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Subunit α7 is Protective Against Angiotensin II-induced Aneurysm and Hypertension

Hypertension ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 70 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nayaab S Khan ◽  
Spyros Mavropoulos ◽  
Kaie Ojamaa

Alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR), an integral component of the cholinergic nervous system is known to mediate cholinergic anti-inflammatory activity in various disease models such as sepsis, stroke and neurocognitive disorders. We report for the first time that the α7 nAChR -/- deficient mouse serves as a novel model of hypertension and aneurysm formation. Seven month old male WT and α7 nAChR -/- mice weighing 28-33g were infused with low dose Ang II (350 ng/kg/min) or high dose (700 ng/kg/min) or vehicle for 15 days using mini-osmotic pumps (Alzet, model 2004) implanted subcutaneously. Blood pressure (BP) was recorded on day 0,3,7,10 and 14. Mice were euthanized on day 15. Heart and body weights were measured, histological analysis was performed on the aortas and immune profile of peripheral blood was analyzed by flow cytometry. High dose Ang II resulted in 70% mortality from aneurysm rupture in α7 nAChR -/- mice starting as early as the 4 th day of infusion. While cardiac hypertrophy was not observed, low dose Ang II resulted in a sharp rise in blood pressure in α7 nAChR -/- beginning on the 3 rd day to 167±3.7 mmHg compared to 138±3.3 mmHg in WT treated mice. On day14 of low dose treatment, BP in α7 nAChR -/- rose to 171±4.2 vs.135±3.1 in WT mice. No changes were observed in BP of untreated WT or α7 nAChR -/- animals. Histological analysis revealed high grade aneurysm in aortas of α7 nAChR -/- mice treated with low dose Ang II, demonstrating a prominent germinal center within the false lumen and fibrous desmoplastic stroma. Increased infiltration of CD11B + monocytes, and myeloperoxidase + stained neutrophils were observed in these aortas but not in the aortas of similarly treated WT mice. Flow cytometric analysis showed 27% ± 3.9 CD11B + /CD45 + circulating monocytes and 48% ± 0.8 Ly6G + /CD45 + neutrophils in α7 nAChR -/- vs. 19% ± 3 monocytes and 11.85% ± 2.9 neutrophils in WT mice. No differences in the levels of circulating immune cells were observed in untreated mice of either genotype. These data support a protective role of α7 nAChR in hypertension and aneurysm, potentially acting through its cholinergic anti-inflammatory activity. The α7 nAChR -/- mouse may serve as a new genetic model of aneurysm relevant in studies of the human disease.

Author(s):  
Sarath Sasi Kumar ◽  
Anjali T

Objective: In silico design and molecular docking of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives for their analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity using computational methods.Methods: In silico molecular properties of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives were predicted using various software’s such as Chemsketch, Molinspiration, PASS and Schrodinger to select compounds having optimum drug-likeness, molecular descriptors resembling those of standard drugs and not violating the ‘Lipinski rule of 5’. Molecular docking was performed on active site of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (PDB: 2KSR) for analgesic activity and COX-2 (PDB: 6COX) for anti-inflammatory activity using Schrodinger under maestro molecular modelling environment.Results: From the results of molecular docking studies of 1,2-benzisoxazole derivatives, all the compounds showed good binding interactions with Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and COX-2. Compounds 4a and 4c showed highest binding scores (-7.46 and-7.21 respectively) with nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and exhibited maximum analgesic activity. Compound 4a showed highest binding score (-7.8) with COX-2 and exhibited maximum anti-inflammatory activity.Conclusion: All the derivatives of 1,2-benzisoxazole showed good analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity as predicted using molecular docking on respective receptors.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenying Han ◽  
Fanxia Shen ◽  
Yue He ◽  
Vincent Degos ◽  
Marine Camus ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Inflammation influences stroke recovery. Activation of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAchR) attenuates inflammation. We hypothesize that α7 nAchR agonist treatment reduces pro-inflammatory macrophages (M1) and improves ischemic stroke recovery. Methods: C57BL/6 mice underwent permanent distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). They were randomly assigned to 7 groups: injected intraperitoneally with 0.4 or 0.8 mg/Kg PHA568487 (PHA, α7 nAchR agonist), 4 or 6 mg/Kg methyllycaconitine (MLA, α7 nAchR antagonist), or saline immediately after pMCAO, or with 0.8 mg/Kg PHA or 6 mg/kg MLA immediately and 24 hours after pMCAO. Behavior was assessed by corner and adhesive removal tests at 3, 7, and 14 days after pMCAO (n=12). Atrophic volume (n=7) and the percentage of total (CD68 + ) and M1 (CD11b + /Iba1 + ) macrophages (n=6) among total cells in the peri-infarct region were quantified 14 days after pMCAO. The expression of M1 (CD11b and iNOS) and M2 marker (CD206) were quantified using real-time RT-PCR (n=4). Results: Compared to the saline-treated mice, those treated with two doses of 0.8 mg/kg PHA performed better in both behavioral tests at 3 (adhesive: p=0.01, corner: p=0.02) and 7 (adhesive: p=0.005, corner: p=0.03) days, and in the adhesive removal test at 14 days (p=0.004) after pMCAO. They had smaller atrophic volume (16±7 mm 3 vs 26±5 mm 3 , p=0.008), and fewer total (9±2.5% vs 15.8±1.7%, p<0.001) and M1 (14±2.3% vs 20.6±4.2%, p=0.005) macrophages. Mice treated with two doses of 6 mg/kg MLA performed worse in the behavioral tests at all times (p<0.05), had larger atrophic volume (48±20 mm 3 , p=0.03), and more total (25±4.2%, p=0.0003) and M1 macrophages (28±4.5%, p=0.01). The expression of CD11b and iNOS decreased (p<0.05) in the PHA group, and increased (p=0.01) in the MLA group. CD206 expression increased (p=0.04) in the PHA group and did not change in the MLA group. One-dose treatment had no effect. Conclusions: Activation of α7 nAchR reduces pro-inflammatory macrophages in the peri-infarct region, which is associated with reduction of atrophic volume and improvement of behavioral recovery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (17) ◽  
pp. 6189
Author(s):  
Kuntarat Arunrungvichian ◽  
Sumet Chongruchiroj ◽  
Jiradanai Sarasamkan ◽  
Gerrit Schüürmann ◽  
Peter Brust ◽  
...  

The selective binding of six (S)-quinuclidine-triazoles and their (R)-enantiomers to nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) subtypes α3β4 and α7, respectively, were analyzed by in silico docking to provide the insight into the molecular basis for the observed stereospecific subtype discrimination. Homology modeling followed by molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations revealed that unique amino acid residues in the complementary subunits of the nAChR subtypes are involved in subtype-specific selectivity profiles. In the complementary β4-subunit of the α3β4 nAChR binding pocket, non-conserved AspB173 through a salt bridge was found to be the key determinant for the α3β4 selectivity of the quinuclidine-triazole chemotype, explaining the 47–327-fold affinity of the (S)-enantiomers as compared to their (R)-enantiomer counterparts. Regarding the α7 nAChR subtype, the amino acids promoting a however significantly lower preference for the (R)-enantiomers were the conserved TyrA93, TrpA149 and TrpB55 residues. The non-conserved amino acid residue in the complementary subunit of nAChR subtypes appeared to play a significant role for the nAChR subtype-selective binding, particularly at the heteropentameric subtype, whereas the conserved amino acid residues in both principal and complementary subunits are essential for ligand potency and efficacy.


2013 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. E10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric S. Sussman ◽  
Christopher P. Kellner ◽  
Michael M. McDowell ◽  
Samuel S. Bruce ◽  
Simon G. Heuts ◽  
...  

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is the most deadly and least treatable subtype of stroke, and at the present time there are no evidence-based therapeutic interventions for patients with this disease. Secondary injury mechanisms are known to cause substantial rates of morbidity and mortality following ICH, and the inflammatory cascade is a major contributor to this post-ICH secondary injury. The alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7-nAChR) agonists have a well-established antiinflammatory effect and have been shown to attenuate perihematomal edema volume and to improve functional outcome in experimental ICH. The authors evaluate the current evidence for the use of an α7-nAChR agonist as a novel therapeutic agent in patients with ICH.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (18) ◽  
pp. 6829
Author(s):  
Mong-Lien Wang ◽  
Yi-Fan Hsu ◽  
Chih-Hsuan Liu ◽  
Ya-Ling Kuo ◽  
Yi-Chen Chen ◽  
...  

Nicotine in tobacco smoke is considered carcinogenic in several malignancies including lung cancer. The high incidence of lung adenocarcinoma (LAC) in non-smokers, however, remains unexplained. Although LAC has long been less associated with smoking behavior based on previous epidemiological correlation studies, the effect of environmental smoke contributing to low-dose nicotine exposure in non-smoking population could be underestimated. Here we provide experimental evidence of how low-dose nicotine promotes LAC growth in vitro and in vivo. Screening of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in lung cancer cell lines demonstrated a particularly high expression level of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit α5 (α 5-nAChR) in LAC cell lines. Clinical specimen analysis revealed up-regulation of α 5-nAChR in LAC tumor tissues compared to non-tumor counterparts. In LAC cell lines α 5-nAChR interacts with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), positively regulates EGFR pathway, enhances the expression of epithelial-mesenchymal transition markers, and is essential for low-dose nicotine-induced EGFR phosphorylation. Functionally, low-dose nicotine requires α 5-nAChR to enhance cell migration, invasion, and proliferation. Knockdown of α 5-nAChR inhibits the xenograft tumor growth of LAC. Clinical analysis indicated that high level of tumor α 5-nAChR is correlated with poor survival rates of LAC patients, particularly in those expressing wild-type EGFR. Our data identified α 5-nAChR as an essential mediator for low-dose nicotine-dependent LAC progression possibly through signaling crosstalk with EGFR, supporting the involvement of environmental smoke in tumor progression in LAC patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 688-699 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joelle Choueiry ◽  
Crystal M Blais ◽  
Dhrasti Shah ◽  
Dylan Smith ◽  
Derek Fisher ◽  
...  

Background: Schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and relatives have deficits in early cortical sensory gating (SG) typically measured by suppression of electroencephalography-derived P50 event-related potentials (ERPs) in a conditioning-testing (S1–S2) paradigm. Associated with alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7 nAChR) dysfunction and shown to be improved with nicotine and α7 nAChR agonists, SG has recently been shown to be improved in low P50 suppressing SCZ patients following acute CDP-choline treatment. Aims: This pilot study in healthy humans assessed the SG effects of an α7 nAChR strategy combining CDP-choline with galantamine, a positive allosteric modulator (PAM) of nAChRs, aimed at increasing and prolonging nicotinic receptor activity. Methods: The combined effect of CDP-choline (500 mg) and galantamine (16 mg) on speech P50 gating indices rP50 (S2/S1) and dP50 (S1–S2) was examined in 30 healthy participants stratified into low and high baseline P50 suppressors in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled and counterbalanced design. Results: In low suppressors, CDP-choline/galantamine (vs. placebo) improved rP50 and dP50 gating, and reduced S2P50 amplitudes. No P50 gating effects were observed in high suppressors; however, CDP-choline/galantamine (vs. placebo) increased their S2P50 amplitudes. Conclusion: Findings from this pilot study with CDP-choline/galantamine in a healthy, SCZ-like surrogate deficient gating sample are consistent with the association of α7 nAChR mechanisms in SG impairment in SCZ and support further research trials with CDP-choline and galantamine targeting sensory processes.


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 507 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrei E. Siniavin ◽  
Maria A. Streltsova ◽  
Denis S. Kudryavtsev ◽  
Irina V. Shelukhina ◽  
Yuri N. Utkin ◽  
...  

Immune response during sepsis is characterized by hyper-inflammation followed by immunosuppression. The crucial role of macrophages is well-known for both septic stages, since they are involved in immune homeostasis and inflammation, their dysfunction being implicated in immunosuppression. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway mediated by macrophage α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) represents possible drug target. Although α7 nAChR activation on macrophages reduces the production of proinflammatory cytokines, the role of these receptors in immunological changes at the cellular level is not fully understood. Using α7 nAChR selective agonist PNU 282,987, we investigated the influence of α7 nAChR activation on the expression of cytokines and, for the first time, of the macrophage membrane markers: cluster of differentiation 14 (CD14), human leukocyte antigen-DR (HLA-DR), CD11b, and CD54. Application of PNU 282,987 to THP-1Mϕ (THP-1 derived macrophages) cells led to inward ion currents and Ca2+ increase in cytoplasm showing the presence of functionally active α7 nAChR. Production of cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 was estimated in classically activated macrophages (M1) and treatment with PNU 282,987 diminished IL-10 expression. α7 nAChR activation on THP-1Mϕ, THP-1M1, and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) increased the expression of HLA-DR, CD54, and CD11b molecules, but decreased CD14 receptor expression, these effects being blocked by alpha (α)-bungarotoxin. Thus, PNU 282,987 enhances the macrophage-mediated immunity via α7 nAChR by regulating expression of their membrane receptors and of cytokines, both playing an important role in preventing immunosuppressive states.


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