scholarly journals Astrocytes respond to a neurotoxic Aβ fragment with state-dependent Ca2+ alteration and multiphasic transmitter release

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cuong Pham ◽  
Karine Hérault ◽  
Martin Oheim ◽  
Steeve Maldera ◽  
Vincent Vialou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Major Type ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Anion Channels ◽  
State Dependent ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ad Mouse Model

AbstractExcessive amounts of amyloid β (Aβ) peptide have been suggested to dysregulate synaptic transmission in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). As a major type of glial cell in the mammalian brain, astrocytes regulate neuronal function and undergo activity alterations upon Aβ exposure. Yet the mechanistic steps underlying astrocytic responses to Aβ peptide remain to be elucidated. Here by fluorescence imaging of signaling pathways, we dissected astrocytic responses to Aβ25–35 peptide, a neurotoxic Aβ fragment present in AD patients. In native health astrocytes, Aβ25–35 evoked Ca2+ elevations via purinergic receptors, being also dependent on the opening of connexin (CX) hemichannels. Aβ25–35, however, induced a Ca2+ diminution in Aβ-preconditioned astrocytes as a result of the potentiation of the plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase (PMCA). The PMCA and CX protein expression was observed with immunostaining in the brain tissue of hAPPJ20 AD mouse model. We also observed both Ca2+-independent and Ca2+-dependent glutamate release upon astrocytic Aβ exposure, with the former mediated by CX hemichannel and the latter by both anion channels and lysosome exocytosis. Our results suggest that Aβ peptide causes state-dependent responses in astrocytes, in association with a multiphasic release of signaling molecules. This study therefore helps to understand astrocyte engagement in AD-related amyloidopathy.

scholarly journals Natural Compounds as Inhibitors of Aβ Peptide Aggregation: Chemical Requirements and Molecular Mechanisms

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katiuscia Pagano ◽  
Simona Tomaselli ◽  
Henriette Molinari ◽  
Laura Ragona
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Natural Compounds ◽  
Preventive Therapy ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Aβ Oligomers ◽  
Chemical Structures ◽  
The Brain

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, with no cure and preventive therapy. Misfolding and extracellular aggregation of Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides are recognized as the main cause of AD progression, leading to the formation of toxic Aβ oligomers and to the deposition of β-amyloid plaques in the brain, representing the hallmarks of AD. Given the urgent need to provide alternative therapies, natural products serve as vital resources for novel drugs. In recent years, several natural compounds with different chemical structures, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenes, flavonoids, tannins, saponins and vitamins from plants have received attention for their role against the neurodegenerative pathological processes. However, only for a small subset of them experimental evidences are provided on their mechanism of action. This review focuses on those natural compounds shown to interfere with Aβ aggregation by direct interaction with Aβ peptide and whose inhibitory mechanism has been investigated by means of biophysical and structural biology experimental approaches. In few cases, the combination of approaches offering a macroscopic characterization of the oligomers, such as TEM, AFM, fluorescence, together with high-resolution methods could shed light on the complex mechanism of inhibition. In particular, solution NMR spectroscopy, through peptide-based and ligand-based observation, was successfully employed to investigate the interactions of the natural compounds with both soluble NMR-visible (monomer and low molecular weight oligomers) and NMR-invisible (high molecular weight oligomers and protofibrils) species. The molecular determinants of the interaction of promising natural compounds are here compared to infer the chemical requirements of the inhibitors and the common mechanisms of inhibition. Most of the data converge to indicate that the Aβ regions relevant to perturb the aggregation cascade and regulate the toxicity of the stabilized oligomers, are the N-term and β1 region. The ability of the natural aggregation inhibitors to cross the brain blood barrier, together with the tactics to improve their low bioavailability are discussed. The analysis of the data ensemble can provide a rationale for the selection of natural compounds as molecular scaffolds for the design of new therapeutic strategies against the progression of early and late stages of AD.

scholarly journals Salivary Aβ Secretion and Altered Oral Microbiome in Mouse Models of AD

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (12) ◽  
pp. 1133-1144
Author(s):  
Angela M. Floden ◽  
Mona Sohrabi ◽  
Suba Nookala ◽  
Jay J. Cao ◽  
Colin K. Combs
Keyword(s):  
Matched Control ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Oral Microbiome ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Prior Work ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Amyloid Aβ ◽  
The Brain

Background: Beta amyloid (Aβ) peptide containing plaque aggregations in the brain are a hallmark of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). However, Aβ is produced by cell types outside of the brain suggesting that the peptide may serve a broad physiologic purpose. Objective: Based upon our prior work documenting expression of amyloid β precursor protein (APP) in intestinal epithelium we hypothesized that salivary epithelium might also express APP and be a source of Aβ. Methods: To begin testing this idea, we compared human age-matched control and AD salivary glands to C57BL/6 wild type, AppNL-G-F , and APP/PS1 mice. Results: Both male and female AD, AppNL-G-F , and APP/PS1 glands demonstrated robust APP and Aβ immunoreactivity. Female AppNL-G-F mice had significantly higher levels of pilocarpine stimulated Aβ 1-42 compared to both wild type and APP/PS1 mice. No differences in male salivary Aβ levels were detected. No significant differences in total pilocarpine stimulated saliva volumes were observed in any group. Both male and female AppNL-G-F but not APP/PS1 mice demonstrated significant differences in oral microbiome phylum and genus abundance compared to wild type mice. Male, but not female, APP/PS1 and AppNL-G-F mice had significantly thinner molar enamel compared to their wild type counterparts. Conclusion: These data support the idea that oral microbiome changes exist during AD in addition to changes in salivary Aβ and oral health.

Neoline Improves Memory Impairment and Reduces Amyloid-β Level and Tau Phosphorylation Through AMPK Activation in the Mouse Alzheimer’s Disease Model

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Quan Feng Liu ◽  
Suganya Kanmani ◽  
Jinhyuk Lee ◽  
Geun-Woo Kim ◽  
Songhee Jeon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Mouse Model ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Chronic Administration ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Ampk Activation ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Ad Mouse Model

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most general, chronic, and progressive neurodegenerative senile disorder characterized clinically by progressive cognitive deterioration and memory impairment. Neoline is effective against neuropathic pain models, but the effects of neoline against AD-like phenotypes have not been investigated. Objective: We offer the investigation of the effects of neoline in AD. Methods: In this study, a Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9 AD mouse model was treated orally with neoline at a concentration of 0.5 mg/kg or 0.1 mg/kg starting at 7.5 months and administered for three months, and its anti-AD effects were evaluated. Results: Neoline improved memory and cognition impairments and reduced the number of amyloid-beta plaque and the amount of amyloid-β in the brain of AD mice. Furthermore, neoline reduced the anxiety behavior in the AD mouse model. The chronic administration of neoline also induced AMPK phosphorylation and decreased tau, amyloid-β, and BACE1 expression in the hippocampus. These findings indicate that chronic administration of neoline has therapeutic effects via AMPK activation, and BACE1 downregulation resulted in a decrease in the amyloid-β levels in the brain of Tg-APPswe/PS1dE9 AD mice. Conclusion: Our results suggest that neoline is a therapeutic agent for the cure of neurodegenerative diseases like AD.

scholarly journals Aβ43 aggregates exhibit enhanced prion-like seeding activity in mice

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Ruiz-Riquelme ◽  
Alison Mao ◽  
Marim M. Barghash ◽  
Heather H. C. Lau ◽  
Erica Stuart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amino Acids ◽  
Mouse Models ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Unique Strain ◽  
The Brain

AbstractWhen injected into genetically modified mice, aggregates of the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide from the brains of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients or transgenic AD mouse models seed cerebral Aβ deposition in a prion-like fashion. Within the brain, Aβ exists as a pool of distinct C-terminal variants with lengths ranging from 37 to 43 amino acids, yet the relative contribution of individual C-terminal Aβ variants to the seeding behavior of Aβ aggregates remains unknown. Here, we have investigated the relative seeding activities of Aβ aggregates composed exclusively of recombinant Aβ38, Aβ40, Aβ42, or Aβ43. Cerebral Aβ42 levels were not increased in AppNL−F knock-in mice injected with Aβ38 or Aβ40 aggregates and were only increased in a subset of mice injected with Aβ42 aggregates. In contrast, significant accumulation of Aβ42 was observed in the brains of all mice inoculated with Aβ43 aggregates, and the extent of Aβ42 induction was comparable to that in mice injected with brain-derived Aβ seeds. Mice inoculated with Aβ43 aggregates exhibited a distinct pattern of cerebral Aβ pathology compared to mice injected with brain-derived Aβ aggregates, suggesting that recombinant Aβ43 may polymerize into a unique strain. Our results indicate that aggregates containing longer Aβ C-terminal variants are more potent inducers of cerebral Aβ deposition and highlight the potential role of Aβ43 seeds as a crucial factor in the initial stages of Aβ pathology in AD.

Fisiopatología de la hidrocefália idiopática de presión normal (parte 3): sistemaa glinfático

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 28-37
Author(s):  
Oscar Solís-Salgado ◽  
José Luis López-Payares ◽  
Mauricio Ayala-González
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Beta ◽  
Interstitial Fluid ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Bulk Flow ◽  
Polyethylene Glycols ◽  
Brain Interstitial Fluid ◽  
El Sistema ◽  
Arterial Pulsation ◽  
The Brain

Las vías de drenaje solutos del sistema nervioso central (SNC) participan en el recambio de liquido intersticial con el líquido cefalorraquídeo (LIT-LCR), generando un estado de homeostasis. Las alteraciones dentro de este sistema homeostático afectará la eliminación de solutos del espacio intersticial (EIT) como el péptido βa y proteína tau, los cuales son sustancias neurotóxicas para el SNC. Se han utilizado técnicas experimentales para poder analizar el intercambio LIT-LCR, las cuales revelan que este intercambio tiene una estructura bien organizada. La eliminación de solutos del SNC no tiene una estructura anatómica propiamente, se han descubierto vías de eliminación de solutos a través de marcadores florecentes en el espacio subaracnoideo, cisternas de la base y sistema ventricular que nos permiten observar una serie de vías ampliamente distribuidas en el cerebro. El LCR muestra que tiene una función linfática debido a su recambio con el LIT a lo largo de rutas paravasculares. Estos espacios que rodean la superficie arterial así como los espacios de Virchow-Robin y el pie astrocitico junto con la AQP-4, facilitan la entrada de LCR para-arterial y el aclaramiento de LIT para-venoso dentro del cerebro. El flujo y dirección que toma el LCR por estas estructuras, es conducido por la pulsación arterial. Esta función será la que finalmente llevara a la eliminación de estas sustancias neurotóxicas. En base a la dependencia de este flujo para la eliminación de sustancias se propone que el sistema sea llamado “ la Vía Glinfática”. La bibliografía así como las limitaciones que se encuentran en esta revisión están dadas por la metodología de búsqueda que ha sido realizada principalmente en PubMed utilizando los siguientes términos Mesh: Cerebral Arterial Pulsation, the brain via paravascular, drainage of amyloid-beta, bulk flow of brain interstitial fluid, radiolabeled polyethylene glycols and albumin, amyloid-β, the perivascular astroglial sheath, Brain Glymphatic Transport.

Brain Drug Delivery: Overcoming the Blood-brain Barrier to Treat Tauopathies

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (13) ◽  
pp. 1448-1465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jozef Hanes ◽  
Eva Dobakova ◽  
Petra Majerova
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Blood Brain Barrier ◽  
Neurodegenerative Disorders ◽  
Brain Barrier ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Brain Drug Delivery ◽  
Naturally Occurring ◽  
Blood Brain ◽  
Traditional Approaches ◽  
The Brain

Tauopathies are neurodegenerative disorders characterized by the deposition of abnormal tau protein in the brain. The application of potentially effective therapeutics for their successful treatment is hampered by the presence of a naturally occurring brain protection layer called the blood-brain barrier (BBB). BBB represents one of the biggest challenges in the development of therapeutics for central nervous system (CNS) disorders, where sufficient BBB penetration is inevitable. BBB is a heavily restricting barrier regulating the movement of molecules, ions, and cells between the blood and the CNS to secure proper neuronal function and protect the CNS from dangerous substances and processes. Yet, these natural functions possessed by BBB represent a great hurdle for brain drug delivery. This review is concentrated on summarizing the available methods and approaches for effective therapeutics’ delivery through the BBB to treat neurodegenerative disorders with a focus on tauopathies. It describes the traditional approaches but also new nanotechnology strategies emerging with advanced medical techniques. Their limitations and benefits are discussed.

Berberine Alleviates Amyloid-beta Pathogenesis Via Activating LKB1/AMPK Signaling in the Brain of APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 342-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhi-You Cai ◽  
Chuan-Ling Wang ◽  
Tao-Tao Lu ◽  
Wen-Ming Yang
Keyword(s):  
Transgenic Mice ◽  
Western Blotting ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Adenosine Monophosphate ◽  
Camp Response Element Binding ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Synaptic Density ◽  
Ampk Signaling ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Post Synaptic Density

Background:Liver kinase B1 (LKB1)/5’-adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling, a metabolic checkpoint, plays a neuro-protective role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Amyloid-β (Aβ) acts as a classical biomarker of AD. The aim of the present study was to explore whether berberine (BBR) activates LKB1/AMPK signaling and ameliorates Aβ pathology.Methods:The Aβ levels were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and immunohistochemistry. The following biomarkers were measured by Western blotting: phosphorylated (p-) LKB1 (Ser334 and Thr189), p-AMPK (AMPKα and AMPKβ1), synaptophysin, post-synaptic density protein 95 and p-cAMP-response element binding protein (p-CREB). The glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was determined using Western blotting and immunohistochemistry.Results:BBR inhibited Aβ expression in the brain of APP/PS1 mice. There was a strong up-regulation of both p-LKB1 (Ser334 and Thr189) and p-AMPK (AMPKα and AMPKβ1) in the brains of APP/PS1 transgenic mice after BBR-treatment (P<0.01). BBR promoted the expression of synaptophysin, post-synaptic density protein 95 and p-CREB(Ser133) in the AD brain, compared with the model mice.Conclusion:BBR alleviates Aβ pathogenesis and rescues synapse damage via activating LKB1/AMPK signaling in the brain of APP/PS1 transgenic mice.

scholarly journals Neuroinflammation and protein pathology in Parkinson’s disease dementia

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonina Kouli ◽  
Marta Camacho ◽  
Kieren Allinson ◽  
Caroline H. Williams-Gray
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
T Lymphocytes ◽  
Substantia Nigra ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Parkinson’S Disease Dementia ◽  
Activated Microglia ◽  
Cell Counts ◽  
The Brain

AbstractParkinson’s disease dementia is neuropathologically characterized by aggregates of α-synuclein (Lewy bodies) in limbic and neocortical areas of the brain with additional involvement of Alzheimer’s disease-type pathology. Whilst immune activation is well-described in Parkinson’s disease (PD), how it links to protein aggregation and its role in PD dementia has not been explored. We hypothesized that neuroinflammatory processes are a critical contributor to the pathology of PDD. To address this hypothesis, we examined 7 brain regions at postmortem from 17 PD patients with no dementia (PDND), 11 patients with PD dementia (PDD), and 14 age and sex-matched neurologically healthy controls. Digital quantification after immunohistochemical staining showed a significant increase in the severity of α-synuclein pathology in the hippocampus, entorhinal and occipitotemporal cortex of PDD compared to PDND cases. In contrast, there was no difference in either tau or amyloid-β pathology between the groups in any of the examined regions. Importantly, we found an increase in activated microglia in the amygdala of demented PD brains compared to controls which correlated significantly with the extent of α-synuclein pathology in this region. Significant infiltration of CD4+ T lymphocytes into the brain parenchyma was commonly observed in PDND and PDD cases compared to controls, in both the substantia nigra and the amygdala. Amongst PDND/PDD cases, CD4+ T cell counts in the amygdala correlated with activated microglia, α-synuclein and tau pathology. Upregulation of the pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin 1β was also evident in the substantia nigra as well as the frontal cortex in PDND/PDD versus controls with a concomitant upregulation in Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in these regions, as well as the amygdala. The evidence presented in this study show an increased immune response in limbic and cortical brain regions, including increased microglial activation, infiltration of T lymphocytes, upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and TLR gene expression, which has not been previously reported in the postmortem PDD brain.

scholarly journals An architectonic type principle in the development of laminar patterns of cortico-cortical connections

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah F. Beul ◽  
Alexandros Goulas ◽  
Claus C. Hilgetag
Keyword(s):  
Structural Connectivity ◽  
Macaque Monkey ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Adult Brain ◽  
Mammalian Brain ◽  
Cortical Connections ◽  
Cortical Projections ◽  
Structural Connections ◽  
High Degree ◽  
The Brain

AbstractStructural connections between cortical areas form an intricate network with a high degree of specificity. Many aspects of this complex network organization in the adult mammalian cortex are captured by an architectonic type principle, which relates structural connections to the architectonic differentiation of brain regions. In particular, the laminar patterns of projection origins are a prominent feature of structural connections that varies in a graded manner with the relative architectonic differentiation of connected areas in the adult brain. Here we show that the architectonic type principle is already apparent for the laminar origins of cortico-cortical projections in the immature cortex of the macaque monkey. We find that prenatal and neonatal laminar patterns correlate with cortical architectonic differentiation, and that the relation of laminar patterns to architectonic differences between connected areas is not substantially altered by the complete loss of visual input. Moreover, we find that the degree of change in laminar patterns that projections undergo during development varies in proportion to the relative architectonic differentiation of the connected areas. Hence, it appears that initial biases in laminar projection patterns become progressively strengthened by later developmental processes. These findings suggest that early neurogenetic processes during the formation of the brain are sufficient to establish the characteristic laminar projection patterns. This conclusion is in line with previously suggested mechanistic explanations underlying the emergence of the architectonic type principle and provides further constraints for exploring the fundamental factors that shape structural connectivity in the mammalian brain.

scholarly journals An evaluation of the self-assembly enhancing properties of cell-derived hexameric amyloid-β

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Devkee M. Vadukul ◽  
Céline Vrancx ◽  
Pierre Burguet ◽  
Sabrina Contino ◽  
Nuria Suelves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Amyloid Precursor Protein ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Critical Nucleus ◽  
Amyloid Fibril ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Amyloid Plaques ◽  
The Self ◽  
Aβ Peptide ◽  
Amyloid Fibril Formation ◽  
Secretase Activity

AbstractA key hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease is the extracellular deposition of amyloid plaques composed primarily of the amyloidogenic amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide. The Aβ peptide is a product of sequential cleavage of the Amyloid Precursor Protein, the first step of which gives rise to a C-terminal Fragment (C99). Cleavage of C99 by γ-secretase activity releases Aβ of several lengths and the Aβ42 isoform in particular has been identified as being neurotoxic. The misfolding of Aβ leads to subsequent amyloid fibril formation by nucleated polymerisation. This requires an initial and critical nucleus for self-assembly. Here, we identify and characterise the composition and self-assembly properties of cell-derived hexameric Aβ42 and show its assembly enhancing properties which are dependent on the Aβ monomer availability. Identification of nucleating assemblies that contribute to self-assembly in this way may serve as therapeutic targets to prevent the formation of toxic oligomers.

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