scholarly journals Traumatic Brain Injury Altered Normal Brain Signaling Pathways: Implications for Novel Therapeutics Approaches

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (7) ◽  
pp. 614-629 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arti Rana ◽  
Shamsher Singh ◽  
Ruchika Sharma ◽  
Anoop Kumar

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is the main reason of lifelong disability and casualty worldwide. In the United State alone, 1.7 million traumatic events occur yearly, out of which 50,000 results in deaths. Injury to the brain could alter various biological signaling pathways such as excitotoxicity, ionic imbalance, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis which can result in various neurological disorders such as Psychosis, Depression, Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, etc. In literature, various reports have indicated the alteration of these pathways after traumatic brain injury but the exact mechanism is still unclear. Thus, in the first part of this article, we have tried to summarize TBI as a modulator of various neuronal signaling pathways. Currently, very few drugs are available in the market for the treatment of TBI and these drugs only provide the supportive care. Thus, in the second part of the article, based on TBI altered signaling pathways, we have tried to find out potential targets and promising therapeutic approaches in the treatment of TBI.

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 943 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helene Ismail ◽  
Zaynab Shakkour ◽  
Maha Tabet ◽  
Samar Abdelhady ◽  
Abir Kobaisi ◽  
...  

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health concern worldwide and is classified based on severity into mild, moderate, and severe. The mechanical injury in TBI leads to a metabolic and ionic imbalance, which eventually leads to excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a state of oxidative stress. To date, no drug has been approved by the food and drug administration (FDA) for the treatment of TBI. Nevertheless, it is thought that targeting the pathology mechanisms would alleviate the consequences of TBI. For that purpose, antioxidants have been considered as treatment options in TBI and were shown to have a neuroprotective effect. In this review, we will discuss oxidative stress in TBI, the history of antioxidant utilization in the treatment of TBI, and we will focus on two novel antioxidants, mitoquinone (MitoQ) and edaravone. MitoQ can cross the blood brain barrier and cellular membranes to accumulate in the mitochondria and is thought to activate the Nrf2/ARE pathway leading to an increase in the expression of antioxidant enzymes. Edaravone is a free radical scavenger that leads to the mitigation of damage resulting from oxidative stress with a possible association to the activation of the Nrf2/ARE pathway as well.


2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ligang Wang ◽  
Libo Wang ◽  
Zhibo Dai ◽  
Pei Wu ◽  
Huaizhang Shi ◽  
...  

Oxidative stress has been strongly implicated in the pathogenesis of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mitochondrial ferritin (Ftmt) is reported to be closely related to oxidative stress. However, whether Ftmt is involved in TBI-induced oxidative stress and neurological deficits remains unknown. In the present study, the controlled cortical impact model was established in wild-type and Ftmt knockout mice as a TBI model. The Ftmt expression, oxidative stress, neurological deficits, and brain injury were measured. We found that Ftmt expression was gradually decreased from 3 to 14 days post-TBI, while oxidative stress was gradually increased, as evidenced by reduced GSH and superoxide dismutase levels and elevated malondialdehyde and nitric oxide levels. Interestingly, the extent of reduced Ftmt expression in the brain was linearly correlated with oxidative stress. Knockout of Ftmt significantly exacerbated TBI-induced oxidative stress, intracerebral hemorrhage, brain infarction, edema, neurological severity score, memory impairment, and neurological deficits. However, all these effects in Ftmt knockout mice were markedly mitigated by pharmacological inhibition of oxidative stress using an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine. Taken together, these results reveal an important correlation between Ftmt and oxidative stress after TBI. Ftmt deficiency aggravates TBI-induced brain injuries and neurological deficits, which at least partially through increasing oxidative stress levels. Our data suggest that Ftmt may be a promising molecular target for the treatment of TBI.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-84
Author(s):  
Jianqiang Song ◽  
Guoliang Du ◽  
Haiyun Wu ◽  
Xiangliang Gao ◽  
Zhen Yang ◽  
...  

Background: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has been a serious public health issue. Clinically, there is an urgent need for agents to ameliorate the neuroinflammation and oxidative stress induced by TBI. Our previous research has demonstrated that quercetin could protect the neurological function. However, the detailed mechanism underlying this process remains poorly understood. Objective: This research was designed to investigate the mechanisms of quercetin to protect the cortical neurons. Methods: A modified weight-drop device was used for the TBI model. 5, 20 or 50 mg/kg quercetin was injected intraperitoneally to rats at 0.5, 12 and 24 h post TBI. Rats were sacrificed three days post injury and their cerebral cortex was obtained from the injured side. The rats were randomly assigned into three groups of equal number: TBI and quercetin group, TBI group, and Sham group. The brain water content was calculated to estimate the brain damage induced by TBI. Immunohistochemical and Western blot assays were utilized to investigate the neurobehavioral status. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction were performed to evaluate the inflammatory responses. The cortical oxidative stress was measured by estimating the activities of malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione-Px. Western blot was utilized to evaluate the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf-2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1). Results: Quercetin attenuated the brain edema and microgliosis in TBI rats. Quercetin treatment attenuated cortical inflammatory responses and oxidative stress induced by TBI insults. Quercetin treatment activated the cortical Nrf2/HO-1 pathway in TBI rats. Conclusions: Quercetin ameliorated the TBI-induced neuroinflammation and oxidative stress in the cortex through activating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 247-252
Author(s):  
Xiangen Meng ◽  
Chunyang Zhang ◽  
Na Li ◽  
Yu Zhang ◽  
Danfeng Fan ◽  
...  

Purpose: To investigate the effect of bisleuconothine A (BA), alone and in combination with hyperbaric oxygen (HO), on traumatic brain injury (TBI) in rats. Methods: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) was induced by dropping a 200-g weight of steel on the left anterior frontal areas of Sprague-Dawley rats. The synergistic effect of BA and HO was determined by assessing neurological score, as well as parameters of oxidative stress and inflammation, expressions of P2X4 protein and other proteins, and levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain tissues of TBI rats. Results: Neurological function score, levels of inflammatory mediators and oxidative stress parameters were significantly reduced in rats treated with BA alone, and in those treated with a combination of BA and HO, when compared with untreated TBI rats (p < 0.01). Moreover, treatment with BA alone, and BA-HO combination attenuated the altered protein expressions of P2X4, Akt, PI3K and TLR-4 in the TBI rats, and also upregulated the mRNA expression of P2X4 in the brain tissue, when compared with untreated TBI rats (p < 0.01). Conclusion: These results suggest that BA, when used alone or in combination with HO, reduces neuronal injury through upregulation of the protein expression of P2X4 in rats with traumatic brain injury. Thus, BA may be used clinically with HO therapy for the management of traumatic injury. Keywords: Bisleuconothine A, Hyperbaric oxygen, Neuronal injury, Oxidative stress, Inflammatory mediators


Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1487
Author(s):  
Hadeel Alyenbaawi ◽  
W. Ted Allison ◽  
Sue-Ann Mok

The accumulation of tau protein in the form of filamentous aggregates is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). These dementias share traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a prominent risk factor. Tau aggregates can transfer between cells and tissues in a “prion-like” manner, where they initiate the templated misfolding of normal tau molecules. This enables the spread of tau pathology to distinct parts of the brain. The evidence that tauopathies spread via prion-like mechanisms is considerable, but work detailing the mechanisms of spread has mostly used in vitro platforms that cannot fully reveal the tissue-level vectors or etiology of progression. We review these issues and then briefly use TBI and CTE as a case study to illustrate aspects of tauopathy that warrant further attention in vivo. These include seizures and sleep/wake disturbances, emphasizing the urgent need for improved animal models. Dissecting these mechanisms of tauopathy progression continues to provide fresh inspiration for the design of diagnostic and therapeutic approaches.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 88-96
Author(s):  
Mary R. T. Kennedy

Purpose The purpose of this clinical focus article is to provide speech-language pathologists with a brief update of the evidence that provides possible explanations for our experiences while coaching college students with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Method The narrative text provides readers with lessons we learned as speech-language pathologists functioning as cognitive coaches to college students with TBI. This is not meant to be an exhaustive list, but rather to consider the recent scientific evidence that will help our understanding of how best to coach these college students. Conclusion Four lessons are described. Lesson 1 focuses on the value of self-reported responses to surveys, questionnaires, and interviews. Lesson 2 addresses the use of immediate/proximal goals as leverage for students to update their sense of self and how their abilities and disabilities may alter their more distal goals. Lesson 3 reminds us that teamwork is necessary to address the complex issues facing these students, which include their developmental stage, the sudden onset of trauma to the brain, and having to navigate going to college with a TBI. Lesson 4 focuses on the need for college students with TBI to learn how to self-advocate with instructors, family, and peers.


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