Baicalin Inhibits Ferroptosis in Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a subtype of stroke characterized by high mortality and disability rates. To date, the exact etiology of ICH-induced brain injury is still unclear. Moreover, there is no effective treatment to delay or prevent disease progression currently. Increasing evidence suggests that ferroptosis plays a dominant role in the pathogenesis of ICH injury. Baicalin is a main active ingredient of Chinese herbal medicine Scutellaria baicalensis. It has been reported to exhibit neuroprotective effects against ICH-induced brain injury as well as reduce iron deposition in multiple tissues. Therefore, in this study, we focused on the protective mechanisms of baicalin against ferroptosis caused by ICH using a hemin-induced in vitro model and a Type IV collagenase-induced in vivo model. Our results revealed that baicalin enhanced cell viability and suppressed ferroptosis in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells treated with hemin, erastin and RSL3. Importantly, baicalin showed anti-ferroptosis effect on primary cortical neurons (PCN). Furthermore, baicalin alleviated motor deficits and brain injury in ICH model mice through inhibiting ferroptosis. Additionally, baicalin existed no obvious toxicity towards the liver and kidney of mice. Evidently, ferroptosis is a key pathological feature of ICH and baicalin can prevent the development of ferroptosis in ICH. As such, baicalin is a potential therapeutic drug for ICH treatment.

Download Full-text

Sestrin2 protects against traumatic brain injury by reinforcing the activation of Nrf2 signaling

Human & Experimental Toxicology ◽

10.1177/0960327120984224 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 096032712098422

Author(s):

Xiaobin Liu ◽

Min Li ◽

Jiabao Zhu ◽

Weidong Huang ◽

Jinning Song

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

In Vitro Models ◽

Related Factor ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Nuclear Levels

Sestrin2 (SESN2) is stress-inducible protein that confers cytoprotective effects against various noxious stimuli. Accumulating evidence has documented that SESN2 has potent anti-apoptosis and anti-oxidative stress functions. However, whether it provides neuroprotection in traumatic brain injury (TBI) models remains unexplored. The purpose of this study was to explore the regulatory effect of SESN2 on TBI using in vivo and in vitro models. We found that TBI resulted in a marked induction of SESN2 in the cerebral cortex tissues of mice. SESN2 overexpression in the brain by in vivo gene transfer significantly decreased neurological deficit, brain edema, and neuronal apoptosis of mice with TBI. Moreover, the overexpression of SESN2 significantly decreased the oxidative stress induced by TBI in mice. In vitro studies of TBI demonstrated that SESN2 overexpression decreased apoptosis and oxidative stress in scratch-injured cortical neurons. Notably, SESN2 overexpression increased the nuclear levels of nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and enhanced the activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling in in vivo and in vitro models of TBI. In addition, the inhibition of Nrf2 significantly abolished SESN2-mediated neuroprotective effects in vivo and in vitro. In conclusion, these results of our work demonstrate that SESN2 protects against TBI by enhancing the activation of Nrf2 antioxidant signaling.

Download Full-text

TRAF3 mediates neuronal apoptosis in early brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage via targeting TAK1-dependent MAPKs and NF-κB pathways

Cell Death and Disease ◽

10.1038/s41419-020-03278-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yan Zhou ◽

Tao Tao ◽

Guangjie Liu ◽

Xuan Gao ◽

Yongyue Gao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage ◽

Brain Injury ◽

Therapeutic Target ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Neuronal Apoptosis ◽

Early Brain Injury ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Human Brain Tissue

AbstractNeuronal apoptosis has an important role in early brain injury (EBI) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). TRAF3 was reported as a promising therapeutic target for stroke management, which covered several neuronal apoptosis signaling cascades. Hence, the present study is aimed to determine whether downregulation of TRAF3 could be neuroprotective in SAH-induced EBI. An in vivo SAH model in mice was established by endovascular perforation. Meanwhile, primary cultured cortical neurons of mice treated with oxygen hemoglobin were applied to mimic SAH in vitro. Our results demonstrated that TRAF3 protein expression increased and expressed in neurons both in vivo and in vitro SAH models. TRAF3 siRNA reversed neuronal loss and improved neurological deficits in SAH mice, and reduced cell death in SAH primary neurons. Mechanistically, we found that TRAF3 directly binds to TAK1 and potentiates phosphorylation and activation of TAK1, which further enhances the activation of NF-κB and MAPKs pathways to induce neuronal apoptosis. Importantly, TRAF3 expression was elevated following SAH in human brain tissue and was mainly expressed in neurons. Taken together, our study demonstrates that TRAF3 is an upstream regulator of MAPKs and NF-κB pathways in SAH-induced EBI via its interaction with and activation of TAK1. Furthermore, the TRAF3 may serve as a novel therapeutic target in SAH-induced EBI.

Download Full-text

Neurotherapeutic Effect of Inula britannica var. Chinensis against H2O2-Induced Oxidative Stress and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Cortical Neurons

Antioxidants ◽

10.3390/antiox10030375 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 375

Author(s):

Jin Young Hong ◽

Hyunseong Kim ◽

Junseon Lee ◽

Wan-Jin Jeon ◽

Seung Ho Baek ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Mitochondrial Dysfunction ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Inflammatory Diseases ◽

Neuroprotective Effect ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Neuronal Viability ◽

Inula Britannica ◽

Oxidative Effects

Inula britannica var. chinensis (IBC) has been used as a traditional medicinal herb to treat inflammatory diseases. Although its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects have been reported, whether IBC exerts neuroprotective effects and the related mechanisms in cortical neurons remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of different concentrations of IBC extract (5, 10, and 20 µg/mL) on cortical neurons using a hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced injury model. Our results demonstrate that IBC can effectively enhance neuronal viability under in vitro-modeled reaction oxygen species (ROS)-generating conditions by inhibiting mitochondrial ROS production and increasing adenosine triphosphate level in H2O2-treated neurons. Additionally, we confirmed that neuronal death was attenuated by improving the mitochondrial membrane potential status and regulating the expression of cytochrome c, a protein related to cell death. Furthermore, IBC increased the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor. Furthermore, IBC inhibited the loss and induced the production of synaptophysin, a major synaptic vesicle protein. This study is the first to demonstrate that IBC exerts its neuroprotective effect by reducing mitochondria-associated oxidative stress and improving mitochondrial dysfunction.

Download Full-text

Inhibition of the autophagic protein ULK1 attenuates axonal degeneration in vitro and in vivo, enhances translation, and modulates splicing

Cell Death and Differentiation ◽

10.1038/s41418-020-0543-y ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 27 (10) ◽

pp. 2810-2827 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Björn Friedhelm Vahsen ◽

Vinicius Toledo Ribas ◽

Jonas Sundermeyer ◽

Alexander Boecker ◽

Vivian Dambeck ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cortical Neurons ◽

Axonal Degeneration ◽

Dominant Negative ◽

Focal Lesion ◽

Pathological Feature ◽

Nerve Crush ◽

Cord Injury ◽

Rat Cortical Neurons

Abstract Axonal degeneration is a key and early pathological feature in traumatic and neurodegenerative disorders of the CNS. Following a focal lesion to axons, extended axonal disintegration by acute axonal degeneration (AAD) occurs within several hours. During AAD, the accumulation of autophagic proteins including Unc-51 like autophagy activating kinase 1 (ULK1) has been demonstrated, but its role is incompletely understood. Here, we study the effect of ULK1 inhibition in different models of lesion-induced axonal degeneration in vitro and in vivo. Overexpression of a dominant negative of ULK1 (ULK1.DN) in primary rat cortical neurons attenuates axotomy-induced AAD in vitro. Both ULK1.DN and the ULK1 inhibitor SBI-0206965 protect against AAD after rat optic nerve crush in vivo. ULK1.DN additionally attenuates long-term axonal degeneration after rat spinal cord injury in vivo. Mechanistically, ULK1.DN decreases autophagy and leads to an mTOR-mediated increase in translational proteins. Consistently, treatment with SBI-0206965 results in enhanced mTOR activation. ULK1.DN additionally modulates the differential splicing of the degeneration-associated genes Kif1b and Ddit3. These findings uncover ULK1 as an important mediator of axonal degeneration in vitro and in vivo, and elucidate its function in splicing, defining it as a putative therapeutic target.

Download Full-text

Targeting connexin 43 provides anti-inflammatory effects after intracerebral hemorrhage injury by regulating YAP signaling

Journal of Neuroinflammation ◽

10.1186/s12974-020-01978-z ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Hailong Yu ◽

Xiang Cao ◽

Wei Li ◽

Pinyi Liu ◽

Yuanyuan Zhao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

Connexin 43 ◽

Nuclear Translocation ◽

Neurological Deficits ◽

Proximity Ligation Assay ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Cx43 Expression ◽

Anti Inflammatory

Abstract Background In the central nervous system (CNS), connexin 43 (Cx43) is mainly expressed in astrocytes and regulates astrocytic network homeostasis. Similar to Cx43 overexpression, abnormal excessive opening of Cx43 hemichannels (Cx43Hcs) on reactive astrocytes aggravates the inflammatory response and cell death in CNS pathologies. However, the role of excessive Cx43Hc opening in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) injury is not clear. Methods Hemin stimulation in primary cells and collagenase IV injection in C57BL/6J (B6) mice were used as ICH models in vitro and in vivo. After ICH injury, the Cx43 mimetic peptide Gap19 was used for treatment. Ethidium bromide (EtBr) uptake assays were used to measure the opening of Cx43Hcs. Western blotting and immunofluorescence were used to measure protein expression. qRT-PCR and ELISA were used to determine the levels of cytokines. Coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and the Duolink in situ proximity ligation assay (PLA) were applied to measure the association between proteins. Results In this study, Cx43 expression upregulation and excessive Cx43Hc opening was observed in mice after ICH injury. Delayed treatment with Gap19 significantly alleviated hematoma volume and neurological deficits after ICH injury. In addition, Gap19 decreased inflammatory cytokine levels in the tissue surrounding the hematoma and decreased reactive astrogliosis after ICH injury in vitro and in vivo. Intriguingly, Cx43 transcriptional activity and expression in astrocytes were significantly increased after hemin stimulation in culture. However, Gap19 treatment downregulated astrocytic Cx43 expression through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway without affecting Cx43 transcription. Additionally, our data showed that Gap19 increased Yes-associated protein (YAP) nuclear translocation. This subsequently upregulated SOCS1 and SOCS3 expression and then inhibited the TLR4-NFκB and JAK2-STAT3 pathways in hemin-stimulated astrocytes. Finally, the YAP inhibitor, verteporfin (VP), reversed the anti-inflammatory effect of Gap19 in vitro and almost completely blocked its protective effects in vivo after ICH injury. Conclusions This study provides new insight into potential treatment strategies for ICH injury involving astroglial Cx43 and Cx43Hcs. Suppression of abnormal astroglial Cx43 expression and Cx43Hc opening by Gap19 has anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects after ICH injury.

Download Full-text

ROS-Dependent Neuroprotective Effects of NaHS in Ischemia Brain Injury Involves the PARP/AIF Pathway

Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry ◽

10.1159/000430317 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 1539-1551 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Qian Yu ◽

Zhihong Lu ◽

Lei Tao ◽

Lu Yang ◽

Yu Guo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Focal Cerebral Ischemia ◽

Ischemia Reperfusion ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Ht22 Cells ◽

In Vivo Models ◽

The Brain

Background/Aims: Stroke is among the top causes of death worldwide. Neuroprotective agents are thus considered as potentially powerful treatment of stroke. Methods: Using both HT22 cells and male Sprague-Dawley rats as in vitro and in vivo models, we investigated the effect of NaHS, an exogenous donor of H2S, on the focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) induced brain injury. Results: Administration of NaHS significantly decreased the brain infarcted area as compared to the I/R group in a dose-dependent manner. Mechanistic studies demonstrated that NaHS-treated rats displayed significant reduction of malondialdehyde content, and strikingly increased activity of superoxide dismutases and glutathione peroxidase in the brain tissues compared with I/R group. The enhanced antioxidant capacity as well as restored mitochondrial function are NaHS-treatment correlated with decreased cellular reactive oxygen species level and compromised apoptosis in vitro or in vivo in the presence of NaHS compared with control. Further analysis revealed that the inhibition of PARP-1 cleavage and AIF translocation are involved in the neuroprotective effects of NaHS. Conclusion: Collectively, our results suggest that NaHS has potent protective effects against the brain injury induced by I/R. NaHS is possibly effective through inhibition of oxidative stress and apoptosis.

Download Full-text

Minocycline-Induced Attenuation of Iron Overload and Brain Injury After Experimental Intracerebral Hemorrhage

Stroke ◽

10.1161/strokeaha.111.623926 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 42 (12) ◽

pp. 3587-3593 ◽

Cited By ~ 74

Author(s):

Fan Zhao ◽

Ya Hua ◽

Yangdong He ◽

Richard F. Keep ◽

Guohua Xi

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

Iron Overload ◽

Brain Edema ◽

Neuronal Death ◽

Iron Chelator ◽

Total Iron ◽

Brain Iron

Background and Purpose— Brain iron overload plays a detrimental role in brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). A recent study found that minocycline acts as an iron chelator and reduces iron-induced neuronal death in vitro. The present study investigated if minocycline reduces iron overload after ICH and iron-induced brain injury in vivo. Methods— This study was divided into 4 parts: (1) rats with different sizes of ICH were euthanized 3 days later for serum total iron and brain edema determination; (2) rats had an ICH treated with minocycline or vehicle. Serum iron, brain iron, and brain iron handling proteins were measured; (3) rats had an intracaudate injection of saline, iron, iron+minocycline, or iron+macrophage/microglia inhibitory factor and were used for brain edema and neuronal death measurements; and (4) rats had an intracaudate injection of iron and were treated with minocycline. The brains were used for edema measurement. Results— After ICH, serum total iron and brain nonheme iron increased and these changes were reduced by minocycline treatment. Minocycline also reduced ICH-induced upregulation of brain iron handling proteins and neuronal death. Intracaudate injection of iron caused brain edema, blood–brain barrier leakage, and brain cell death, all of which were significantly reduced by coinjection with minocycline. Conclusions— The current study found that minocycline reduces iron overload after ICH and iron-induced brain injury. It is also well known minocycline is an inhibitor of microglial activation. Minocycline may be very useful for patients with ICH because both iron accumulation and microglia activation contribute to brain damage after ICH.

Download Full-text

Ras-like Gem GTPase induced by Npas4 promotes activity-dependent neuronal tolerance for ischemic stroke

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2018850118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 118 (32) ◽

pp. e2018850118

Author(s):

Hiroo Takahashi ◽

Ryo Asahina ◽

Masayuki Fujioka ◽

Takeshi K. Matsui ◽

Shigeki Kato ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Glucose Deprivation ◽

Artery Occlusion ◽

Small Gtpase ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Necessary And Sufficient ◽

Activity Dependent

Ischemic stroke, which results in loss of neurological function, initiates a complex cascade of pathological events in the brain, largely driven by excitotoxic Ca2+ influx in neurons. This leads to cortical spreading depolarization, which induces expression of genes involved in both neuronal death and survival; yet, the functions of these genes remain poorly understood. Here, we profiled gene expression changes that are common to ischemia (modeled by middle cerebral artery occlusion [MCAO]) and to experience-dependent activation (modeled by exposure to an enriched environment [EE]), which also induces Ca2+ transients that trigger transcriptional programs. We found that the activity-dependent transcription factor Npas4 was up-regulated under MCAO and EE conditions and that transient activation of cortical neurons in the healthy brain by the EE decreased cell death after stroke. Furthermore, both MCAO in vivo and oxygen-glucose deprivation in vitro revealed that Npas4 is necessary and sufficient for neuroprotection. We also found that this protection involves the inhibition of L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs). Next, our systematic search for Npas4-downstream genes identified Gem, which encodes a Ras-related small GTPase that mediates neuroprotective effects of Npas4. Gem suppresses the membrane localization of L-type VGCCs to inhibit excess Ca2+ influx, thereby protecting neurons from excitotoxic death after in vitro and in vivo ischemia. Collectively, our findings indicate that Gem expression via Npas4 is necessary and sufficient to promote neuroprotection in the injured brain. Importantly, Gem is also induced in human cerebral organoids cultured under an ischemic condition, revealing Gem as a new target for drug discovery.

Download Full-text

Young plasma ameliorates aging-related acute brain injury after intracerebral hemorrhage

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1042/bsr20190537 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 39 (5) ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jun-Jie Yuan ◽

Qin Zhang ◽

Chang-Xiong Gong ◽

Fa-Xiang Wang ◽

Jia-Cheng Huang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Brain Injury ◽

Intracerebral Hemorrhage ◽

Brain Damage ◽

Mrna Level ◽

Acute Brain Injury ◽

Aging Brain ◽

Neural Cells ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

The Brain ◽

Brain Tissues

Abstract Aging has been shown to contribute to both the declined biofunctions of aging brain and aggravation of acute brain damage, and the former could be reversed by young plasma. These results suggest that young plasma treatment may also reduce the acute brain damage induced by intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). In the present study, we first found that the administration of young plasma significantly reduced the mortality and neurological deficit score in aging ICH rodents, which might be due to the decreased brain water content, damaged neural cells, and increased survival neurons around the perihematomal brain tissues. Then, proteomics analysis was used to screen out the potential neuroprotective circulating factors and the results showed that many factors were changed in health human plasma among young, adult, and old population. Among these significantly changed factors, the plasma insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) level was significantly decreased with age, which was further confirmed both in human and rats detected by ELISA. Additionally, the brain IGF-1 protein level in aging ICH rats was markedly decreased when compared with young rats. Interestingly, the relative decreased brain IGF-1 level was reversed by the treatment of young plasma in aging ICH rats, while the mRNA level was non-significantly changed. Furthermore, the IGF-1 administration significantly ameliorated the acute brain injury in aging ICH rats. These results indicated that young circulating factors, like IGF-1, may enter brain tissues to exert neuroprotective effects, and young plasma may be considered as a novel therapeutic approach for the clinical treatment of aging-related acute brain injury.

Download Full-text

The AMPAR antagonist perampanel regulates neuronal necroptosis via Akt/GSK3β signaling after acute traumatic injury in cortical neurons

CNS & Neurological Disorders - Drug Targets ◽

10.2174/1871527319666201001110937 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 19 ◽

Author(s):

Tao Chen ◽

Li-Kun Yang ◽

Jie Zhu ◽

Chun-Hua Hang ◽

Yu-Hai Wang

Keyword(s):

Traumatic Brain Injury ◽

Protective Effect ◽

Neuronal Death ◽

Cortical Neurons ◽

Therapeutic Potential ◽

Traumatic Injury ◽

Neuroprotective Effects ◽

Stroke Models ◽

Cultured Cortical Neurons

Background: Perampanel is a highly selective and non-competitive α-amino-3-hydroxy-5 -methyl-4-isoxazole propionate (AMPA) receptor (AMPAR) antagonist, which has been licensed as an orally administered antiepileptic drug in more than 55 countries. Recently, perampanel was found to exert neuroprotective effects in hemorrhagic and ischemic stroke models. Objective: In this study, the protective effect of perampanel was investigated. Method: The protective effect of perampanel was investigated in an in vitro traumatic neuronal injury (TNI) model in primary cultured cortical neurons. Conclusion: Our present data suggest that necroptosis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of neuronal death after TNI, and that perampanel might have therapeutic potential for patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Download Full-text