scholarly journals Immunopathogenicity of Acanthamoeba spp. in the Brain and Lungs

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1261
Author(s):  
Karolina Kot ◽  
Natalia Łanocha-Arendarczyk ◽  
Danuta Kosik-Bogacka
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Acanthamoeba Keratitis ◽  
Medical Problem ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Amebic Encephalitis ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Very High

Free-living amoebas, including Acanthamoeba spp., are widely distributed in soil, water, and air. They are capable of causing granulomatous amebic encephalitis, Acanthamoeba pneumonia, Acanthamoeba keratitis, and disseminated acanthamoebiasis. Despite low occurrence worldwide, the mortality rate of Acanthamoeba spp. infections is very high, especially in immunosuppressed hosts. Acanthamoeba infections are a medical problem, owing to limited improvement in diagnostics and treatment, which is associated with incomplete knowledge of pathophysiology, pathogenesis, and the host immune response against Acanthamoeba spp. infection. The aim of this review is to present the biochemical and molecular mechanisms of Acanthamoeba spp.–host interactions, including the expression of Toll-like receptors, mechanisms of an immune response, the activity of metalloproteinases, the secretion of antioxidant enzymes, and the expression and activity of cyclooxygenases. We show the relationship between Acanthamoeba spp. and the host at the cellular level and host defense reactions that lead to changes in the selected host’s organs.

scholarly journals The Function of the PRRSV–Host Interactions and Their Effects on Viral Replication and Propagation in Antiviral Strategies

Vaccines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 364
Author(s):  
Jun Ma ◽  
Lulu Ma ◽  
Meiting Yang ◽  
Wei Wu ◽  
Wenhai Feng ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Immune Escape ◽  
Rna Virus ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Respiratory Syndrome Virus ◽  
Swine Industry ◽  
Live Virus ◽  
Virus Challenge ◽  
Host Interactions

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) affects the global swine industry and causes disastrous economic losses each year. The genome of PRRSV is an enveloped single-stranded positive-sense RNA of approximately 15 kb. The PRRSV replicates primarily in alveolar macrophages of pig lungs and lymphatic organs and causes reproductive problems in sows and respiratory symptoms in piglets. To date, studies on how PRRSV survives in the host, the host immune response against viral infections, and pathogenesis, have been reported. PRRSV vaccines have been developed, including inactive virus, modified live virus, attenuated live vaccine, DNA vaccine, and immune adjuvant vaccines. However, there are certain problems with the durability and effectiveness of the licensed vaccines. Moreover, the high variability and fast-evolving populations of this RNA virus challenge the design of PRRSV vaccines, and thus effective vaccines against PRRSV have not been developed successfully. As is well known, viruses interact with the host to escape the host’s immune response and then replicate and propagate in the host, which is the key to virus survival. Here, we review the complex network and the mechanism of PRRSV–host interactions in the processes of virus infection. It is critical to develop novel antiviral strategies against PRRSV by studying these host–virus interactions and structures to better understand the molecular mechanisms of PRRSV immune escape.

scholarly journals Kynurenic acid and cancer: facts and controversies

2019 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 1531-1550 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katarzyna Walczak ◽  
Artur Wnorowski ◽  
Waldemar A. Turski ◽  
Tomasz Plech
Keyword(s):  
Kynurenic Acid ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Potential Role ◽  
Cancer Cell Proliferation ◽  
Gastrointestinal Microbiota ◽  
Tryptophan Metabolite ◽  
Peripheral Cells ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is an endogenous tryptophan metabolite exerting neuroprotective and anticonvulsant properties in the brain. However, its importance on the periphery is still not fully elucidated. KYNA is produced endogenously in various types of peripheral cells, tissues and by gastrointestinal microbiota. Furthermore, it was found in several products of daily human diet and its absorption in the digestive tract was evidenced. More recent studies were focused on the potential role of KYNA in carcinogenesis and cancer therapy; however, the results were ambiguous and the biological activity of KYNA in these processes has not been unequivocally established. This review aims to summarize the current views on the relationship between KYNA and cancer. The differences in KYNA concentration between physiological conditions and cancer, as well as KYNA production by both normal and cancer cells, will be discussed. The review also describes the effect of KYNA on cancer cell proliferation and the known potential molecular mechanisms of this activity.

The Development and Evaluation of Brain and Heart Cell Lines from a Marine Fish for Use in Xenobiotic-Induced Cytotoxicity Testing

2021 ◽  
pp. 026119292110525
Author(s):  
Anaguiven Avalos-Soriano ◽  
Alejandra García-Gasca ◽  
Beatriz Yáñez-Rivera
Keyword(s):  
Cell Lines ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Fetal Bovine Serum ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Heart Cell ◽  
Mechanisms Of Toxicity ◽  
Toxicological Data ◽  
Fetal Bovine ◽  
Fish Cells ◽  
The Brain

Two cell lines derived from the brain and heart of a Pacific white snook specimen ( Centropomus viridis) were developed and evaluated in terms of their responsiveness to glyphosate-induced cytotoxicity. The cells were grown in Leibovitz-15 (L-15) medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) and were passaged 36 times. Growth was tested at different concentrations of FBS (5, 10 and 20%) at 27°C. The cell lines were cryopreserved at different passages and were successfully thawed, with a survival rate greater than 80% without detectable contamination. At passage 36, the cells were used to assess the deleterious effects of glyphosate, and cell proliferation was measured by direct counting and with the MTT assay. Similar LC50 values were obtained with both methods. Although the principles behind these two assessment methods differ, our results show that both are suitable for evaluating glyphosate toxicity. In addition, heart- and brain-derived cells showed similar sensitivity, suggesting that the same mode of action might be responsible for the toxicity of glyphosate at the cellular level. The newly developed Pacific white snook brain and heart cell lines could be useful to investigate cellular and molecular mechanisms of toxicity, satisfying the need to reduce the use of animals in experiments. Glyphosate-related toxicological data obtained in the present study will allow us to continue investigating the effects of this herbicide directly on brain and heart fish cells since similar studies have only been carried out on either live organisms or on human cell lines such as neuroblastoma, which are immortalised by oncogenes or similar.

Heme induces autophagic cell death via ER stress in neuron

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Yang ◽  
ZhongYan Huang ◽  
Bing Tang ◽  
Nan Zhang ◽  
Na Ji
Keyword(s):  
Cell Death ◽  
Er Stress ◽  
Therapeutic Strategy ◽  
Medical Problem ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Specific Mechanism ◽  
Downstream Effects ◽  
Pharmacologic Inhibitors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Aims Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is serious medical problem and the effective treatment is limited. Hemorrhaged blood is highly toxic to the brain, and heme mainly released from hemoglobin plays a vital role in neurotoxicity. However, the specific mechanism involved in heme mediated neurotoxicity has not been well studied.Methods In this study, we investigated the neurotoxicity of heme in neurons. Neurons were administrated with heme, and the cell death, autophagy and ER stress were analyzed. In addition, the relationship between autophagy and apoptosis in heme-induced cell death and the downstream effects were also detected.Results We showed that heme induced cell death and autophagy in neurons. The suppression of autophagy using either pharmacologic inhibitors (3-methyladenine) or RNA interference in essential autophagy genes (BECN1 and ATG5) decreased the cell death induced by heme in neurons. Moreover, ER stress activator thapsigargin increased the cell autophagy and cell death ratio following heme treatment. Autophagy promotes cell apoptosis and cell death induced by heme through BECN1/ ATG5 pathway.Conclusions Our findings suggest that heme potentiates neuron autophagy via ER stress, in turn inducing cell death via BECN1/ATG5 pathway. Targeting ER stress mediated autophagy might be a promising therapeutic strategy for ICH.

scholarly journals Tilapia Lake Virus-Induced Neuroinflammation in Zebrafish: Microglia Activation and Sickness Behavior

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miriam Mojzesz ◽  
Magdalena Widziolek ◽  
Mikolaj Adamek ◽  
Urszula Orzechowska ◽  
Piotr Podlasz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Viral Infection ◽  
Sickness Behavior ◽  
Microglia Activation ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Genes Encoding ◽  
Bottom Zone ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain

In mammals, the relationship between the immune system and behavior is widely studied. In fish, however, the knowledge concerning the brain immune response and behavioral changes during brain viral infection is very limited. To further investigate this subject, we used the model of tilapia lake virus (TiLV) infection of zebrafish (Danio rerio), which was previously developed in our laboratory. We demonstrated that TiLV persists in the brain of adult zebrafish for at least 90 days, even when the virus is not detectable in other peripheral organs. The virions were found in the whole brain. During TiLV infection, zebrafish displayed a clear sickness behavior: decreased locomotor activity, reduced food intake, and primarily localizes near the bottom zone of aquaria. Moreover, during swimming, individual fish exhibited also unusual spiral movement patterns. Gene expression study revealed that TiLV induces in the brain of adult fish strong antiviral and inflammatory response and upregulates expression of genes encoding microglia/macrophage markers. Finally, using zebrafish larvae, we showed that TiLV infection induces histopathological abnormalities in the brain and causes activation of the microglia which is manifested by changes in cell shape from a resting ramified state in mock-infected to a highly ameboid active state in TiLV-infected larvae. This is the first study presenting a comprehensive analysis of the brain immune response associated with microglia activation and subsequent sickness behavior during systemic viral infection in zebrafish.

scholarly journals Neuroprotective effects of physical exercise: Implications in health and disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 383-389
Author(s):  
Sebastian Romeo Pintilie ◽  
◽  
Alice D. Condrat ◽  
Adriana Fodor ◽  
Adela-Viviana Sitar-Tăut ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Physical Exercise ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Chemical Effects ◽  
Physical Exercises ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Molecular Aspects ◽  
The Brain

Physical exercises have long been linked to numerous health improvements, ranging from cardiovascular to psychiatric. In this review, we take a closer look on its anatomical, physiological and chemical effects on the brain. Starting from the clinical to the cellular level, we will analyze the neurogenesis, anti-inflammatory effects on Brain-Blood Barrier and synaptic plasticity, outlining known molecular aspects that are influenced by physical activity, such as: gene expression, changes of growth factors and neurotransmitter levels and means of reverting molecular mechanisms of ageing. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the central molecules that links the physical exercise to neurogenesis, neuroprotection, cognitive functions, dendritic growth, memory formation and many more. We indicate the correlation between physical activity and mental health in diseases like depression, Alzheimer’s dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Sulforaphane Reverses the Amyloid-β Oligomers Induced Depressive-Like Behavior

2020 ◽  
Vol 78 (1) ◽  
pp. 127-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Cuibai Wei ◽  
Meina Quan ◽  
Tingting Li ◽  
Jianping Jia
Keyword(s):  
Oxidative Stress ◽  
Memory Impairment ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Serotonergic System ◽  
Inflammatory Factors ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

Background: Depression is one of the most common behavioral and psychological symptoms in people with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). To date, however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the clinical association between depression and AD remained elusive. Objective: Here, we study the relationship between memory impairment and depressive-like behavior in AD animal model, and investigate the potential mechanisms. Methods: Male SD rats were administered amyloid-β oligomers (AβOs) by intracerebroventricular injection, and then the depressive-like behavior, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and the serotonergic system were measured in the brain. Sulforaphane (SF), a compound with dual capacities of anti-inflammation and anti-oxidative stress, was injected intraperitoneally to evaluate the therapeutic effect. Results: The results showed that AβOs induced both memory impairment and depressive-like behavior in rats, through the mechanisms of inducing neuroinflammation and oxidative stress, and impairing the serotonergic axis. SF could reduce both inflammatory factors and oxidative stress parameters to protect the serotonergic system and alleviate memory impairment and depressive-like behavior in rats. Conclusion: These results provided insights into the biological mechanisms underlying the clinical link between depressive disorder and AD, and offered new drug options for the treatment of depressive symptoms in dementia.

scholarly journals MAVS mediates a protective immune response in the brain to Rift Valley fever virus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dina R. Weilhammer ◽  
Nicholas R. Hum ◽  
Feliza A. Bourguet ◽  
Aimy Sebastian ◽  
Doris Lam ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Rift Valley ◽  
Rift Valley Fever ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Rift Valley Fever Virus ◽  
Fever Virus ◽  
Type I ◽  
Activation Markers ◽  
Valley Fever ◽  
The Brain

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne virus capable of causing hepatitis, encephalitis, blindness, hemorrhagic syndrome, and death in humans and livestock. Upon aerosol infection with RVFV, the brain is a major site of viral replication and tissue damage, yet pathogenesis in this organ has been understudied. Here, we investigated the immune response in the brain of RVFV infected mice. In response to infection, microglia initiate robust transcriptional upregulation of antiviral immune genes, as well as increased levels of activation markers and cytokine secretion that is dependent on mitochondrial antiviral-signaling protein (MAVS) and independent of toll-like receptors 3 and 7. In vivo, Mavs-/- mice displayed enhanced susceptibility to RVFV as determined by increased brain viral burden and higher mortality. Single-cell RNA sequence analysis identified microglia-specific defects in type I interferon and interferon responsive gene expression in Mavs-/- mice, as well as dysregulated lymphocyte infiltration. The results of this study provide a crucial step towards understanding the precise molecular mechanisms by which RVFV infection is controlled in the brain and will help inform the development of vaccines and antiviral therapies that are effective in preventing encephalitis.

scholarly journals Molecular Mechanisms of Neuroimmune Crosstalk in the Pathogenesis of Stroke

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (17) ◽  
pp. 9486
Author(s):  
Yun Hwa Choi ◽  
Collin Laaker ◽  
Martin Hsu ◽  
Peter Cismaru ◽  
Matyas Sandor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Immune Response ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Tissue Injury ◽  
Lymphatic Vessels ◽  
Immunological Response ◽  
Cell Types ◽  
Multiple Organ ◽  
Post Stroke ◽  
Organ Systems ◽  
The Brain

Stroke disrupts the homeostatic balance within the brain and is associated with a significant accumulation of necrotic cellular debris, fluid, and peripheral immune cells in the central nervous system (CNS). Additionally, cells, antigens, and other factors exit the brain into the periphery via damaged blood–brain barrier cells, glymphatic transport mechanisms, and lymphatic vessels, which dramatically influence the systemic immune response and lead to complex neuroimmune communication. As a result, the immunological response after stroke is a highly dynamic event that involves communication between multiple organ systems and cell types, with significant consequences on not only the initial stroke tissue injury but long-term recovery in the CNS. In this review, we discuss the complex immunological and physiological interactions that occur after stroke with a focus on how the peripheral immune system and CNS communicate to regulate post-stroke brain homeostasis. First, we discuss the post-stroke immune cascade across different contexts as well as homeostatic regulation within the brain. Then, we focus on the lymphatic vessels surrounding the brain and their ability to coordinate both immune response and fluid homeostasis within the brain after stroke. Finally, we discuss how therapeutic manipulation of peripheral systems may provide new mechanisms to treat stroke injury.

scholarly journals Species-Specific Features of Neuron-Glial Populations in the Brain of Tailless Amphibians

2019 ◽  
pp. 445-459
Author(s):  
Liubov’ N. Afanaskina ◽  
Nadezhda N. Medvedeva
Keyword(s):  
Brain Regions ◽  
Bufo Bufo ◽  
Cellular Level ◽  
The Body ◽  
Rana Arvalis ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Tailless Amphibians

The midbrain roof and cerebellum cortex are the main integrative centers in amphibians. They serve to analyze and process nerve impulses, form the organism’s response, regulate and coordinate movements, connect amphibians with their environments. The present study addresses the relationship between the species of the tailless amphibians inhabiting the southern part of the Krasnoyarsk region (Bufo bufo Linnaeus, Rana arvalis Nilsson, Pelophylax ridibundus Pallas, and Rana amurensis Boulenger) and the morphological parameters of the populations of neurons and glia in layer VI of the midbrain roof and layers of the cerebellum cortex. The species-specific structure of amphibians’ brain regions has been found to be evident not only at the organ level (size and shape), but also at the level of the organization of neuron and glial cell populations. Distinctive species-specific differences can be found in the parameters of cell area (the area of the body, the area of the nucleus and the area of the cytoplasm) and the distribution density of neurons and gliocytes. The development of specific morphological features at the cellular level of the arrangement of the midbrain and cerebellum layers in different species of tailless amphibians is associated with long-term phylogenetic transformations of their nervous system and adaptation of amphibians to the terrestrial-aquatic habitat

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