scholarly journals Bacopa monnieri: Historical aspects to promising pharmacological actions for the treatment of central nervous system diseases

Author(s):  
Andreia Fuentes Santos ◽  
◽  
Marilia Moraes Queiroz Souza ◽  
Karoline Bach Pauli ◽  
Gustavo Ratti da Silva ◽  
...  

Bacopa monnieri(L.) Wettst. (Plantaginaceae), also known as Brahmi, has been used to improve cognitive processes and intellectual functions that are related to the preservation of memory. The objective of this research is to review the ethnobotanical applications, phytochemical composition, toxicity and activity of B. monnieriin the central nervous system. It reviewed articles on B. monnieriusing Google Scholar, SciELO, Science Direct, Lilacs, Medline, and PubMed. Saponins are the main compounds in extracts of B. monnieri. Pharmacological studies showed that B. monnieriimproves learning and memory and presents biological effects against Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, and schizophrenia. No preclinical acute toxicity was reported. However, gastrointestinal side effects were reported in some healthy elderly individuals. Most studies with B. monnierihave been preclinical evaluations of cellular mechanisms in the central nervous system and further translational clinical research needs to be performed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the plant.

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1453
Author(s):  
Joaquín Martí-Clúa

The synthetic halogenated pyrimidine analog, 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU), is a marker of DNA synthesis. This exogenous nucleoside has generated important insights into the cellular mechanisms of the central nervous system development in a variety of animals including insects, birds, and mammals. Despite this, the detrimental effects of the incorporation of BrdU into DNA on proliferation and viability of different types of cells has been frequently neglected. This review will summarize and present the effects of a pulse of BrdU, at doses ranging from 25 to 300 µg/g, or repeated injections. The latter, following the method of the progressively delayed labeling comprehensive procedure. The prenatal and perinatal development of the cerebellum are studied. These current data have implications for the interpretation of the results obtained by this marker as an index of the generation, migration, and settled pattern of neurons in the developing central nervous system. Caution should be exercised when interpreting the results obtained using BrdU. This is particularly important when high or repeated doses of this agent are injected. I hope that this review sheds light on the effects of this toxic maker. It may be used as a reference for toxicologists and neurobiologists given the broad use of 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine to label dividing cells.


2008 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 757-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre A. Guertin

Learning and memory traditionally have been associated with cellular processes occurring in a specialized region of the brain called the hippocampus. However, recent data have provided strong evidence to suggest that comparable processes are also expressed in the spinal cord. Experiments performed mainly in spinal cord–transected animals have reported that, indeed, spinal-mediated functions, such as the stretch or flexion reflex, pain signaling, micturition, or locomotion, may undergo plasticity changes associated with partial functional recovery that occur spontaneously or conditionally. Many of the underlying cellular mechanisms strikingly resemble those found in the hippocampus. This mini-review reports, mainly, animal data that support the idea that other areas of the central nervous system, such as the spinal cord, can also learn and remember.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 2506 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurizio Cammalleri ◽  
Paola Bagnoli ◽  
Albertino Bigiani

Neural inhibition plays a key role in determining the specific computational tasks of different brain circuitries. This functional “braking” activity is provided by inhibitory interneurons that use different neurochemicals for signaling. One of these substances, somatostatin, is found in several neural networks, raising questions about the significance of its widespread occurrence and usage. Here, we address this issue by analyzing the somatostatinergic system in two regions of the central nervous system: the retina and the hippocampus. By comparing the available information on these structures, we identify common motifs in the action of somatostatin that may explain its involvement in such diverse circuitries. The emerging concept is that somatostatin-based signaling, through conserved molecular and cellular mechanisms, allows neural networks to operate correctly.


2019 ◽  
Vol 204 ◽  
pp. 04008 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munkhbaatar Batmunkh ◽  
Lkhagvaa Bayarchimeg ◽  
Aleksandr N. Bugay ◽  
Oidov Lkhagva

Simulating the biological damage induced by charged particles trajectories (tracks) in the central nervous system (CNS) at different levels of its organization (molecular, cellular, and tissue) is a challenge of modern radiobiology studies. According to the recent experimental studies at particle accelerators, the most radiation-sensitive area of the CNS is the hippocampus. In this regards, the development of measurement-based Monte Carlo simulation of radiation-induced alterations in the hippocampus is of great interest to understand the radiobiological effects on the CNS. The present work investigates the influence of charged particles on the hippocampal cells of the rat brain using the Geant4 Monte Carlo radiation transport code. The applied computer simulation provides a method to simulate physics processes and chemical reactions in the developed model of the rat hippocampus, which contains different types of neural cells - pyramidal cells, mature and immature granular cells, mossy cells, and neural stem cells. The distribution of stochastic energy depositions has been obtained and analyzed in critical structures of the hippocampal neurons after irradiation with 600 MeV/u iron particles. The computed energy deposition in irradiated hippocampal neurons following a track of iron ion suggests that most of the energy is accumulated by granular cells. The obtained quantities at the level of molecular targets also assume that NMDA and GABA receptors belong to the most probable targets in the irradiated neural cells.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 299-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.H. van Coevorden-Hameete ◽  
E. de Graaff ◽  
M.J. Titulaer ◽  
C.C. Hoogenraad ◽  
P.A.E. Sillevis Smitt

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