Evaluation of Cucurbita maxima Extract against Scopolamine- Induced Amnesia in Rats: Implication of Tumour Necrosis Factor Alpha

2014 ◽  
Vol 69 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 407-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Talha Jawaid ◽  
Ashok K. Shakya ◽  
Hefazat Hussain Siddiqui ◽  
Mehnaz Kamal

AbstractCucurbita maxima (CM) seed oil is commonly used in Indian folk medicine to treat various ailments. We have investigated the effect of CM seed oil on memory impairment induced by scopolamine in rats. Male adult Wistar rats were administered scopolamine 1 mg/kg body weight, i.p. or 1:25 mg/kg body weight, s.c. to induce memory impairment. The nootropic agent piracetam 100 mg/kg body weight, i.p. and CM seed oil 100 and 200 mg/kg body weight, p.o. were administered daily for five consecutive days. The memory function was evaluated in the Morris water maze (MWM) test, the social recognition test (SRT), the elevated plus maze (EPM) test, and the pole climbing test (PCT). Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress parameters were estimated in the cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum of the brains after completion of the behavioural studies. The effects of scopolamine on the levels of the tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) transcript were also investigated. Scopolamine caused memory impairment in all the behavioural paradigms along with a significant increase in the AChE activity and oxidative stress in the brain. Scopolamine also caused a significant increase in the expression of TNF-α in the hippocampus. CM seed oil exhibited antiamnesic activity as indicated by a significant reduction in the latency time in the MWM test and decreased social interaction during trial 2 in the SRT. Further, treatment with CM seed oil significantly decreased the AChE activity and malondialdehyde levels and increased the glutathione level in brain regions. CM seed oil also significantly decreased the expression of TNF-α in the hippocampus. The effect of CM seed oil on behavioural and biochemical parameters was comparable to that observed in rats treated with piracetam. These results indicate that CM seed oil may exert antiamnesic activity which may be attributed to the inhibition of AChE and inflammation as well as its antioxidant activity in the brain.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7482
Author(s):  
Hwan Lee ◽  
Zhiming Liu ◽  
Chi-Su Yoon ◽  
Linsha Dong ◽  
Wonmin Ko ◽  
...  

Aging is associated with immune disregulation and oxidative stress which lead to inflammation and neurodegenerative diseases. We have tried to identify the anti-neuroinflammatory and anti-inflammatory components of Coreopsis lanceolata L. The dried flowers of C. lanceolata were extracted with 70% EtOH, and the obtained extract was divided into CH2Cl2, EtOAc, n-BuOH, and H2O fractions. The CH2Cl2 fraction was separated using silica gel and C-18 column chromatography to yield phenylheptatriyne (1), 2′-hydroxy-3,4,4′-trimethoxychalcone (2), and 4′,7-dimethoxyflavanone (3). Additionally, the EtOAc fraction was subjected to silica gel, C-18, and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography to yield 8-methoxybutin (4) and leptosidin (5). All the compounds isolated from C. lanceolata inhibited the production of nitric oxide (NO) in LPS-induced BV2 and RAW264.7 cells. In addition, phenylheptatriyne and 4′,7-dimethoxyflavanone reduced the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-6. Among them, phenylheptatriyne was significantly downregulated in the expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). Subsequently, phenylheptatriyne also effectively inhibited nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) activation in LPS-stimulated BV2 and RAW264.7 cells. Based on these results, the anti-neuroinflammatory effect of phenylheptatriyne isolated from C. lanceolata was confirmed, which may exert a therapeutic effect in treatment of neuroinflammation-related diseases.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 5329-5334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl Granert ◽  
Hana Abdalla ◽  
Lars Lindquist ◽  
Asim Diab ◽  
Moiz Bakhiet ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT CNI-1493, a potent macrophage deactivator, was used to treat infant rats systemically infected with Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). CNI-1493 was injected 1 h prior to bacterial inoculation and 24 h later and resulted in a 75 percent increased rate of survival compared to that for untreated controls. The effect of CNI-1493 on the inflammatory response was studied by immunohistochemical detection of individual tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-, interleukin 1 beta (IL-1β)-, and gamma interferon (IFN-γ)-producing cells in the spleen. A significant reduction of the incidence of TNF-α- and IL-1β-expressing cells was found for CNI-1493-treated animals. IFN-γ expression was not suppressed by CNI-1493, indicating that cytokine inhibition was specific in macrophages. CNI-1493 significantly reduced the number of infiltrating granulocytes in the brain from that for controls. This study provides evidence that CNI-1493 protects against lethal Hib infection by deactivating the inflammatory cascade in infant rats.


2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (18) ◽  
pp. 8956-8964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bimmi Shrestha ◽  
Bo Zhang ◽  
Whitney E. Purtha ◽  
Robyn S. Klein ◽  
Michael S. Diamond

ABSTRACT West Nile virus (WNV) is a neurotropic flavivirus that has emerged globally as a significant cause of viral encephalitis in humans, especially in immunocompromised individuals. Previous studies have shown essential protective roles for antiviral cytokines (e.g., alpha interferon [IFN-α] and IFN-γ) against WNV in mice. However, studies using cell culture offer conflicting answers regarding whether tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) has an anti-WNV function. To test the biological significance of TNF-α against WNV in vivo, experiments were performed with TNF receptor-1 (TNF-R1)-deficient and TNF-α-depleted C57BL/6 mice. TNF-R1−/− mice had enhanced mortality and decreased survival time after WNV infection compared to congenic wild-type mice. Consistent with this, administration of a neutralizing anti-TNF-α monoclonal antibody also decreased survival after WNV infection. Relatively small differences in viral burdens in peripheral tissues of TNF-R1−/− mice were observed, and this occurrence correlated with a modest antiviral effect of TNF-α on primary macrophages but not dendritic cells. In contrast, the viral titers detected in the central nervous systems of TNF-R1−/− mice were significantly increased compared to those of wild-type mice, although TNF-α did not have a direct antiviral effect in primary neuron cultures. Whereas no defect in priming of adaptive B- and T-cell responses in TNF-R1−/− mice was observed, there were significant reductions in accumulations of CD8+ T cells and macrophages in the brain. Our data are most consistent with a model in which interaction of TNF-α with TNF-R1 protects against WNV infection by regulating migration of protective inflammatory cells into the brain during acute infection.


2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria C. Seleme ◽  
Kate Kosmac ◽  
Stipan Jonjic ◽  
William J. Britt

ABSTRACT Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is a significant cause of abnormal neurodevelopment and long-term neurological sequelae in infants and children. Resident cell populations of the developing brain have been suggested to be more susceptible to virus-induced cytopathology, a pathway thought to contribute to the clinical outcomes following intrauterine HCMV infection. However, recent findings in a newborn mouse model of the infection in the developing brain have indicated that elevated levels of proinflammatory mediators leading to mononuclear cell activation and recruitment could underlie the abnormal neurodevelopment. In this study, we demonstrate that treatment with tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-neutralizing antibodies decreased the frequency of CD45+ Ly6Chi CD11b+ CCR2+ activated myeloid mononuclear cells (MMCs) and the levels of proinflammatory cytokines in the blood and the brains of murine CMV-infected mice. This treatment also normalized neurodevelopment in infected mice without significantly impacting the level of virus replication. These results indicate that TNF-α is a major component of the inflammatory response associated with altered neurodevelopment that follows murine CMV infection of the developing brain and that a subset of peripheral blood myeloid mononuclear cells represent a key effector cell population in this model of virus-induced inflammatory disease of the developing brain. IMPORTANCE Congenital human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is the most common viral infection of the developing human fetus and can result in neurodevelopmental sequelae. Mechanisms of disease leading to neurodevelopmental deficits in infected infants remain undefined, but postulated pathways include loss of neuronal progenitor cells, damage to the developing vascular system of the brain, and altered cellular positioning. Direct virus-mediated cytopathic effects cannot explain the phenotypes of brain damage in most infected infants. Using a mouse model that recapitulates characteristics of the brain infection described in human infants, we have shown that TNF-α plays a key role in brain inflammation, including recruitment of inflammatory mononuclear cells. Neutralization of TNF-α normalized neurodevelopmental abnormalities in infected mice, providing evidence that virus-induced inflammation is a major component of disease in the developing brain. These results suggest that interventions limiting inflammation associated with the infection could potentially improve the neurologic outcome of infants infected in utero with HCMV.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emiko Isogai ◽  
Hiroshi Isogai ◽  
Koichi Kimura ◽  
Shunji Hayashi ◽  
Toru Kubota ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Gnotobiotic mice inoculated with an enterohemorrhagicEscherichia coli (EHEC) O157:H7 strain developed a flaccid paresis, usually culminating in death. The bacteria colonized feces at 109 to 1010 CFU per g (inoculum size: 2.0 × 109 CFU/mouse), and Shiga-like toxins (SLTs) were detected in the feces. A microscopic examination of colons showed mild inflammatory cell infiltration, thinning of the intestinal wall, or necrotic foci. Necrosis of tubular cells was noted in these symptomatic mice. Microhemorrhage, thrombosis, and edematous changes of the brain were also seen. Inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 1α (IL-1α), and IL-6, were detected in the kidney after EHEC infection, but not in the serum. In the brain, only TNF-α was detected. When 2.0 × 102 CFU of EHEC O157:H7 was fed to germ-free mice, the number of bacteria began to rise rapidly on day 1 and was maintained at 108 to 109 CFU/g of feces. SLTs were detected in the feces of the mice. However, the mice showed no histological changes and no cytokine responses, similar to what was found for controls. Treatment with TNF-α modified the clinical neural signs, histopathological changes, and cytokine responses; mice treated with TNF-α developed severe neurotoxic symptoms and had higher frequencies of systemic symptoms and glomerular pathology. Strong cytokine responses were seen in the kidney and brain. Serum cytokines were also detected in this group. In contrast, a TNF-α inhibitor (protease inhibitor) inhibited these responses, especially in the brain. However, local synthesis of the cytokines was observed in the kidney. Thus, TNF-α and the other proinflammatory cytokines could be important in modifying the disease caused by EHEC.


2009 ◽  
Vol 467 (3) ◽  
pp. 217-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Barichello ◽  
Ivonete dos Santos ◽  
Geovana D. Savi ◽  
Anelise F. Florentino ◽  
Cintia Silvestre ◽  
...  

2004 ◽  
Vol 78 (23) ◽  
pp. 13104-13112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karin E. Peterson ◽  
Scott Hughes ◽  
Derek E. Dimcheff ◽  
Kathy Wehrly ◽  
Bruce Chesebro

ABSTRACT The innate immune response, through the induction of proinflammatory cytokines and antiviral factors, plays an important role in protecting the host from pathogens. Several components of the innate response, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), monocyte chemoattractant protein 1, interferon-inducible protein 10, and RANTES, are upregulated in the brain following neurovirulent retrovirus infection in humans and in animal models. However, it remains unclear whether this immune response is protective, pathogenic, or both. In the present study, by using TNF-α−/− mice we analyzed the contribution of TNF-α to neurological disease induced by four neurovirulent murine retroviruses, with three of these viruses encoding portions of the same neurovirulent envelope protein. Surprisingly, only one retrovirus (EC) required TNF-α for disease induction, and this virus induced less TNF-α expression in the brain than did the other retroviruses. Analysis of glial fibrillary acidic protein and F4/80 in EC-infected TNF-α−/− mice showed normal activation of astrocytes but not of microglia. Thus, TNF-α-mediated microglial activation may be important in the pathogenic process initiated by EC infection. In contrast, TNF-α was not required for pathogenesis of the closely related BE virus and the BE virus induced disease in TNF-α−/− mice by a different mechanism that did not require microglial activation. These results provide new insights into the multifactorial mechanisms involved in retrovirus-induced neurodegeneration and may also have analogies to other types of neurodegeneration.


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