β-Elemene Suppresses Obesity-Induced Imbalance in the Microbiota-Gut-Brain Axis

As a kind of metabolically triggered inflammation, obesity influences the interplay between the central nervous system and the enteral environment. The present study showed that β-elemene, which is contained in various plant substances, had effects on recovering the changes in metabolites occurring in high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese C57BL/6 male mice brains, especially in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampus (HIP). β-elemene also partially reversed HFD-induced changes in the composition and contents of mouse gut bacteria. Furthermore, we evaluated the interaction between cerebral metabolites and intestinal microbiota via Pearson correlations. The prediction results suggested that Firmicutes were possibly controlled by neuron integrity, cerebral inflammation, and neurotransmitters, and Bacteroidetes in mouse intestines might be related to cerebral aerobic respiration and the glucose cycle. Such results also implied that Actinobacteria probably affected cerebral energy metabolism. These findings suggested that β-elemene has regulatory effects on the imbalanced microbiota-gut-brain axis caused by obesity and, therefore, would contribute to the future study in on the interplay between cerebral metabolites from different brain regions and the intestinal microbiota of mice.

Self-Regulation of Cerebral Metabolism and Its Neuroprotective Effect After Hypoxic-Ischemic Injury: Evidence From 1H-MRS

1H-MRS technology can be used to non-invasively detect the content of cerebral metabolites, to assess the severity of hypoxic-ischemic (HI) injury, and to predict the recovery of compromised neurological function. However, changes to the cerebral self-regulation process after HI are still unclear. This study investigated the changes in cerebral metabolites and the potential relationship with the number of neurons and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSPC) using 1H-MRS, and finally clarifies the self-regulation of cerebral metabolism and neuroprotection after HI injury. Newborn Yorkshire pigs (28 males, 1.0–1.5 kg) aged 3–5 days were used for the HI model in this study. The pigs were randomly divided into the HI group (n = 24) and the control group (n = 4), then the experimental group was subdivided according to different recovery time after HI into the following groups: 0–2 h (n = 4), 2–6 h (n = 4), 6–12 h (n = 4), 12–24 h (n = 4), 24–48 h (n = 4), and 48–72 h (n = 4). Following the HI timepoints, 1H-MRS scans were performed and processed using LCModel software, and brain tissue was immunohistochemically stained for Nestin and NeuN. Immunofluorescence staining of creatine phosphokinase-BB (CK-BB), N-acetylaspartylglutamate synthetase (NAAGS), glutamate carboxypeptidase II (GCP-II), glutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC), glutathione synthase (GS), and excitatory amino acid carrier 1 (EAAC1) was then performed. The 1H-MRS results showed that cerebral N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAAG), glutathione (GSH), and creatine (Cr) content reached their peaks at 12–24 h, which was consistent with the recovery time of hippocampal NSPCs and neurons, indicating a potential neuroprotective effect of NAAG, GSH, and Cr after HI injury.

Using Cerebral Metabolites to Guide Precision Medicine for Subarachnoid Hemorrhage: Lactate and Pyruvate

Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is one of the deadliest types of strokes with high rates of morbidity and permanent injury. Fluctuations in the levels of cerebral metabolites following SAH can be indicators of brain injury severity. Specifically, the changes in the levels of key metabolites involved in cellular metabolism, lactate and pyruvate, can be used as a biomarker for patient prognosis and tailor treatment to an individual’s needs. Here, clinical research is reviewed on the usefulness of cerebral lactate and pyruvate measurements as a predictive tool for SAH outcomes and their potential to guide a precision medicine approach to treatment.

Cerebral Metabolites on the Descending Limb of Acute Alcohol: A Preliminary 1H MRS Study

Choline-containing compounds (Cho) and the summed peak of glutamate and glutamine (Glx) increased in the thalamus on the descending limb of alcohol, relative to baseline. Findings suggest neuroinflammatory and/or compensatory mechanisms in effect during the process of alcohol clearance.

Biochemical Modifications Study of Cerebral Metabolites by Spectroscopy in Epilepsy Treatment

Through this research, our main focus was: to investigate the biochemical brain metabolites (NAA-N-acetylaspartate, GABA-Gama-Aminobutyric Acid, Asp-Aspartate, CR-Creatine, Gln-Glutamine, GPC-Glicerophosphocholine, PC-Phosphocholine, PCr-Phosphocreatine, Tau-Taurine, N-MDA-N-Metyl-D-Aspartate, Serine, Glicine, Cho-Choline); the neuroimagistic, the brain biochemical and metabolic abnormalities in children and adolescents with epilepsy before and after treatment; to review the main antiepileptic medication administered to these patients; and to make some correlations with the results obtained through Magnetic Resonance (MR) Spectroscopy, for further proper early detection and intervention in children and adolescents with epilepsy. Our research was performed between 2010-2017, involving 45 children and adolescents with epilepsy. Also, the patients were evaluated through MR Spectroscopy at baseline and after pharmacotherapy. Through the MR Spectroscopy, we investigated key aspects of the brain function and metabolism. The antiepileptic medication was chosen according to the guides and the type of epileptic seizures. The efficacy of the chosen therapy was evaluated through the change of the relevant MR spectroscopy biochemical brain metabolites. Our results, showed statistically significant modified values and concentrations of the biochemical cerebral metabolites. Our research was a proof, which the evaluation of the biochemical brain metabolites through MR Spectroscopy is of high clinical utility in prevention, early detection and intervention in epilepsy in children and adolescents.