Chemical mutagenesis of a GPCR ligand: Detoxifying "inflammo-attraction" to direct therapeutic stem cell migration.

A transplanted stem cell's engagement with a pathologic niche is the first step in its restoring homeostasis to that site. Inflammatory chemokines are constitutively produced in such a niche; their binding to receptors on the stem cell helps direct that cell's "pathotropism." Neural stem cells (NSCs), which express CXCR4, migrate to sites of CNS injury or degeneration in part because astrocytes and vasculature produce the inflammatory chemokine CXCL12. Binding of CXCL12 to CXCR4 (a G protein-coupled receptor, GPCR) triggers repair processes within the NSC. Although a tool directing NSCs to where needed has been long-sought, one would not inject this chemokine in vivo because undesirable inflammation also follows CXCL12-CXCR4 coupling. Alternatively, we chemically "mutated" CXCL12, creating a CXCR4 agonist that contained a strong pure binding motif linked to a signaling motif devoid of sequences responsible for synthetic functions. This synthetic dual-moity CXCR4 agonist not only elicited more extensive and persistent human NSC migration and distribution than did native CXCL 12, but induced no host inflammation (or other adverse effects); rather, there was predominantly reparative gene expression. When co-administered with transplanted human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hNSCs in a mouse model of a prototypical neurodegenerative disease, the agonist enhanced migration, dissemination, and integration of donor-derived cells into the diseased cerebral cortex (including as electrophysiologically-active cortical neurons) where their secreted cross-corrective enzyme mediated a therapeutic impact unachieved by cells alone. Such a "designer" cytokine receptor-agonist peptide illustrates that treatments can be controlled and optimized by exploiting fundamental stem cell properties (e.g., "inflammo-attraction").

Neural Stem Cells for Early Ischemic Stroke.

Clinical treatments for ischemic stroke are limited. Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation can be a promising therapy. Clinically, ischemia and subsequent reperfusion lead to extensive neurovascular injury that involves inflammation, disruption of the blood-brain barrier, and brain cell death. NSCs exhibit multiple potentially therapeutic actions against neurovascular injury. Currently, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only FDA-approved clot-dissolving agent. While tPA's thrombolytic role within the vasculature is beneficial, tPA's non-thrombolytic deleterious effects aggravates neurovascular injury, restricting the treatment time window (time-sensitive) and tPA eligibility. Thus, new strategies are needed to mitigate tPA's detrimental effects and quickly mediate vascular repair after stroke. Up to date, clinical trials focus on the impact of stem cell therapy on neuro-restoration by delivering cells during the chronic stroke stage. Also, NSCs secrete factors that stimulate endogenous repair mechanisms for early-stage ischemic stroke. This review will present an integrated view of the preclinical perspectives of NSC transplantation as a promising treatment for neurovascular injury, with an emphasis on early-stage ischemic stroke. Further, this will highlight the impact of early sub-acute NSC delivery on improving short-term and long-term stroke outcomes.

Sex differences in abdominal aortic aneurysms.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disorder with a high case fatality rate in the instance of rupture. AAA is a multifactorial disease, and the etiology is still not fully understood. AAA is more likely to occur in men, but women have a greater risk of rupture and worse prognosis. Women are reportedly protected against AAA possibly by premenopausal levels of estrogen and are, on average, diagnosed at older ages than men. Here, we review the present body of research on AAA pathophysiology in humans, animal models, and cultured cells, with an emphasis on sex differences and sex steroid hormone signaling.

Rapid estrogen receptor-α signaling mediated by ERK activation regulates vascular tone in male and ovary-intact female mice.

Estrogen has been shown to affect vascular reactivity. Here, we assessed the estrogen receptor-α (ERα) dependency of estrogenic effects on vasorelaxation via a rapid nongenomic pathway in both male and ovary-intact female mice. We compared the effect of a primary estrogen, 17ß-estradiol (E2) or 4,4',4″-(4-propyl-[1H]pyrazole-1,3,5-triyl)tris-phenol (PPT; selective ERα agonist). We found that E2 and PPT induced greater aortic relaxation in female mice than in male mice, indicating ERα mediation, which was further validated by using ERα antagonism. Treatment with 1,3-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4-methyl-5-[4-(2-piperidinylethoxy)phenol]-1H-pyrazole dihydrochloride (MPP dihydrochloride; ERα antagonist) attenuated PPT-mediated vessel relaxation in both sexes. ERα-mediated vessel relaxation was further validated by the absence of significant PPT-mediated relaxation in aortas isolated from ERα knockout mice. Treatment with a specific ERK inhibitor, PD-98059, reduced E2-induced vessel relaxation in both sexes but to a lesser extent in female mice. Furthermore, PD-98059 prevented PPT-induced vessel relaxation in both sexes. Both E2 and PPT treatment activated ERK as early as 5-10 min, which was attenuated by PD-98059 in aortic tissue, cultured primary vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and endothelial cells (ECs). Aortic rings denuded of endothelium showed no differences in vessel relaxation after E2 or PPT treatment, implicating a role of ECs in the observed sex differences. Here, our results are unique to show estrogen-stimulated rapid ERα signaling mediated by ERK activation in aortic tissue, as well as VSMCs and ECs in vitro, in regulating vascular function by using side-by-side comparisons in male and ovary-intact female mice in response to E2 or PPT. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Here, we assessed the estrogen receptor-α dependency of estrogenic effects in vasorelaxation of both male and ovary-intact female mice by performing side-by-side comparisons. Also, we describe the connection between estrogen-stimulated rapid estrogen receptor-α signaling and downstream ERK activation in regulating vascular function in male and ovary-intact female mice.

Sex differences in vascular physiology and pathophysiology: estrogen and androgen signaling in health and disease.

Sex differences between women and men are often overlooked and underappreciated when studying the cardiovascular system. It has been long assumed that men and women are physiologically similar, and this notion has resulted in women being clinically evaluated and treated for cardiovascular pathophysiological complications as men. Currently, there is increased recognition of fundamental sex differences in cardiovascular function, anatomy, cell signaling, and pathophysiology. The National Institutes of Health have enacted guidelines expressly to gain knowledge about ways the sexes differ in both normal function and diseases at the various research levels (molecular, cellular, tissue, and organ system). Greater understanding of these sex differences will be used to steer future directions in the biomedical sciences and translational and clinical research. This review describes sex-based differences in the physiology and pathophysiology of the vasculature, with a special emphasis on sex steroid receptor (estrogen and androgen receptor) signaling and their potential impact on vascular function in health and diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis, hypertension, peripheral artery disease, abdominal aortic aneurysms, cerebral aneurysms, and stroke).

Alterations in protein phosphorylation in the amygdala of the 5XFamilial Alzheimer's disease animal model.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common disease underlying dementia in humans. Two major neuropathological hallmarks of AD are neuritic plaques primarily composed of amyloid beta peptide and neurofibrillary tangles primarily composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. In addition to impaired memory function, AD patients often display neuropsychiatric symptoms and abnormal emotional states such as confusion, delusion, manic/depressive episodes and altered fear status. Brains from AD patients show atrophy of the amygdala which is involved in fear expression and emotional processing as well as hippocampal atrophy. However, which molecular changes are responsible for the altered emotional states observed in AD remains to be elucidated. Here, we observed that the fear response as assessed by evaluating fear memory via a cued fear conditioning test was impaired in 5XFamilial AD (5XFAD) mice, an animal model of AD. Compared to wild-type mice, 5XFAD mice showed changes in the phosphorylation of twelve proteins in the amygdala. Thus, our study provides twelve potential protein targets in the amygdala that may be responsible for the impairment in fear memory in AD.

Stem cells act through multiple mechanisms to benefit mice with neurodegenerative metabolic disease.

Intracranial transplantation of neural stem cells (NSCs) delayed disease onset, preserved motor function, reduced pathology and prolonged survival in a mouse model of Sandhoff disease, a lethal gangliosidosis. Although donor-derived neurons were electrophysiologically active within chimeric regions, the small degree of neuronal replacement alone could not account for the improvement. NSCs also increased brain beta-hexosaminidase levels, reduced ganglioside storage and diminished activated microgliosis. Additionally, when oral glycosphingolipid biosynthesis inhibitors (beta-hexosaminidase substrate inhibitors) were combined with NSC transplantation, substantial synergy resulted. Efficacy extended to human NSCs, both to those isolated directly from the central nervous system (CNS) and to those derived secondarily from embryonic stem cells. Appreciating that NSCs exhibit a broad repertoire of potentially therapeutic actions, of which neuronal replacement is but one, may help in formulating rational multimodal strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

MMP-3 mediates psychosine-induced globoid cell formation: implications for leukodystrophy pathology.

Globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD) or Krabbe disease, is a fatal demyelinating disease attributed to mutations in the galactocerebrosidase (GALC) gene. Loss of function mutations in GALC result in accumulation of the glycolipid intermediate, galactosylsphingosine (psychosine). Due to the cytotoxicity of psychosine, it has been hypothesized that accumulated psychosine underlie the pathophysiology of GLD. However, the cellular mechanisms of GLD pathophysiology remain unclear. Globoid cells, multinucleated microglia/macrophages in the central nervous system (CNS), are a defining characteristic of GLD. Here we report that exposure of primary glial cultures to psychosine induces the expression and the production of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3 that mediated a morphological transformation of microglia into a multinucleated globoid cell type. Additionally, psychosine-induced globoid cell formation from microglia was prevented by either genetic ablation or chemical inhibition of MMP-3. These effects are microglia-specific as peripheral macrophages exposed to psychosine did not become activated or express increased levels of MMP-3. In the brain from twitcher mice, a murine model of human GLD, elevated MMP-3 expression relative to wild-type littermates was contemporaneous with disease onset and further increased with disease progression. Further, bone marrow transplantation (BMT), currently the only therapeutically beneficial treatment for GLD, did not mitigate the elevated expression of MMP-3 in twitcher mice. Hence, elevated expression of MMP-3 in GLD may promote microglial responses to psychosine that may represent an important pathophysiological process in this disease and its treatment.

Modulation of gene expression on a transcriptome-wide level following human neural stem cell transplantation in aged mouse stroke brains.

INTRODUCTION: Neural stem cell (NSC) transplantation offers great potential for treating ischemic stroke. Clinically, ischemia followed by reperfusion results in robust cerebrovascular injury that upregulates proinflammatory factors, disrupts neurovascular units, and causes brain cell death. NSCs possess multiple actions that can be exploited for reducing the severity of neurovascular injury. Our previous studies in young adult mice showed that human NSC transplantation during the subacute stage diminishes stroke pathophysiology and improves behavioral outcome. METHODS: We employed a well-established and commonly used stroke model, middle cerebral artery occlusion with subsequent reperfusion (MCAO/R). Here, we assessed the outcomes of hNSC transplantation 48 h post-MCAO (24 h post-transplant) in aged mouse brains in response to stroke because aging is a crucial risk factor for cerebral ischemia. Next, we tested whether administration of the integrin α5ß1 inhibitor, ATN-161, prior to hNSC transplantation further affects stoke outcome as compared with NSCs alone. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was used to assess the impact of hNSC transplantation on differentially expressed genes (DEGs) on a transcriptome-wide level. RESULTS: Here, we report that hNSC-engrafted brains with or without ATN-161 showed significantly reduced infarct size, and attenuated the induction of proinflammatory factors and matrix metalloproteases. RNA-seq analysis revealed DEGs and molecular pathways by which hNSCs induce a beneficial post-stroke outcome in aged stroke brains. 811 genes were differentially expressed (651 downregulated and 160 upregulated) in hNSC-engrafted stroke brains. Functional pathway analysis identified enriched and depleted pathways in hNSC-engrafted aged mouse stroke brains. Depletion of pathways following hNSC-engraftment included signaling involving neuroinflammation, acute phase response, leukocyte extravasation, and phagosome formation. On the other hand, enrichment of pathways in hNSC-engrafted brains was associated with PPAR signaling, LXR/RXR activation, and inhibition of matrix metalloproteases. Hierarchical cluster analysis of DEGs in hNSC-engrafted brains indicate decreased expression of genes encoding TNF receptors, proinflammatory factors, apoptosis factors, adhesion and leukocyte extravasation, and Toll-like receptors. CONCLUSIONS: Our study is the first to show global transcripts differentially expressed following hNSC transplantation in the subacute phase of stroke in aged mice. The outcome of our transcriptome study would be useful to develop new therapies ameliorating early-stage stroke injury.

Reduced dopaminergic neuron degeneration and global transcriptional changes in Parkinson's disease mouse brains engrafted with human neural stems during the early disease stage.

INTRODUCTION: Current stem cell therapies for Parkinson's disease (PD) focus on a neurorestorative approach that aims to repair the CNS during the symptomatic phase. However, the pleiotropic and supportive effects of human neural stem cells (hNSCs) may make them effective for PD treatment during the disease's earlier stages. In the current study, we investigated the therapeutic effects of transplanting hNSCs during the early stages of PD development when most dopaminergic neurons are still present and before symptoms appear. Previous studies on hNSCs in Parkinson's disease focus on the substantia nigra and its immediate surroundings, but other brain structures are affected in PD as well. Here, we investigated the therapeutic effects of hNSCs on the entire PD-afflicted brain transcriptome using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). METHODS: PD was induced with a single intranasal infusion of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1, 2, 3, 6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) and hNSCs were transplanted unilaterally into the striatum one week later. The timepoint for hNSC transplantation coincided with upregulation of endogenous proinflammatory cytokines in the CNS, which play a role in stem cell migration. At 3 weeks post-transplantation (4 weeks post-MPTP), we assessed motor symptoms through behavioral tests, quantified dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, and performed global transcriptional profiling to understand the mechanism underlying the effect of hNSCs on dopaminergic neuron degeneration. RESULTS: We found that early hNSC engraftment mitigated motor symptoms induced by MPTP, and also reduced MPTP-induced loss of dopaminergic neurons. In this study, we uniquely presented the first comprehensive analysis of the effect of hNSC transplantation on the transcriptional profiling of PD mouse brains showing decreased expression of 249 and increased expression of 200 genes. These include genes implicated in mitochondrial bioenergetics, proteostasis, and other signaling pathways associated with improved PD outcome following hNSC transplantation. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that NSC transplantation during the asymptomatic phase of PD may limit or halt the progression of this neurodegenerative disorder. Transcriptional profiling of hNSC-engrafted PD mouse brains provides mechanistic insight that could lead to novel approaches to ameliorating degeneration of dopaminergic neurons and improving behavioral dysfunction in PD.

Neural stem cell transplantation benefits a monogenic neurometabolic disorder during the symptomatic phase of disease.

Although we and others have demonstrated that neural stem cells (NSCs) may impact such neurogenetic conditions as lysosomal storage diseases when transplanted at birth, it has remained unclear whether such interventions can impact well-established mid-stage disease, a situation often encountered clinically. Here we report that when NSCs were injected intracranially into the brain of adult symptomatic Sandhoff (Hexb(-/-)) mice, cells migrated far from the injection site and integrated into the host cytoarchitecture, restoring beta-hexosaminidase enzyme activity and promoting neuropathologic and behavioral improvement. Mouse lifespan increased, neurological function improved, and disease progression was slowed. These clinical benefits correlated with neuropathological correction at the cellular and molecular levels, reflecting the multiple potential beneficial actions of stem cells, including enzyme cross-correction, cell replacement, tropic support, and direct anti-inflammatory action. Pathotropism (i.e., migration and homing of NSCs to pathological sites) could be imaged in real time by magnetic resonance imaging. Differentially expressed chemokines might play a role in directing the migration of transplanted stem cells to sites of pathology. Significantly, the therapeutic impact of NSCs implanted in even a single location was surprisingly widespread due to both cell migration and enzyme diffusion. Because many of the beneficial actions of NSCs observed in newborn brains were recapitulated in adult brains to the benefit of Sandhoff recipients, NSC-based interventions may also be useful in symptomatic subjects with established disease.

Neurovascular protection by peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α in ischemic stroke.

Ischemic stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Currently, the only pharmacological therapy for ischemic stroke is thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator that has a narrow therapeutic window and increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. New pharmacological treatments for ischemic stroke are desperately needed, but no neuroprotective drugs have successfully made it through clinical trials. Beneficial effects of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) activation on vascular integrity and function have been reported, and PPARα agonists have clinically been used for many years to manage cardiovascular disease. Thus, PPARα has gained interest in recent years as a target for neurovascular disease such as ischemic stroke. Accumulating preclinical evidence suggests that PPARα activation modulates several pathophysiological hallmarks of stroke such as oxidative stress, blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, and neuroinflammation to improve functional recovery. Therefore, this review summarizes the various actions PPARα exerts in neurovascular health and disease and the potential of employing exogenous PPARα agonists for future pharmacological treatment of ischemic stroke.

Neural stem cell therapy for neurovascular injury in Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration leading to severe cognitive decline and eventual death. AD pathophysiology is complex, but neurotoxic accumulation of amyloid-ß (Aß) and hyperphosphorylation of Tau are believed to be main drivers of neurodegeneration in AD. The formation and deposition of Aß plaques occurs in the brain parenchyma as well as in the cerebral vasculature. Thus, proper blood-brain barrier (BBB) and cerebrovascular functioning are crucial for clearance of Aß from the brain, and neurovascular dysfunction may be a critical component of AD development. Further, neuroinflammation and dysfunction of angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and neurorestorative capabilities play a role in AD pathophysiology. Currently, there is no effective treatment to prevent or restore loss of brain tissue and cognitive decline in patients with AD. Based on multifactorial and complex pathophysiological cascades in multiple Alzheimer's disease stages, effective AD therapies need to focus on targeting early AD pathology and preserving cerebrovascular function. Neural stem cells (NSCs) participate extensively in mammalian brain homeostasis and repair and exhibit pleiotropic intrinsic properties that likely make them attractive candidates for the treatment of AD. In the review, we summarize the current advances in knowledge regarding neurovascular aspects of AD-related neurodegeneration and discuss multiple actions of NSCs from preclinical studies of AD to evaluate their potential for future clinical treatment of AD.

Human neural stem cells improve early stage stroke outcome in delayed tissue plasminogen activator-treated aged stroke brains.

INTRODUCTION: Clinically, significant stroke injury results from ischemia-reperfusion (IR), which induces a deleterious biphasic opening of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) remains the sole pharmacological agent to treat ischemic stroke. However, major limitations of tPA treatment include a narrow effective therapeutic window of 4.5 h in most patients after initial stroke onset and off-target non-thrombolytic effects (e.g., the risk of increased IR injury). We hypothesized that ameliorating BBB damage with exogenous human neural stem cells (hNSCs) would improve stroke outcome to a greater extent than treatment with delayed tPA alone in aged stroke mice. METHODS: We employed middle cerebral artery occlusion to produce focal ischemia with subsequent reperfusion (MCAO/R) in aged mice and administered tPA at a delayed time point (6 h post-stroke) via tail vein. We transplanted hNSCs intracranially in the subacute phase of stroke (24 h post-stroke). We assessed the outcomes of hNSC transplantation on pathophysiological markers of stroke 48 h post-stroke (24 h post-transplant). RESULTS: Delayed tPA treatment resulted in more extensive BBB damage and inflammation relative to MCAO controls. Notably, transplantation of hNSCs ameliorated delayed tPA-induced escalated stroke damage; decreased expression of proinflammatory factors (tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin (IL)-6), decreased the level of matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9), increased the level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and reduced BBB damage. CONCLUSIONS: Aged stroke mice that received delayed tPA treatment in combination with hNSC transplantation exhibited reduced stroke pathophysiology in comparison to non-transplanted stroke mice with delayed tPA. This suggests that hNSC transplantation may synergize with already existing stroke therapies to benefit a larger stroke patient population.

Phosphorylation of amyloid precursor protein (APP) at Thr668 regulates the nuclear translocation of the APP intracellular domain and induces neurodegeneration.

Amyloid precursor protein (APP) has eight potential phosphorylation sites in its cytoplasmic domain. Recently, it has demonstrated that the constitutive phosphorylation of APP at T668 (APP695 isoform numbering) was observed specifically in the brain. Neuron-specific phosphorylation of APP at T668 is thought to be important for neuronal functions of APP, although its exact physiological significance remains to be clarified. In this study, we show that the phosphorylation of the APP intracellular domain (AICD) at T668 is essential for its binding to Fe65 and its nuclear translocation and affects the resultant neurotoxicity, possibly mediated through the induction of glycogen synthase kinase 3beta and tau phosphorylation by enhancing the formation of a ternary complex with Fe65 and CP2 transcription factor. Taken together, these results suggest that the phosphorylation of AICD at T668 contributes to the neuronal degeneration in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by regulating its translocation into the nucleus and then affects neurodegeneration; therefore, the specific inhibitor of T668 phosphorylation might be the target of AD therapy.

Neural stem cell therapy for subacute and chronic ischemic stroke.

Neural stem cells (NSCs) play vital roles in brain homeostasis and exhibit a broad repertoire of potentially therapeutic actions following neurovascular injury. One such injury is stroke, a worldwide leading cause of death and disability. Clinically, extensive injury from ischemic stroke results from ischemia-reperfusion (IR), which is accompanied by inflammation, blood-brain barrier (BBB) damage, neural cell death, and extensive tissue loss. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is still the only US Food and Drug Administration-approved clot-lysing agent. Whereas the thrombolytic role of tPA within the vasculature is beneficial, the effects of tPA (in a non-thrombolytic role) within the brain parenchyma have been reported as harmful. Thus, new therapies are needed to reduce the deleterious side effects of tPA and quickly facilitate vascular repair following stroke. The Stroke Treatment Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) recommends that stroke therapies "focus on drugs/devices/treatments with multiple mechanisms of action and that target multiple pathways". Thus, based on multifactorial ischemic cascades in various stroke stages, effective stroke therapies need to focus on targeting and ameliorating early IR injury as well as facilitating angiogenesis, neurogenesis, and neurorestorative mechanisms following stroke. This review will discuss the preclinical perspectives of NSC transplantation as a promising treatment for neurovascular injury and will emphasize both the subacute and chronic phase of ischemic stroke.

Phloroglucinol ameliorates cognitive impairments by reducing the amyloid ß peptide burden and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the hippocampus of 5XFAD mice.

Among the various causative factors involved in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD), oxidative stress has emerged as an important factor. Phloroglucinol is a polyphenol component of phlorotannin, which is found at sufficient levels in Ecklonia cava (E. cava). Phloroglucinol has been reported to exert antioxidant activities in various tissues. Previously, we reported that the stereotaxic injection of phloroglucinol regulated synaptic plasticity in an AD mouse model. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effects of oral administration of phloroglucinol in AD. The oral administration of phloroglucinol for 2 months attenuated the impairments in cognitive function observed in 6-month-old 5X familial AD (5XFAD) mice, as assessed with the T-maze and Y-maze tests. The administration of phloroglucinol for 2 months in 5XFAD mice caused a reduction in the number of amyloid plaques and in the protein level of BACE1, a major amyloid precursor protein cleavage enzyme, together with γ-secretase. Phloroglucinol also restored the reduction in dendritic spine density and the number of mature spines in the hippocampi of 5XFAD mice. In addition, phloroglucinol-administered 5XFAD mice displayed lower protein levels of GFAP and Iba-1 and mRNA levels of TNF-α and IL-6 compared with vehicle-administered 5XFAD mice. These results demonstrated that phloroglucinol alleviated the neuropathological features and behavioral phenotypes in the 5XFAD mouse model. Taken together, our results suggest that phloroglucinol has therapeutic potential for AD treatment.

Minocycline attenuates neuronal cell death and improves cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's disease models.

Minocycline is a semi-synthetic tetracycline antibiotic that effectively crosses the blood-brain barrier. Minocycline has been reported to have significant neuroprotective effects in models of cerebral ischemia, traumatic brain injury, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and Huntington's and Parkinson's diseases. In this study, we demonstrate that minocycline has neuroprotective effects in in vitro and in vivo Alzheimer's disease models. Minocycline was found to attenuate the increases in the phosphorylation of double-stranded RNA-dependent serine/threonine protein kinase, eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2 alpha and caspase 12 activation induced by amyloid beta peptide1-42 treatment in NGF-differentiated PC 12 cells. In addition, increases in the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2 alpha were attenuated by administration of minocycline in Tg2576 mice, which harbor mutated human APP695 gene including the Swedish double mutation and amyloid beta peptide(1-42)-infused rats. We found that minocycline administration attenuated deficits in learning and memory in amyloid beta peptide(1-42)-infused rats. Increased phosphorylated state of eukaryotic translation initiation factor-2 alpha is observed in Alzheimer's disease patients' brains and may result in impairment of cognitive functions in Alzheimer's disease patients by decreasing the efficacy of de novo protein synthesis required for synaptic plasticity. On the basis of these results, minocycline may prove to be a good candidate as an effective therapeutic agent for Alzheimer's disease.

Neural Stem Cell Transplantation and CNS Diseases.

In neurological disorders, pathological lesions in the central nervous system (CNS) may be globally dispersed throughout the brain or localized to specific regions. Although native neural stem cells (NSCs) are present in the adult mammalian brain, intrinsic self-repair of injured adult CNS tissue is inadequate or ineffective. The brain's poor regenerative ability may be due to the fact that NSCs are restricted to discrete locations, are few in number, or are surrounded by a microenvironment that does not support neuronal differentiation. Therapeutic potential of NSC transplantation in CNS diseases characterized by global degeneration requires that gene products and/or replaced cells be widely distributed. Global degenerative CNS diseases include inherited pediatric neurodegenerative diseases (inborn errors of metabolism, including lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), such as Tay-Sachs-related Sandhoff disease), hypoxic or ischemic encephalopathy, and some adult CNS diseases (such as multiple sclerosis). Both mouse and human NSCs express many chemokines and chemokine receptors (including CXCR4 and adhesion molecules, such as integrins, selectins, and immunoglobulins) that mediate homing to sources of inflammatory chemokines, such as SDF-1α. In mammalian brains of all ages, NSCs may be attracted even at a great distance to regions of neurodegeneration. Consequently, NSC transplantation presents a promising strategy for treating many CNS diseases.