Baicalin Promotes CNS Remyelination via PPARγ Signal Pathway.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Demyelinating diseases in the CNS are characterized by myelin sheath destruction or formation disorder that leads to severe neurologic dysfunction. Remission of such diseases is largely dependent on the differentiation of oligodendrocytes precursor cells (OPCs) into mature myelin-forming OLGs at the demyelinated lesions, which is defined as remyelination. We discover that baicalin (BA), a natural flavonoid, in addition to its well-known antiinflammatory effects, directly stimulates OLG maturation and CNS myelin repair. METHODS: To investigate the function of BA on CNS remyelination, we develop the complementary in vivo and in vitro models, including physiologic neonatal mouse CNS myelinogenesis model, pathologic cuprizone-induced (CPZ-induced) toxic demyelination model, and postnatal OLG maturation assay. Furthermore, molecular docking, pharmacologic regulation, and transgenic heterozygous mice were used to clarify the target and action of the mechanism of BA on myelin repair promotion. RESULTS: Administration of BA was not only merely effectively enhanced CNS myelinogenesis during postnatal development but also promoted remyelination and reversed the coordination movement disorder in the CPZ-induced toxic demyelination model. Of note, myelin-promoting effects of BA on myelination or regeneration is peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) signaling-dependent. DISCUSSION: Our work demonstrated that BA promotes myelin production and regeneration by activating the PPARγ signal pathway and also confirmed that BA is an effective natural product for the treatment of demyelinating diseases.

Mice deficient in GM1 manifest both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease; successful treatment with synthetic GM1 ganglioside.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a major neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a variety of non-motor symptoms in addition to the well-recognized motor dysfunctions that have commanded primary interest. We previously described a new PD mouse model based on heterozygous disruption of the B4galnt1 gene leading to partial deficiency of the GM1 family of gangliosides that manifested several nigrostriatal neuropathological features of PD as well as movement impairment. We now show this mouse also suffers three non-motor symptoms characteristic of PD involving the gastrointestinal, sympathetic cardiac, and cerebral cognitive systems. Treatment of these animals with a synthetic form of GM1 ganglioside, produced by transfected E. coli, proved ameliorative of these symptoms as well as the motor defect. These findings further suggest subnormal GM1 to be a systemic defect constituting a major risk factor in sporadic PD and indicate the B4galnt1(+/-) (HT) mouse to be a true neuropathological model that recapitulates both motor and non-motor lesions of this condition.

Treatments for Poststroke Motor Deficits and Mood Disorders: A Systematic Review for the 2019 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Guidelines for Stroke Rehabilitation.

Background: Early rehabilitation after stroke is essential to help reduce disability. Purpose: To summarize evidence on the benefits and harms of nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic treatments for motor deficits and mood disorders in adults who have had stroke. Data Sources: English-language searches of multiple electronic databases from April 2009 through July 2018; targeted searches to December 2018 for studies of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. Study Selection: 19 systematic reviews and 37 randomized controlled trials addressing therapies for motor deficits or mood disorders in adults with stroke. Data Extraction: One investigator abstracted the data, and quality and GRADE assessment were checked by a second investigator. Data Synthesis: Most interventions (for example, SSRIs, mental practice, mirror therapy) did not improve motor function. High-quality evidence did not support use of fluoxetine to improve motor function. Moderate-quality evidence supported use of cardiorespiratory training to improve maximum walking speed and repetitive task training or transcranial direct current stimulation to improve activities of daily living (ADLs). Low-quality evidence supported use of robotic arm training to improve ADLs. Low-quality evidence indicated that antidepressants may reduce depression, whereas the frequency and severity of antidepressant-related adverse effects was unclear. Low-quality evidence suggested that cognitive behavioral therapy and exercise, including mind-body exercise, may reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Limitation: Studies were of poor quality, interventions and comparators were heterogeneous, and evidence on harms was scarce. Conclusion: Cardiorespiratory training, repetitive task training, and transcranial direct current stimulation may improve ADLs in adults with stroke. Cognitive behavioral therapy, exercise, and SSRIs may reduce symptoms of poststroke depression, but use of SSRIs to prevent depression or improve motor function was not supported. Primary Funding Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration.

The Management of Stroke Rehabilitation: A Synopsis of the 2019 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense Clinical Practice Guideline.

Description: In June 2019, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) approved an update of the joint clinical practice guideline for rehabilitation after stroke. This synopsis summarizes the key recommendations from this guideline. Methods: In February 2018, the VA/DoD Evidence-Based Practice Work Group convened a joint VA/DoD guideline development effort that included clinical stakeholders and stroke survivors and conformed to the National Academy of Medicine (formerly the Institute of Medicine) tenets for trustworthy clinical practice guidelines. The guideline panel identified key questions, systematically searched and evaluated the literature, and developed 2 algorithms and 42 key recommendations using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) system. Stroke survivors and their family members were invited to share their perspectives to further inform guideline development. Recommendations: The guideline recommendations provide evidence-based guidance for the rehabilitation care of patients after stroke. The recommendations are applicable to health care providers in both primary care and rehabilitation. Key features of the guideline are recommendations in 6 areas: timing and approach; motor therapy; dysphagia; cognitive, speech, and sensory therapy; mental health therapy; and other functions, such as returning to work and driving.

Clinical Benefit of NMDA Receptor Antagonists in a Patient With ATP1A2 Gene Mutation.

Mutations in the ATP1A2 gene cause familial hemiplegic migraine type 2, alternating hemiplegia of childhood, and cerebellar function deficits, epilepsy, and mental retardation. These symptoms are likely related to glutamatergic hyperexcitability. Our patient is a 12-year-old boy with a history of complex partial seizures, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and fine motor difficulty. During early childhood, he had episodes of a self-resolving right-sided hemiparesis and focal epilepsy. His seizures did not respond to several antiepileptic medications but stopped after he received valproate. His intermittent episodes of hemiplegia persisted. Additionally, he had pronounced bilateral fine motor impairment and significant executive deficits that gradually worsened. The whole exome sequencing revealed a de novo missense mutation in the ATP1A2 gene and a maternally inherited POLG gene mutation of unknown clinical significance. We hypothesized that glutamatergic excitotoxicity due to the ATP1A2 mutation contributed to the pathogenesis of our patient's condition. He was started on N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists (memantine and dextromethorphan), as well as coenzyme Q10 One year later, he showed significant improvement in sustained attention, learning efficiency, general cognitive efficiency, and fine motor dexterity. We postulate that N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists were effective for behavioral, cognitive, and cerebellar symptoms in our patient with ATP1A2 gene mutation.

Low, but not high, dose triptolide controls neuroinflammation and improves behavioral deficits in toxic model of multiple sclerosis by dampening of NF-κB activation and acceleration of intrinsic myelin repair.

Cuprizone (Cup) is a copper chelating agent frequently used to study factors that affect oligodendrocytes (OLGs) death and acute demyelination. Triptolide (TP), a nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-κB) blocker, is a major bioactive component of Tripterygium wilfordii Hook f. (TWHf) with various therapeutic activities. In this study, we examined the effects of TP on neuroglia activation, inflammation, apoptosis, demyelination, and behavioral deficits in the Cup-induced toxic model of multiple sclerosis (MS). C57BL/6 J mice were fed with chow containing 0.2% Cup for 6 weeks to induce detectable neuroinflammation and myelin loss. TP was administered intraperitoneally at different doses (125, 250 or 500 µg/kg/day) during the last week of the Cup challenge. Although TP substantially decreased Cup-induced NF-κB extra activation, TNF-α and IL-1 over expression, and gliosis in a dose-dependent manner, only low dose of TP (TP-125) was able to raise the number of OLGs precursor cells (NG-2+/O4+), reduce Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and improve behavioral deficits. In addition, TP-125 decreased NF-κB activation on GFAP+ astrocytes more than MAC-3+ microglial and MOG+ oligodendrocytes which suggested the possibility of specific dampening of NF-κB signaling in reactive astrocytes. Behavioral assessments by open-field and rota-rod tests showed that only TP-125 notably improved motor function and motor coordination compared to the Cup group. These findings highlight the pivotal role of NF-κB signaling in the oligodendrogenesis and lesion reduction in demyelination diseases such as MS.

Hydroxysafflor Yellow A Improves Motor Dysfunction in the Rotenone-Induced Mice Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) is diminished in patients of Parkinson's disease (PD). Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is responsible for regulating expression of the DRD3 in the brain. Our previous study showed that hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) could increase BDNF content in the striatum of PD mice. This experiment aimed to evaluate whether HSYA can improve the motor dysfunction induced by rotenone through regulating the BDNF/TrkB/DRD3 signaling pathway in mice. Male C57/BL6 mice were intraperitoneally treated with HSYA. Thirty minutes later, they were intragastrically administered with rotenone at a dose of 30 mg/kg. Pole, rotarod and open field tests were investigated at 28 d. Then, tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantia nigra was observed by immunohistochemistry. Dopamine content was detected by high-performance liquid chromatography. The expressions of BDNF, phospho-tropomyosin-related kinase B (p-TrkB), tropomyosin-related kinase B (TrkB), phospho-phosphoinositide 3-kinase (p-PI3K), phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), phospho-protein kinase B (p-AKT), protein kinase B (AKT), and DRD3 were assayed by western blotting. Behavioral tests showed that rotenone-challenged mice displayed motor dysfunction. However, treatment with HSYA improved motor dysfunction induced by rotenone. HSYA treatment increased not only the number of TH-containing dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra, but also the dopamine content in the striatum in PD mice. Moreover, the expressions of BDNF, p-TrkB/TrkB, DRD3, p-PI3K/PI3K, p-AKT/AKT were significantly increased in rotenone plus HSYA group. Our results indicated that HSYA improved motor dysfunction in rotenone-induced PD model and the pharmacological action of HSYA was related to regulating BDNF/TrkB/DRD3 signaling pathway, at least, in part.

Homovanillic acid in CSF of mild stage Parkinson's disease patients correlates with motor impairment.

In Parkinson's disease (PD), several efforts have been spent in order to find biochemical parameters able to identify the progression of the pathological processes at the basis of the disease. It is already known that advanced PD patients manifesting dyskinesia are featured by the high homovanillic acid (HVA)/dopamine (DA) ratio, suggesting the increased turnover of DA in these patients. Less clear is whether similar changes affect mild and moderate stages of the disease (between 1 and 2.5 of Hoehn & Yahr -H&Y- stage). Hence, here we tested whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of DA and its major metabolites, either 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) or HVA, correlate with motor performance in mild and moderate PD patients. CSF samples were collected after 2 days of anti-PD drugs washout, via lumbar puncture (LP) performed 130 min following administration of oral levodopa (LD) dose (200 mg). LP timing was determined in light of our previous tests clarifying that 2 h after oral LD administration CSF DA concentration reaches a plateau, which was un-respective of PD stage or duration. DA, DOPAC and HVA were assayed by high performance liquid chromatography in a group of 19 patients, distributed in two groups on the basis of the H&Y stage with a cut-off of 1.5. In these PD patients, HVA was correlated with DOPAC (R = 0,56, p < 0,01) and both HVA and DOPAC CSF levels increased in parallel with the motor impairment. More importantly, HVA correlated with motor impairment measured by the Unified Parkinson's Disease Score -III (UPDRS) (R = 0.61; p < 0.0001). The present findings showed the early alteration of the DA pre-synaptic machinery, as documented by the progressive increase of CSF HVA concentrations, which also correlated with PD motor impairment. Therefore, we suggest the potential use of measuring the CSF HVA level as a possible biomarker of PD stage changes in order to monitor the effectiveness of PD-modifying pharmacological therapies.

An evaluation of istradefylline treatment on Parkinsonian motor and cognitive deficits in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated macaque models.

Istradefylline (KW-6002), an adenosine A2A receptor antagonist, is used adjunct with optimal doses of L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (l-DOPA) to extend on-time in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients experiencing motor fluctuations. Clinical application of istradefylline for the management of other l-DOPA-induced complications, both motor and non-motor related (i.e. dyskinesia and cognitive impairments), remains to be determined. In this study, acute effects of istradefylline (60-100 mg/kg) alone, or with optimal and sub-optimal doses of l-DOPA, were evaluated in two monkey models of PD (i) the gold-standard 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-treated macaque model of parkinsonian and dyskinetic motor symptoms and (ii) the chronic low dose (CLD) MPTP-treated macaque model of cognitive (working memory and attentional) deficits. Behavioural analyses in l-DOPA-primed MPTP-treated macaques showed that istradefylline alone specifically alleviated postural deficits. When combined with an optimal l-DOPA treatment dose, istradefylline increased on-time, enhanced therapeutic effects on bradykinesia and locomotion, but exacerbated dyskinesia. Istradefylline treatment at specific doses with sub-optimal l-DOPA specifically alleviated bradykinesia. Cognitive assessments in CLD MPTP-treated macaques showed that the attentional and working memory deficits caused by l-DOPA were lowered after istradefylline administration. Taken together, these data support a broader clinical use of istradefylline as an adjunct treatment in PD, where specific treatment combinations can be utilised to manage various l-DOPA-induced complications, which importantly, maintain a desired anti-parkinsonian response.

[The efficacy of tenoten for children in the treatment of motor and speech disorders in children with perinatal damage of the central nervous system]. / Effektivnost' tenotena detskogo pri motornykh i rechevykh narusheniyakh u detei, perenesshikh perinatal'noe porazhenie tsentral'noi nervnoi sistemy.

AIM: To assess the therapeutic efficacy of tenoten for children in perinatal hypoxic CNS damage in children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 80 children (56 boys and 24 girls) between the ages of 3 and 3 years and 11 months with different variants (dysontogenetic or encephalopathic) of the effects on the perinatal nervous system. All children were divided into primary (n=50) and control (n=30) groups. Children of the primary group received a combination of conventional speech therapy methods with tenoten for children (1 tablet 3 times a day for 12 weeks). In the control group, children were not treated with tenoten for children. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The inclusion of tenoten in a comprehensive children's speech therapy program contributed significantly to the successful development of both general motor skills and spatial coordination as well as fine motor skills in the hand. In addition, tenoten significantly decreased signs of dysarthria and improved articulation, specifically in children with dysontogenetic variant of perinatal hypoxic CNS damage. Tenoten had a positive effect on child's behavior as well.

Validation of the UPDRS section IV for detection of motor fluctuations in Parkinson's disease.

INTRODUCTION: The UPDRS-IV represents the most common screening tool to assess motor fluctuations in patients with PD despite the lack of a clinimetric validation. OBJECTIVES: We evaluated sensitivity and specificity of UPDRS-IV using a 12-h waking-day motor assessment as the gold standard. METHODS: We consecutively enrolled PD patients who underwent a 12-h waking-day motor assessment in the study. Patients were clinically evaluated every 2 h for 12 h using the UPDRS-III. Motor scores were reported as a line graph and six blinded raters classified patients as having or not having motor fluctuations. The UPDRS-IV was used in order to assess the presence of predictable and unpredictable motor fluctuations according to items 36-38. RESULTS: Sixty two PD patients were enrolled in the study. According to the raters' evaluations, 39 (62.9%) were classified as having motor fluctuations, while according to the UPDRS-IV 47 (75.8%) presented a motor fluctuation giving a sensitivity of 87.2% (95%CI 72.6-95.7) and a specificity of 43.5% (95%CI 23.2-65.5). CONCLUSION: Our study results confirm the high level of sensitivity with a lower level of specificity of UPDRS-IV to screen motor fluctuations in PD patients.

Cognitive and psychomotor effects of three months of escitalopram treatment in elderly patients with major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Although psychomotor retardation (PR) and cognitive disfunctioning are essential symptoms of elderly depressed patients, the differential effect of treatment with an SSRI in the elderly on these symptoms has hardly got any attention in studies with objective experimental measures. Since effects appear relatively slower in elderly, this study evaluates the effect on cognitive and psychomotor functioning as compared to mood, on four points during a twelve week follow up of monotreatment with escitalopram. METHOD: 28 non-demented elderly unipolar depressive patients on 5-20mg escitalopram were compared to 20 matched healthy elderly. All participants underwent a test battery containing clinical depression measures, cognitive measures of processing speed, executive function and memory, clinical ratings of PR, and objective computerized fine motor skill-tests at the start and after 2, 6 and 12 weeks. Statistical analysis consisted of a General Linear Model (GLM) repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance of completers to compare the psychomotor and cognitive outcomes of the two groups. RESULTS: Although, apart from the significant mood effect, no interaction effects were found for the psychomotor and cognitive tasks, the means in general show a trend of differential effects in cognitive and psychomotor functions, with smaller effects and delayed timeframes and with presence of subgroups compared to mood effects. LIMITATION: Longer follow up studies are necessary to evaluate differential long term effects. CONCLUSION: In elderly, moderate effects of SSRI treatment on mood precede slow or limited effects on cognition and psychomotor retardation.

Hydrogen sulfide-releasing cyclooxygenase inhibitor ATB-346 enhances motor function and reduces cortical lesion volume following traumatic brain injury in mice.

BACKGROUND: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) induces secondary injury mechanisms, including dynamic interplay between ischemic, inflammatory and cytotoxic processes. We recently reported that administration of ATB-346 (2-(6-methoxynapthalen- 2-yl)-propionic acid 4-thiocarbamoyl-phenyl ester), a hydrogen sulfide-releasing cyclooxygenase inhibitor, showed marked beneficial effects in an animal model of spinal cord injury, significantly enhancing recovery of motor function and reducing the secondary inflammation and tissue injury. METHODS: Here we evaluated the neuroprotective potential of ATB-346, a hydrogen sulfide-releasing derivative of naproxen, using the controlled cortical impact (CCI) injury model in mice, one of the most common models of TBI. Moreover, the aim of the present study was to carefully investigate molecular pathways and subtypes of glial cells involved in the protective effect of ATB-346 on inflammatory reaction associated with an experimental model of TBI. In these studies, TBI was induced in mice by CCI and mice were orally administered ATB-346, naproxen (both at 30 µmol/kg) or vehicle (dimethylsulfoxide:1% carboxymethylcellulose [5:95] suspension) one and six hours after brain trauma and once daily for 10 days. RESULTS: Results revealed that ATB-346 attenuated TBI-induced brain edema, suppressed TBI-induced neural cell death and improved neurological function. ATB-346 also significantly reduced the severity of inflammation and restored neurotrophic factors that characterized the secondary events of TBI. CONCLUSIONS: These data demonstrate that ATB-346 can be efficacious in a TBI animal model by reducing the secondary inflammation and tissue injury. Therefore, ATB-346 could represent an interesting approach for the management of secondary damage following CNS diseases, counteracting behavioral changes and inflammatory process.

Treatment of motor and behavioural symptoms in three Lesch-Nyhan patients with intrathecal baclofen.

Current therapies for the Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome (OMIM: 300322) are off-label and experimental, often leading to inconsistent outcomes. We here report the effects of an intrathecal baclofen therapy, carried out at the Scientific Institute Eugenio Medea (Lecco, Italy), on three patients who no longer received benefit from previous therapies. This treatment, as expected, ameliorated the motor symptoms and, unexpectedly, it also improved behavioural components. This result may involve a functional interaction between baclofen and dopamine, complemented by an anxiolytic effect. Our observations provide the rationale for the use of intrathecal baclofen administration in the therapy of the Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome.

Oral supplements of aqueous extract of tomato seeds alleviate motor abnormality, oxidative impairments and neurotoxicity induced by rotenone in mice: relevance to Parkinson's disease.

Although tomato seeds (an industrial by-product) are known to contain several bioactive compounds, studies describing their health effects are limited. Previously, we evidenced that aqueous extract of tomato seeds (TSE) markedly attenuated rotenone (ROT)-induced oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in Drosophila system. This study investigated the neuroprotective effect of TSE in a chronic ROT model of neurotoxicity in mice. Initially, we assessed the potential of oral supplements of TSE to modulate the levels of endogenous markers of oxidative stress in brain regions of mice. Subsequently, employing a co-exposure paradigm, the propensity of TSE (100 mg/kg bw, 3 weeks) to attenuate ROT-induced behavioral phenotype (gait abnormalities, anxiety-like state), oxidative dysfunctions and neurotoxicity was examined. We found that mice provided with TSE supplements exhibited progressive improvement in gait pattern and exploratory behavior. TSE markedly offset ROT-induced oxidative impairments, restored reduced glutathione levels, antioxidant defenses (superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase) and protein carbonyls content in brain regions. Specifically, TSE effectively diminished ROT induced elevation in the activity levels of acetylcholinesterase and restored the dopamine levels in striatum. Interestingly, in mitochondria, TSE was able to restore the activity of mitochondrial complexes and redox state. Collectively, our findings in the chronic ROT model demonstrate the ability of TSE to alleviate behavioral phenotype, oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction and neurotoxicity. Further studies in dopaminergic cell models are necessary to understand the precise molecular mechanism/s by which tomato seed bioactives offer significant neuroprotection.

Reduction in developmental coordination disorder with neonatal caffeine therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of neonatal caffeine treatment on rates of developmental coordination disorder (DCD). STUDY DESIGN: Children in the Caffeine for Apnea of Prematurity trial were assessed for motor performance (Movement Assessment Battery for Children [MABC]), clinical signs of cerebral palsy, and Full-Scale IQ at 5 years of age by staff who were unaware of the children's treatment group. DCD was defined as MABC<5th percentile in children with a Full-Scale IQ>69 who did not have a diagnosis of cerebral palsy. RESULTS: There were 1433 children with known MABC corrected-age percentile as well as known Full-Scale IQ at 5 years and cerebral palsy status, of whom 735 had been randomly assigned to caffeine and 698 to placebo therapy. The rate of DCD was lower in those treated with caffeine (11.3%) than in the placebo group (15.2%) (OR adjusted for center and baseline covariates, 0.71, 95% CI, 0.52-0.97; P=.032). CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal caffeine therapy for apnea of prematurity reduces the rate of DCD at 5 years of age. As more children have DCD than have cerebral palsy, this is an important additional benefit from neonatal caffeine treatment.

GABA and 5-HT chitosan nanoparticles decrease striatal neuronal degeneration and motor deficits during liver injury.

The metabolic alterations resulted from hepatic injury and cell loss lead to synaptic defects and neurodegeneration that undoubtedly contribute motor deficits. In the present study, GABA and 5-HT chitosan nanoparticles mediated liver cell proliferation influenced by growth factor and cytokines and neuronal survival in corpus striatum of partially hepatectomised rats was evaluated. Liver cell proliferation was initiated and progressed by the combined effect of increased expression of growth factor, insulin like growth factor-1 and decreased expressions of cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α and Akt-1. This was confirmed by the extent of incorporation of thymidine analogue, BrdU, in the DNA of rapidly dividing cells. Inappropriate influx of compounds to corpus striatum resulting from incomplete metabolism elevated GABAB and 5-HT2A neurotransmissions compared to those treated with nanoparticles. This directly influenced cyclic AMP response element binding protein, glial cell derived neurotrophic factor and brain derived neurotrophic factor in the corpus striatum that facilitate neurogenesis, neuronal survival, development, differentiation and neuroprotection. Motor deficits due to liver injury followed striatal neuronal damage were scored by grid walk and rotarod studies, which confirmed the regain of motor activity by GABA and 5-HT chitosan nanoparticle treatment. The present study revealed the therapeutic significance of GABA and 5-HT chitosan nanoparticles in liver based diseases and related striatal neuronal damage that influenced by GABA and 5-HT.

Activation of peripheral KCNQ channels attenuates inflammatory pain.

BACKGROUND: Refractory chronic pain dramatically reduces the quality of life of patients. Existing drugs cannot fully achieve effective chronic pain control because of their lower efficacy and/or accompanying side effects. Voltage-gated potassium channels (KCNQ) openers have demonstrated their analgesic effect in preclinical and clinical studies, and are thus considered to be a potential therapeutic target as analgesics. However, these drugs exhibit a narrow therapeutic window due to their imposed central nerve system (CNS) side effects. To clarify the analgesic effect by peripheral KCNQ channel activation, we investigated whether the analgesic effect of the KCNQ channel opener, retigabine, is inhibited by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of the KCNQ channel blocker, 10, 10-bis (4-Pyridinylmethyl)-9(10H) -anthracenone dihydrochloride (XE-991) in rats. RESULTS: Oral administration (p.o.) of retigabine showed an anticonvulsant effect on maximal electronic seizures and an analgesic effect on complete Freund's adjuvant-induced thermal hyperalgesia. However, impaired motor coordination and reduced exploratory behavior were also observed at the analgesic doses of retigabine. Administration (i.c.v.) of XE-991 reversed the retigabine-induced anticonvulsant effect, impaired motor coordination and reduced exploratory behavior but not the analgesic effect. Moreover, intraplantar administration of retigabine or an additional KCNQ channel opener, N-(6-Chloro-pyridin-3-yl)-3,4-difluoro-benzamide (ICA-27243), inhibited formalin-induced nociceptive behavior. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the peripheral sensory neuron is the main target for KCNQ channel openers to induce analgesia. Therefore, peripheral KCNQ channel openers that do not penetrate the CNS may be suitable analgesic drugs as they would prevent CNS side effects.