Beneficial Effects of Snail Helix aspersa Extract in an Experimental Model of Alzheimer's Type Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a complex neurodegenerative disease with multifactorial etiology, unsatisfactory treatment, and a necessity for broad-spectrum active substances for cure. The mucus from Helix aspersa snail is a mixture of bioactive molecules with antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects. So far there are no data concerning the capacity of snail extract (SE) to affect neurodegenerative disorders. OBJECTIVE: The effects of SE from Helix aspersa on learning and memory deficits in Alzheimer's type dementia (ATD) induced by scopolamine (Sco) in male Wistar rats were examined and some mechanisms of action underlying these effects were evaluated. METHODS: SE (0.5 mL/100 g) was applied orally through a food tube for 16 consecutive days: 5 days before and 11 days simultaneously with Sco (2 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). At the end of Sco treatment, using behavioral methods, we evaluated memory performance. Additionally, in cortex and hippocampus the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity, acetylcholine and monoamines (dopamine, noradrenaline, and serotonin) content, levels of main oxidative stress markers, and expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) were determined. RESULTS: We demonstrated that, according to all behavioral tests used, SE significantly improved the cognitive deficits induced by Sco. Furthermore, SE possessed AChE inhibitory activity, moderate antioxidant properties and the ability to modulate monoamines content in two brain structures. Moreover, multiple SE applications not only restored the depressed by Sco expression of CREB and BDNF, but significantly upregulated it. CONCLUSION: Summarizing results, we conclude that complex mechanisms underlie the beneficial effects of SE on impaired memory in Alzheimer's type dementia.

Antimicrobial Activities of Different Fractions from Mucus of the Garden Snail Cornu aspersum.

Natural products have long played a major role in medicine and science. The garden snail Cornu aspersum is a rich source of biologically active natural substances that might be an important source for new drugs to treat human disease. Based on our previous studies, nine fractions containing compounds with Mw <3 kDa; <10 kDa; <20 kDa; >20 kDa; >30 kDa>50 kDa and between 3 and 5 kDa; 5 and 10 kDa; and 10 and 30 kDa were purified from the mucus of C. aspersum and analyzed by tandem mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF/TOF). Seventeen novel peptides with potential antibacterial activity were identified by de novo MS/MS sequencing using tandem mass spectrometry. The different fractions were tested for antibacterial activity against Gram─ (Pseudomonas aureofaciens and Escherichia coli) and Gram+ (Brevibacillus laterosporus) bacterial strains as well the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium perfringens. These results revealed that the peptide fractions exhibit a predominant antibacterial activity against B. laterosporus; the fraction with Mw 10-30 kDa against E. coli; another peptide fraction <20 kDa against P. aureofaciens; and the protein fraction >20 kDa against the bacterial strain C. perfringens. The discovery of new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from natural sources is of great importance for public health due to the AMPs' effective antimicrobial activities and low resistance rates.

In Search of Biomarkers for Idiopathic Scoliosis: Leptin and BMP4 Functional Polymorphisms.

Idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is the most common spinal disorder in children and adolescents. The current consensus on IS maintains that it has a multifactorial etiology with genetic predisposition factors. In the present study the association of two functional polymorphisms of leptin (rs7799039) and BMP4 (rs4898820) with susceptibility to IS and curve severity was investigated in a Bulgarian population sample. The molecular detection of the genotypes was performed by amplification followed by restriction technology. The statistical analysis was performed by Pearson's chi-squared test. This case-control study revealed no statistically significant association between the functional polymorphisms of leptin and BMP4 and susceptibility to IS or curve progression (p > 0.05). On the basis of these results the examined polymorphic variants of leptin and BMP4 could not be considered as genetic variants with predisposition effect or as risk factors for the progression of the curve. In addition, these results do not exclude a synergistic effect of the promoter polymorphisms of leptin and BMP4 in the etiology and pathogenesis of IS. The identification of molecular markers for IS could be useful for early detection and prognosis of the risk for a rapid progression of the curve. That would permit early stage treatment of the patient with the least invasive procedures.

Role of the IL-6 gene in the etiopathogenesis of idiopathic scoliosis.

Scoliotic human nuclei pulposi can respond to exogenous proinflammatory stimuli by secreting increased amounts of interleukin-6 (IL-6). The G/C polymorphism of the promoter region of IL-6 gene influences levels and functional activity of the IL-6 protein. We conducted a case-control study of eighty patients with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) and one hundred sixty healthy unrelated gender-matched controls trying to investigate the association between IS and the IL-6 promoter polymorphism at -174 position (rs1800795 G/C) in Bulgarian population. Molecular detection of the IL-6 genotypes was performed by amplification followed by restriction technology. The statistical analysis was performed by Pearson's chi-squared test. Our case-control study revealed a statistically significant association between the IL-6 (-174 G/C) functional polymorphism and susceptibility to IS. In addition, a significant association between the IL-6 (-174 G/C) polymorphism and curve severity was detected. IL-6 gene could be considered as susceptibility and modifying factor of idiopathic scoliosis. The identification of molecular markers with diagnostic and prognostic value could be useful for early detection of children at risk for the development of scoliosis and for prognosis of the risk for a rapid deformity progression. That would facilitate the therapy decisions and early stage treatment of the patient with the least invasive procedures.