Inflammatory bowel disease induces pathological α-synuclein aggregation in the human gut and brain.

AIMS: According to Braak's hypothesis, it is plausible that Parkinson's disease (PD) originates in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and spreads to the brain through the vagus nerve. In this work, we studied whether inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) in humans can progress with the emergence of pathogenic α-synuclein (α-syn) in the gastrointestinal tract and midbrain dopaminergic neurons. METHODS: We have analysed the gut and the ventral midbrain from subjects previously diagnosed with IBD and form a DSS-based rat model of gut inflammation in terms of α-syn pathology. RESULTS: Our data support the existence of pathogenic α-syn in both the gut and the brain, thus reinforcing the potential role of the ENS as a contributing factor in PD aetiology. Additionally, we have analysed the effect of a DSS-based rat model of gut inflammation to demonstrate (i) the appearance of P-α-syn inclusions in both Auerbach's and Meissner's plexuses (gut), (ii) an increase in α-syn expression in the ventral mesencephalon (brain) and (iii) the degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons, which all are considered classical hallmarks in PD. CONCLUSION: These results strongly support the plausibility of Braak's hypothesis and emphasise the significance of peripheral inflammation and the gut-brain axis in initiating α-syn aggregation and transport to the substantia nigra, resulting in neurodegeneration.

Microglial Caspase-3 is essential for modulating hippocampal neurogenesis.

Adult hippocampal neurogenesis (AHN) is a process involved in numerous neurodegenerative diseases. Many researchers have described microglia as a key component in regulating the formation and migration of new neurons along the rostral migratory stream. Caspase-3 is a cysteine-aspartate-protease classically considered as one of the main effector caspases in the cell death program process. In addition to this classical function, we have identified the role of this protein as a modulator of microglial function; however, its action on neurogenic processes is unknown. The aim of the present study is to identify the role of Caspase-3 in neurogenesis-related microglial functions. To address this study, Caspase-3 conditional knockout mice in the microglia cell line were used. Using this tool, we wanted to elucidate the role of this protein in microglial function in the hippocampus, the main region in which adult neurogenesis takes place. After the reduction of Caspase-3 in microglia, mutant mice showed a reduction of microglia in the hippocampus, especially in the dentate gyrus region, a region inherently associated to neurogenesis. In addition, we found a reduction in doublecortin-positive neurons in conditional Caspase-3 knockout mice, which corresponds to a reduction in neurogenic neurons. Furthermore, using high-resolution image analysis, we also observed a reduction in the phagocytic capacity of microglia lacking Caspase-3. Behavioral analysis using object recognition and Y-maze tests showed altered memory and learning in the absence of Caspase-3. Finally, we identified specific microglia located specifically in neurogenic niche positive for Galectin 3 which colocalized with Cleaved-Caspase-3 in control mice. Taken together, these results showed the essential role of Caspase-3 in microglial function and highlight the relevant role of this specific microglial phenotype in the maintenance of AHN in the hippocampus.

Intramolecular Metal-Free C(sp3)-H Activation Enables a Selective Mono O-Debenzylation of Fully Protected Aminosugars.

Carbamate-bearing benzylated aminosugars undergo an I2/I(III)-promoted intramolecular hydrogen atom transfer (IHAT) followed by a nucleophilic attack to provide polycyclic structures. Thus, suitably positioned benzyl ethers are surgically oxidized into the corresponding mixed N/O-benzylidene acetals, which can be conveniently deprotected under mild acidic conditions to grant access to selectively O-deprotected aminosugars amenable for further derivatization. The scope of this strategy has been proven with a series of furanosic and pyranosic scaffolds. Preliminary mechanistic studies, including Hammett LFER and KIE analyses, support a reaction pathway with nucleophilic cyclization as the rate-determining step.

Metformin, besides exhibiting strong in vivo anti-inflammatory properties, increases mptp-induced damage to the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system.

Metformin is a widely used oral antidiabetic drug with known anti-inflammatory properties due to its action on AMPK protein. This drug has shown a protective effect on various tissues, including cortical neurons. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of metformin on the dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra of mice using the animal model of Parkinson's disease based on the injection of 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine, an inhibitor of the mitochondrial complex I. In vivo and in vitro experiments were used to study the activation of microglia and the damage of the dopaminergic neurons. Our results show that metformin reduced microglial activation measured both at cellular and molecular levels. Rather than protecting, metformin exacerbated dopaminergic damage in response to MPTP. Our data suggest that, contrary to other brain structures, metformin treatment could be deleterious for the dopaminergic system. Hence, metformin treatment may be considered as a risk factor for the development of Parkinson's disease.

Neuromelanin activates proinflammatory microglia through a caspase-8-dependent mechanism.

BACKGROUND: We have uncovered a caspase-dependent (caspase-8/caspase-3/7) signaling governing microglia activation and associated neurotoxicity. Importantly, a profuse non-nuclear activation of cleaved caspases 8 and 3 was found in reactive microglia in the ventral mesencephalon from subjects with Parkinson's disease, thus supporting the existence of endogenous factors activating microglia through a caspase-dependent mechanism. One obvious candidate is neuromelanin, which is an efficient proinflammogen in vivo and in vitro and has been shown to have a role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. Consequently, the goal of this study is to test whether synthetic neuromelanin activates microglia in a caspase-dependent manner. RESULTS: We found an in-vivo upregulation of CD16/32 (M1 marker) in Iba1-immunolabeled microglia in the ventral mesencephalon after neuromelanin injection. In vitro experiments using BV2 cells, a microglia-derived cell line, demonstrated that synthetic neuromelanin induced a significant chemotactic response to BV2 microglial cells, along with typical morphological features of microglia activation, increased oxidative stress and induction of pattern-recognition receptors including Toll-like receptor 2, NOD2, and CD14. Analysis of IETDase (caspase-8) and DEVDase (caspase-3/7) activities in BV2 cells demonstrated a modest but significant increase of both activities in response to neuromelanin treatment, in the absence of cell death. CONCLUSIONS: Caspase-8 inhibition prevented typical features of microglia activation, including morphological changes, a high rate of oxidative stress and expression of key proinflammatory cytokines and iNOS.

Synergistic deleterious effect of chronic stress and sodium azide in the mouse hippocampus.

Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in the elderly. Although the primary cause of the disease is presently unknown, to date several risk factors have been described. Evidence suggests that one of these risk factors could be chronic stress. The aim of this work is to demonstrate that chronic stress is able to induce Alzheimer's disease features after the administration of nontoxic doses of sodium azide. We found that chronic stress increases the levels of several proteins involved in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis, such as presenilin 1, presenilin 2, and S100ß, besides inducing the aggregation of Tau, ubiquitin, and ß-amyloid proteins in the hippocampus. More important, our work shows a synergistic effect of stress and sodium azide treatment leading to significant neuronal death in the mouse hippocampus. Our results point out that chronic stress is a risk factor contributing to amplify and accelerate Alzheimer's disease features in the hippocampus.

Chronic stress as a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

This review aims to point out that chronic stress is able to accelerate the appearance of Alzheimer's disease (AD), proposing the former as a risk factor for the latter. Firstly, in the introduction we describe some human epidemiological studies pointing out the possibility that chronic stress could increase the incidence, or the rate of appearance of AD. Afterwards, we try to justify these epidemiological results with some experimental data. We have reviewed the experiments studying the effect of various stressors on different features in AD animal models. Moreover, we also point out the data obtained on the effect of chronic stress on some processes that are known to be involved in AD, such as inflammation and glucose metabolism. Later, we relate some of the processes known to be involved in aging and AD, such as accumulation of ß-amyloid, TAU hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress and impairement of mitochondrial function, emphasizing how they are affected by chronic stress/glucocorticoids and comparing with the description made for these processes in AD. All these data support the idea that chronic stress could be considered a risk factor for AD.

Chronic stress enhances microglia activation and exacerbates death of nigral dopaminergic neurons under conditions of inflammation.

BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease linked to progressive movement disorders and is accompanied by an inflammatory reaction that is believed to contribute to its pathogenesis. Since sensitivity to inflammation is not the same in all brain structures, the aim of this work was to test whether physiological conditions as stress could enhance susceptibility to inflammation in the substantia nigra, where death of dopaminergic neurons takes place in Parkinson's disease. METHODS: To achieve our aim, we induced an inflammatory process in nonstressed and stressed rats (subject to a chronic variate stress) by a single intranigral injection of lipopolysaccharide, a potent proinflammogen. The effect of this treatment was evaluated on inflammatory markers as well as on neuronal and glial populations. RESULTS: Data showed a synergistic effect between inflammation and stress, thus resulting in higher microglial activation and expression of proinflammatory markers. More important, the higher inflammatory response seen in stressed animals was associated with a higher rate of death of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, the most characteristic feature seen in Parkinson's disease. This effect was dependent on glucocorticoids. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that stress sensitises midbrain microglia to further inflammatory stimulus. This suggests that stress may be an important risk factor in the degenerative processes and symptoms of Parkinson's disease.

Inflammatory Animal Models of Parkinson's Disease.

Accumulating evidence suggests that microglia and peripheral immune cells may play determinant roles in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). Consequently, there is a need to take advantage of immune-related models of PD to study the potential contribution of microglia and peripheral immune cells to the degeneration of the nigrostriatal system and help develop potential therapies for PD. In this review, we have summarised the main PD immune models. From a historical perspective, we highlight first the main features of intranigral injections of different pro-inflammogens, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS), thrombin, neuromelanin, etc. The use of adenoviral vectors to promote microglia-specific overexpression of different molecules in the ventral mesencephalon, including α-synuclein, IL-1ß, and TNF, are also presented and briefly discussed. Finally, we summarise different models associated with peripheral inflammation whose contribution to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases is now an outstanding question. Illustrative examples included systemic LPS administration and dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis in rodents.

A Beginner's Guide to Osmoprotection by Biostimulants.

Water is indispensable for the life of any organism on Earth. Consequently, osmotic stress due to salinity and drought is the greatest threat to crop productivity. Ongoing climate change includes rising temperatures and less precipitation over large areas of the planet. This is leading to increased vulnerability to the drought conditions that habitually threaten food security in many countries. Such a scenario poses a daunting challenge for scientists: the search for innovative solutions to save water and cultivate under water deficit. A search for formulations including biostimulants capable of improving tolerance to this stress is a promising specific approach. This review updates the most recent state of the art in the field.

Ulcerative colitis exacerbates lipopolysaccharide-induced damage to the nigral dopaminergic system: potential risk factor in Parkinson`s disease.

Peripheral inflammation could play a role in the origin and development of certain neurodegenerative disorders. To ascertain this possibility, a model of dopaminergic neurodegeneration based on the injection of the inflammatory agent lipopolysaccharide (LPS) within the substantia nigra was assayed in rats with ulcerative colitis (UC) induced by the ingestion of dextran sulphate sodium. We found an increase in the levels of inflammatory markers from serum (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and the acute phase protein C-reactive protein) and substantia nigra (tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1ß, IL-6, inducible nitric oxide synthase, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, microglial and astroglial populations) of rats with UC, as well as an alteration of the blood-brain barrier permeability and the loss of dopaminergic neurons. UC reinforced the inflammatory and deleterious effects of LPS. On the contrary, clodronate encapsulated in liposomes (ClodLip), which depletes peripheral macrophages, ameliorated the effect of LPS and UC. Peripheral inflammation might represent a risk factor in the development of Parkinson's disease.

Microglia: Agents of the CNS Pro-Inflammatory Response.

The pro-inflammatory immune response driven by microglia is a key contributor to the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative diseases. Though the research of microglia spans over a century, the last two decades have increased our understanding exponentially. Here, we discuss the phenotypic transformation from homeostatic microglia towards reactive microglia, initiated by specific ligand binding to pattern recognition receptors including toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) or triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), as well as pro-inflammatory signaling pathways triggered such as the caspase-mediated immune response. Additionally, new research disciplines such as epigenetics and immunometabolism have provided us with a more holistic view of how changes in DNA methylation, microRNAs, and the metabolome may influence the pro-inflammatory response. This review aimed to discuss our current knowledge of pro-inflammatory microglia from different angles, including recent research highlights such as the role of exosomes in spreading neuroinflammation and emerging techniques in microglia research including positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and the use of human microglia generated from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Finally, we also discuss current thoughts on the impact of pro-inflammatory microglia in neurodegenerative diseases.

Reformulating Pro-Oxidant Microglia in Neurodegeneration.

In neurodegenerative diseases, microglia-mediated neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are central events. Recent genome-wide transcriptomic analyses of microglial cells under different disease conditions have uncovered a new subpopulation named disease-associated microglia (DAM). These studies have challenged the classical view of the microglia polarization state's proinflammatory M1 (classical activation) and immunosuppressive M2 (alternative activation). Molecular signatures of DAM and proinflammatory microglia (highly pro-oxidant) have shown clear differences, yet a partial overlapping gene profile is evident between both phenotypes. The switch activation of homeostatic microglia into reactive microglia relies on the selective activation of key surface receptors involved in the maintenance of brain homeostasis (a.k.a. pattern recognition receptors, PRRs). Two relevant PRRs are toll-like receptors (TLRs) and triggering receptors expressed on myeloid cells-2 (TREM2), whose selective activation is believed to generate either a proinflammatory or a DAM phenotype, respectively. However, the recent identification of endogenous disease-related ligands, which bind to and activate both TLRs and TREM2, anticipates the existence of rather complex microglia responses. Examples of potential endogenous dual ligands include amyloid ß, galectin-3, and apolipoprotein E. These pleiotropic ligands induce a microglia polarization that is more complicated than initially expected, suggesting the possibility that different microglia subtypes may coexist. This review highlights the main microglia polarization states under disease conditions and their leading role orchestrating oxidative stress.

The intrastriatal injection of thrombin in rat induced a retrograde apoptotic degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons through synaptic elimination.

We have performed intrastriatal injection of thrombin and searched for distant effects in the cell body region. In striatum, thrombin produced a slight loss of striatal neurons as demonstrated by neural nuclei immunostaining - a non-specific neuronal marker - and the expression of glutamic acid decarboxylase 67 mRNA, a specific marker for striatal GABAergic interneurons, the most abundant phenotype in this brain area. Interestingly, striatal neuropil contained many boutons immunostained for synaptic vesicle protein 2 and synaptophysin which colocalize with tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), suggesting a degenerative process with pre-synaptic accumulation of synaptic vesicles. When we studied the effects on substantia nigra, we found the disappearance of dopaminergic neurons, shown by loss of TH immunoreactivity, loss of expression of TH and dopamine transporter mRNAs, and disappearance of FluoroGold-labelled nigral neurons. The degeneration of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons was produced through up-regulation of cFos mRNA, apoptosis and accumulation of alpha-synuclein shown by colocalization experiments. Thrombin effects could be mediated by protease-activated receptor 4 activation, as protease-activated receptor 4-activating peptide mimicked thrombin effects. Our results point out the possible relationship between synapse elimination and retrograde degeneration in the nigral dopaminergic system.

Simvastatin prevents the inflammatory process and the dopaminergic degeneration induced by the intranigral injection of lipopolysaccharide.

Anti-inflammatory strategies have attracted much interest for their potential to prevent further deterioration of Parkinson's disease. Recent experimental and clinical evidence indicate that statins - extensively used in medical practice as effective lipid-lowering agents - have also anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we investigated the influence of simvastatin on the degenerative process of the dopaminergic neurons of the rat following intranigral injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a potent inductor of inflammation that we have previously used as an animal model of Parkinson's disease. We evaluated TH positive neurons, astroglial, and microglial populations and found that simvastatin prevented the inflammatory processes, as the induction of interleukin-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and iNOS and the consequent dopaminergic degeneration induced by LPS. Moreover, simvastatin produced the activation of the neurotrophic factor BDNF, along with the prevention of the oxidative damage to proteins. Moreover, it also prevents the main changes produced by LPS on different mitogen-activated protein kinases, featured as increases of P-c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase, P-extracellular signal-regulated kinase, p-38, and P-glycogen synthase kinase and the decrease of the promotion of cell survival signals such as cAMP response element-binding protein and Akt. Our results suggest that statins could delay the progression of dopaminergic degeneration in disorders involving inflammatory processes.

Intramolecular 1,8-hydrogen-atom transfer reactions in (1-->4)-O-disaccharide systems: conformational and stereochemical requirements.

The stereochemical and conformational factors controlling the intramolecular hydrogen-atom transfer (HAT) reaction between the two pyranose units in a (1-->4)-O-disaccharide when promoted by a primary 6-O-yl radical are studied. Models with alpha-D-Glcp-(1-->4)-beta-D-Glcp, alpha-L-Rhamp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Galp or alpha-D-Manp-(1-->4)-beta-L-Gulp skeletons led exclusively to the abstraction of the hydrogen from H--C-5' and the formation, through a nine-membered transition state, of a 1,3,5-trioxocane ring system in a stable boat-chair conformation. Notwithstanding, derivatives of alpha-L-Rhamp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Glcp or alpha-D-Manp-(1-->4)-alpha-D-Galp exclusively abstract the hydrogen from H--C-1' through a seven-membered transition state and, therefore, lead to an interglycosidic spiro ortho ester.

Endogenous dopamine enhances the neurotoxicity of 3-nitropropionic acid in the striatum through the increase of mitochondrial respiratory inhibition and free radicals production.

3-Nitropropionic acid (3-NP), an inhibitor of the mitochondrial enzyme succinate dehydrogenase, induces neuronal degeneration in the striatum. It is known that dopamine (DA) enhances this toxic effect. In this work, we study how the increase of DA influences the toxic effect of 3-NP on DAergic terminals, GABAergic neurons, astroglia and microglia in the striatum. We increased the content of DA through the inhibition of its uptake by nomifensine or the inhibition of its catabolism by deprenyl. We found that although nomifensine and deprenyl enhanced the DA overflow produced by 3-NP perfusion, they protected against the damage induced by 3-NP in the DAergic terminals and the GABAergic neurons in the striatum. Moreover, there was a decrease of apoptotic cells, astrogliosis and activation of microglia as index of damage. We also found that depletion of DA by reserpine and alpha-methyl-p-tyrosine produced a significant reduction of the inhibition of the respiratory rate and of the production of superoxide radical induced by 3-NP in synaptosomes from the striatum. All these results suggest that endogenous dopamine within the dopaminergic terminals of the striatum enhances the mitochondrial production of radical oxygen species along with the respiratory inhibition produced by 3-NP and thus increases the toxicity produced by 3-NP in the striatum.

Divergent Effects of Metformin on an Inflammatory Model of Parkinson's Disease.

The oral antidiabetic drug metformin is known to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties through activation of AMP kinase, thus protecting various brain tissues as cortical neurons, for example. However, the effect of metformin on the substantia nigra (SN), the main structure affected in Parkinson's disease (PD), has not yet been studied in depth. Inflammation is a key feature of PD and it may play a central role in the neurodegeneration that takes place in this disorder. The aim of this work was to determine the effect of metformin on the microglial activation of the SN of rats using the animal model of PD based on the injection of the pro-inflammogen lipopolysaccharide (LPS). In vivo and in vitro experiments were conducted to study the activation of microglia at both the cellular and molecular levels. Our results indicate that metformin overall inhibits microglia activation measured by OX-6 (MHCII marker), IKKß (pro-inflammatory marker) and arginase (anti-inflammatory marker) immunoreactivity. In addition, qPCR experiments reveal that metformin treatment minimizes the expression levels of several pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Mechanistically, the drug decreases the phosphorylated forms of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) as well as ROS generation through the inhibition of the NADPH oxidase enzyme. However, metformin treatment fails to protect the dopaminergic neurons of SN in response to intranigral LPS. These findings suggest that metformin could have both beneficial and harmful pharmacological effects and raise the question about the potential use of metformin for the prevention and treatment of PD.

Potential Use of Nanomedicine for the Anti-inflammatory Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases, like Alzheimer´s and Parkinson´s disease, are a group of disorders that have in common their increasingly high prevalence along with the shortage of effective treatments. In addition, the scientific community faces the challenge of getting the drugs used in these treatments to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and reach the brain in sufficient concentration to be able to exert its effect. Hence, researchers across multiple disciplines are working together in order to improve the ability of therapeutics to penetrate the BBB. In this sense, the use of nanomedicine, nanoscale structures for drug delivery, exhibits a really high therapeutic potential in the field of neurodegenerative diseases therapy. Since there is new evidence that neuroinflammation produced by reactive microglia contributes to the activation and pathogenesis of neurological disorders, many investigations focus on the identification of new targets whose inhibition can reduce, totally or partially, microglial activation. This review analyzes a wide variety of compounds as possible candidates to achieve this target, from compounds with a natural origin to anti-diabetics, antidepressants, antibiotics and hormones. We also discuss the different strategies to enhance the capacity of these compounds to cross the BBB. Although this review focuses on PLGA nanoparticles as one of the most versatile drug delivery nanosystems, we also describe other strategies, such as direct intranasal administration (nose-tobrain), novel viral vectors and novel implanted catheters.