Exposure to quasi-ultrafine particulate matter accelerates memory impairment and Alzheimer's disease-like neuropathology in the AppNL-G-F knock-in mouse model.

Exposure to traffic-related air pollution consisting of particulate matter (PM) is associated with cognitive decline leading to Alzheimer's disease (AD). In this study, we sought to examine the neurotoxic effects of exposure to ultrafine PM and how it exacerbates neuronal loss and AD-like neuropathology in wildtype (WT) mice and a knock-in mouse model of AD (AppNL-G-F/+-KI) when the exposure occurs at a prepathologic stage or at a later age with the presence of neuropathology. AppNL-G-F/+-KI and WT mice were exposed to concentrated ultrafine PM from local ambient air in Irvine, California, for 12 weeks, starting at 3 or 9 months of age. Particulate matter-exposed animals received concentrated ultrafine PM up to 8 times above the ambient levels, whereas control animals were exposed to purified air. Particulate matter exposure resulted in a marked impairment of memory tasks in prepathologic AppNL-G-F/+-KI mice without measurable changes in amyloid-ß pathology, synaptic degeneration, and neuroinflammation. At aged, both WT and AppNL-G-F/+-KI mice exposed to PM showed a significant memory impairment along with neuronal loss. In AppNL-G-F/+-KI mice, we also detected an increased amyloid-ß buildup and potentially harmful glial activation including ferritin-positive microglia and C3-positive astrocytes. Such glial activation could promote the cascade of degenerative consequences in the brain. Our results suggest that exposure to PM impairs cognitive function at both ages while exacerbation of AD-related pathology and neuronal loss may depend on the stage of pathology, aging, and/or state of glial activation. Further studies will be required to unveil the neurotoxic role of glial activation activated by PM exposure.

Effects of citrus fruit juices on cytotoxicity and drug transport pathways of Caco-2 cell monolayers.

The aim of this study was to correlate the taxonomy of grapefruit, pummelo, orange, lime and lemon with fruit juice-mediated cytotoxicity, modulation of epithelial permeability and P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated efflux using 0-50% juice concentrations. Lime and lemon juices at 30% enhanced the absorption of [14C]-mannitol across Caco-2 cell monolayers by six- and eight-fold, respectively, but grapefruit and pummelo juices did not modulate the paracellular [14C]-mannitol transport even at 50%. Orange juice at 30% increased mannitol absorption to a comparable level as lime juice, but had minimal effects on TEER. All five juices did not modulate the passive diffusional pathway as exemplified by their negligible effects on [3H]-propranolol absorption. Grapefruit, pummelo and orange juices showed P-gp inhibitory activity by reducing rhodamine-123 (R-123) efflux and elevating R-123 cellular accumulation, but lime and lemon juices did not. Lime and lemon juices at >or=30% were cytotoxic towards Caco-2 cells. Grapefruit and pummelo juices at 10% did not affect Caco-2 cell viability, but they enhanced cell growth at concentrations of >or=30%. Orange juice increased cell viability only at lower concentrations. On the basis of these data, lime and lemon juices could be regarded as a group distinct from grapefruit and pummelo juices, while orange juice appeared to belong to a bridging group. This grouping was consistent with the categorization of the citrus fruits according to their dominant flavonoid pattern and taxonomy.

Neural Stem Cells Derived by Small Molecules Preserve Vision.

PURPOSE: The advances in stem cell biology hold a great potential to treat retinal degeneration. Importantly, specific cell types can be generated efficiently with small molecules and maintained stably over numerous passages. Here, we investigated whether neural stem cell (NSC) derived from human embryonic stem cells (hESC) by small molecules can preserve vision following grafting into the Royal College Surgeon (RCS) rats; a model for retinal degeneration. METHODS: A cell suspension containing 3 × 104 NSCs or NSCs labeled with green fluorescent protein (GFP) was injected into the subretinal space or the vitreous cavity of RCS rats at postnatal day (P) 22; animals injected with cell-carry medium and those left untreated were used as controls. The efficacy of treatment was evaluated by testing optokinetic response, recording luminance threshold, and examining retinal histology. RESULTS: NSCs offered significant preservation of both photoreceptors and visual function. The grafted NSCs survived for long term without evidence of tumor formation. Functionally, NSC treated eyes had significantly better visual acuity and lower luminance threshold than controls. Morphologically, photoreceptors and retinal connections were well preserved. There was an increase in expression of cillary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) in Müller cells in the graft-protected retina. CONCLUSIONS: This study reveals that NSCs derived from hESC by small molecules can survive and preserve vision for long term following subretinal transplantation in the RCS rats. These cells migrate extensively in the subretinal space and inner retina; there is no evidence of tumor formation or unwanted changes after grafting into the eyes. TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE: The NSCs derived from hESC by small molecules can be generated efficiently and provide an unlimited supply of cells for the treatment of some forms of human outer retinal degenerative diseases. The capacity of NSCs migrating into inner retina offers a potential as a vehicle to delivery drugs/factors to treat inner retinal disorders.