Discovery of cinnamamide/ester triazole hybrids as potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Developing multitargeted ligands as promising therapeutics for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been considered important. Herein, a novel class of cinnamamide/ester-triazole hybrids with multifaceted effects on AD was developed based on the multitarget-directed ligands strategy. Thirty-seven cinnamamide/ester-triazole hybrids were synthesized, with most exhibiting significant inhibitory activity against Aß-induced toxicity at a single concentration in vitro. The most optimal hybrid compound 4j inhibited copper-induced Aß toxicity in AD cells. its action was superior to that of donepezil and memantine. It also moderately inhibited intracellular AChE activity and presented favorable bioavailability and blood-brain barrier penetration with low toxicity in vivo. Of note, it ameliorated cognitive impairment, neuronal degeneration, and Aß deposition in Aß1-42-injured mice. Mechanistically, the compound regulated APP processing by promoting the ADAM10-associated nonamyloidogenic signaling and inhibiting the BACE1-mediated amyloidogenic pathway. Moreover, it suppressed intracellular AChE activity and tau phosphorylation. Therefore, compound 4j may be a promising multitargeted active molecule against AD.

Old drug new tricks: Chlorhexidine acts as a potential allosteric inhibitor toward PAK1.

This paper describes the identification of chlorhexidine, an agent commonly used in clinical as a novel potential allosteric inhibitor of PAK1. In cellular assays, chlorhexidine showed a good inhibitory profile, and its inhibitory profile was even better than IPA-3, a well-known allosteric inhibitor. In pharmacology experiments, chlorhexidine successfully inhibited the relief of PAK1 dimer and inhibited the activation of PAK1. Our findings offer an insight for the new drug development of PAK1 inhibitor. We also provide a possible explanation for the phenomenon that the application of the chlorhexidine in peritoneal lavage inhibited the development of tumor.

Luteolin Inhibits Fibrillary ß-Amyloid1-40-Induced Inflammation in a Human Blood-Brain Barrier Model by Suppressing the p38 MAPK-Mediated NF-κB Signaling Pathways.

Amyloid-ß peptides (Aß) exist in several forms and are known as key modulators of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Fibrillary Aß (fAß) has been found to disrupt the blood-brain barrier (BBB) by triggering and promoting inflammation. In this study, luteolin, a naturally occurring flavonoid that has shown beneficial properties in the central nervous system, was evaluated as a potential agent to preserve barrier function and inhibit inflammatory responses at the BBB that was injured by fAß1-40. We established an in vitro BBB model by co-culturing human brain microvascular endothelial cells (hBMECs) and human astrocytes (hAs) under fAß1-40-damaged conditions and investigated the effect of luteolin by analyzing cellular toxicity, barrier function, cytokine production and inflammation-related intracellular signaling pathways. Our results demonstrated that, in cells injured by fAß1-40, luteolin increased cell viability of hBMECs and hAs. The cytoprotection of the co-culture against the damage induced by fAß1-40 was also increased at both the apical and basolateral sides. Luteolin protected the barrier function by preserving transendothelial electrical resistance and relieving aggravated permeability in the human BBB model after being exposed to fAß1-40. Moreover, in both the apical and basolateral sides of the co-culture, luteolin reduced fAß1-40-induced inflammatory mediator and cytokine production, including cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), interleukin 1 ß (IL-1ß), interleukin 6 (IL-6), and interleukin 8 (IL-8), however it did not show sufficient effects on scavenging intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in hBMECs and hAs. The mechanism of BBB protection against fAß1-40-induced injury may be related to the regulation of inflammatory signal transduction, which involves inhibition of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation, downregulation of phosphorylated inhibitory κB kinase (phosphor-IKK) levels, relief of inhibitory κB α (IκBα) degradation, blockage of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) p65 nuclear translocation, and reduction of the release of inflammatory cytokines. Moreover, the employment of p38 MAPK and NF-κB inhibitors reversed luteolin-mediated barrier function and cytokine release. Taken together, luteolin may serve as a potential therapeutic agent for BBB protection by inhibiting inflammation following fAß1-40-induced injury.

Implication of a novel truncating mutation in titin as a cause of autosomal dominant left ventricular noncompaction.

BACKGROUND: Mutation in the titin gene (TTN) in left ventricular noncompaction (LVNC) has been reported with a highly heterogeneous prevalence, and the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of TTN gene mutation are uncharacterized. In the present study, we identified a novel TTN mutation in a pedigree with LVNC and investigated the potential pathogenic mechanism by functional studies. METHODS: The whole-genome sequencing with linkage analysis was performed in a 3-generation family affected by autosomal dominant LVNC cardiomyopathy. The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9) technology was used to establish novel truncating mutation in TTN in a rat cardiomyoblast H9C2 cell line in vitro, in which functional studies were carried out and characterized in comparison to its wild-type counterpart. RESULTS: A novel truncating mutation TTN p. R2021X was identified as the only plausible disease-causing variant that segregated with disease among the five surviving affected individuals, with an interrogation of the entire genome excluding other potential causes. Quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and cellular immunofluorescence supported a haploinsufficient disease mechanism in titin truncation mutation cardiomyocytes. Further functional studies suggested mitochondrial abnormities in the presence of mutation, including decreased oxygen consumption rate, reduced adenosine triphosphate production, impaired activity of electron translation chain, and abnormal mitochondrial structure on electron microscopy. Impaired autophagy under electron microscopy accompanied with activation of the Akt-mTORC1 signaling pathway was observed in TTN p. R2021X truncation mutation cardiomyocytes. CONCLUSIONS: The TTN p. R2021X mutation has a function in the cause of a highly penetrant familial LVNC. These findings expand the spectrum of titin's roles in cardiomyopathies and provide novel insight into the molecular basis of titin-truncating variants-associated LVNC.

MicroRNA and mRNA profiling of cerebral cortex in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease by RNA sequencing.

In a previous study, we found that long non-coding genes in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are a result of endogenous gene disorders caused by the recruitment of microRNA (miRNA) and mRNA, and that miR-200a-3p and other representative miRNAs can mediate cognitive impairment and thus serve as new biomarkers for AD. In this study, we investigated the abnormal expression of miRNA and mRNA and the pathogenesis of AD at the epigenetic level. To this aim, we performed RNA sequencing and an integrative analysis of the cerebral cortex of the widely used amyloid precursor protein and presenilin-1 double transgenic mouse model of AD. Overall, 129 mRNAs and 68 miRNAs were aberrantly expressed. Among these, eight down-regulated miRNAs and seven up-regulated miRNAs appeared as promising noninvasive biomarkers and therapeutic targets. The main enriched signaling pathways involved mitogen-activated kinase protein, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-protein kinase B, mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase, forkhead box O, and autophagy. An miRNA-mRNA network between dysregulated miRNAs and corresponding target genes connected with AD progression was also constructed. These miRNAs and mRNAs are potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets for new treatment strategies, early diagnosis, and prevention of AD. The present results provide a novel perspective on the role of miRNAs and mRNAs in AD. This study was approved by the Experimental Animal Care and Use Committee of Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology of Beijing, China (approval No. IMB-201909-D6) on September 6, 2019.

Acupuncture methods for diabetic peripheral neuropathy: A protocol for a Bayesian network meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many clinical trials and systematic reviews have suggested that acupuncture (include moxibustion) could be effective in the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). However, clinical practices vary greatly leads to different choices which are mainly based on personal experience. The aim of this Bayesian network meta-analysis is to compare the efficacy of different acupuncture methods for DPN. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials on acupuncture treatment of DPN published before January of 2021 will be searched in 9 databases including Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, Excerpta Medica Database, Sinomed, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, WanFang, and China Science and Technology Journal Database. The methodological assessment performed using the risk of bias assessment tool of Cochrane, and the level of evidence quality for the main results will be evaluated by a recommended grading, evaluation, formulation, and evaluation system approach. Bayesian network meta-analysis will be conducted using STATA V.14.0 and WinBUGS V.1.4.3. RESULTS: The primary outcome involves: clinical efficacy. The secondary outcomes include: motor nerve conduction velocity, sensory nerve conduction velocity, Toronto clinical scoring system, Michigan neuropathy screening instrument, the modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Scale, the Utah early neuropathy scale, or the neuropathy disability score, and adverse reactions. CONCLUSION: To find the most effective acupuncture therapy for the treatment of DPN supported by evidence-based medicine.

Study on quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of post-stroke depression based on combination of disease and syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Post-stroke depression (PSD) is one of the most common stroke complications with high morbidity. Researchers have done much clinical research on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) treatment, but very little research on diagnosis. Based on the thought of combination of disease and syndrome, this study will establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes of PSD, so as to improve the clinical diagnosis and treatment of PSD. OBJECTIVE: First: To establish a unified and objective quantitative diagnosis model of TCM syndromes in PSD under different disease courses, and identify the corresponding main, secondary, and concurrent symptoms, which are based on the weighting factor of each TCM symptom. Second: To find out the relationship between different stages of PSD and TCM syndromes. Clarify the main syndrome types of PSD under different stages of disease. Reveal the evolution and progression mechanism of TCM syndromes of PSD. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is a retrospective study of PSD TCM diagnosis. Three hundred patients who were hospitalized in the First Teaching Hospital of Tianjin University of TCM with complete cases from January 2014 to January 2019 are planned to be recruited. The study will mainly collect the diagnostic information from the cases, find the related indicators of TCM and Western medicine in PSD, and clarify the relationship between different disease stages and TCM syndromes. Finally, the PSD TCM syndrome quantitative diagnosis model will be established based on the operation principle of Back Propagation (BP) artificial neural network. CONCLUSION: To collect sufficient medical records and establish models to speed up the process of TCM diagnosis.

Manual Acupuncture or Combination with Vitamin B to Treat Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

METHODS: Randomized controlled trials on manual acupuncture treatment of DPN were retrieved from the Medline, Web of Science, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, CNKI, WanFang, and VIP databases. Extracted research data were summarized in the tables, and methodological assessment was performed using the risk-of-bias assessment tool of Cochrane. Meta-analysis was performed by Revman 5.3, Stata 14.0, and TSA 0.9.5.10 Beta software. RESULTS: A total of 18 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) were recruited: (1) 11 RCTs were acupuncture alone compared with vitamin B; (2) 7 RCTs were acupuncture combined with vitamin B compared with vitamin B, involving 1200 participants. Acupuncture alone improved clinical efficacy (P < 0.05) and nerve conduction velocity of the four peripheral nerves: peroneal nerve, tibial nerve, median nerve, and ulnar nerve (P < 0.05), but there was no significant difference between the group of acupuncture alone and the group of vitamin B (P = 0.36 > 0.05) in improving median nerve SCV (sensory nerve conduction velocity). Acupuncture combined with vitamin B improved clinical efficacy and nerve conduction velocity of the three peripheral nerves, peroneal nerve, tibial nerve, and median nerve (P < 0.05), and decreased the scores of the Toronto clinical scoring system (TCSS) (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Acupuncture alone and vitamin B combined with acupuncture are more effective in treating DPN compared to vitamin B. However, more high-quality RCTs on vitamin B combined with acupuncture are required to confirm our results.

Structure activity relationships of chrysoeriol and analogs as dual c­Met and VEGFR2 tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) and c­Met are tyrosine kinases, which are involved in the tumorigenesis of various types of cancer. Previous studies have demonstrated that the elevated activation of c­Met is associated with the drug resistance of VEGFR2 inhibitors. Therefore, dual c­Met and VEGFR2 kinase inhibitors are expected to overcome VEGFR2 inhibitor resistance and subsequently lead to a superior therapeutic outcome to regular VEGFR2 inhibitors. In the present study, it was found that chrysoeriol, which can be extracted from several natural plants, was a potential dual c­Met and VEGFR2 kinase inhibitor. The results of docking experiments revealed that chrysoeriol was able to efficiently bind in the active site cavity of c­Met and VEGFR2. The results of enzymatic assays showed relatively high binding affinities of chrysoeriol to c­Met (Kd=12 µM) and VEGFR2 (Kd=11 µM). The structure activity relationships (SARs) of chrysoeriol and its analogs were investigated using pharmacological and molecular docking experiments. To the best of our best knowledge, the present study is the first to report a natural product with both c­Met and VEGFR2 inhibitory profiles, and provides insights into future dual c­Met and VEGFR2 kinase inhibitor development.

Total flavonoid extract from Dracoephalum moldavica L. attenuates ß-amyloid-induced toxicity through anti-amyloidogenesic and neurotrophic pathways.

AIMS: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an incurable neurodegenerative disorder characterized by global cognitive impairment that involves accumulation of amyloid-beta peptides (Aß) in the brain. Herbal approaches can be used as alternative medicines to slow the progression of AD. This study aimed to determine the beneficial effects and potential underlying mechanisms of total flavonoid extract from Dracoephalum moldavica L. (TFDM) for attenuating Alzheimer-related deficits induced by Aß. MAIN METHODS: We used amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1) double transgenic mice and copper-injured APP Swedish mutation overexpressing SH-SY5Y cells to evaluate the beneficial effects of TFDM. Further, identifying the mechanisms of action was conducted on anti-amyloidogenic and neurotrophic transductions. KEY FINDINGS: Our results indicated that TFDM treatment ameliorated cognitive impairments and neurodegeneration and improved the antioxidant defense system in APP/PS1 mice. TFDM also reduced Aß burden by relieving Aß deposition, decreasing insoluble Aß levels, and inhibiting ß-amyloidogenic processing pathway involving downregulation of ß-secretase and ß-C-terminal fragment in the brain. In the in vitro model of AD, TFDM treatment protected injured cells, and combined with the beneficial effects of decreasing APP levels, lowered Aß1-42 and regulated the redox imbalance. Moreover, TFDM preserved the extracellular signal-regulated kinase/cAMP response element-binding protein/brain-derived neurotrophic factor pathway both in vitro and in vivo. SIGNIFICANCE: In conclusion, TFDM clearly demonstrated neuroprotective effects by restoring the anti-amyloidogenic and neurotrophic transductions in the context of AD-associated deficits. These findings indicate the potential use of herb-based substances as supplements or potential alternative supplements for attenuating the progression of AD.

Profiling microRNA from Brain by Microarray in a Transgenic Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs, which regulate numerous cell functions by targeting mRNA for cleavage or translational repression, and have been found to play an important role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Our study aimed to identify differentially expressed miRNAs in AD brain as a reference of potential therapeutic miRNAs or biomarkers for this disease. We used amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1) double transgenic mice and age-matched wild-type (WT) littermates to determine the expression of miRNAs in the brain. MiRNAs were profiled by microarray, and differentially expressed miRNAs underwent target prediction and enrichment analysis. Microarray analysis revealed 56 differentially expressed miRNAs in AD mouse brain, which involved 39 miRNAs that were significantly upregulated and 19 that were downregulated at different ages. Among those miRNAs, a total of 11 miRNAs, including miR-342-3p, miR-342-5p, miR-376c-3p, and miR-301b-3p, were not only conserved in human but also predicted to have targets and signaling pathways closely related to the pathology of AD. In conclusion, in this study, differentially expressed miRNAs were identified in AD brain and proposed as biomarkers, which may have the potential to indicate AD progression. Despite being preliminary, these results may aid in investigating pathological hallmarks and identify effective therapeutic targets.