Liver Growth Factor (LGF) Upregulates Frataxin Protein Expression and Reduces Oxidative Stress in Friedreich's Ataxia Transgenic Mice.

Friedreich's ataxia (FA) is a severe disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance that is caused by the abnormal expansion of GAA repeat in intron 1 of FRDA gen. This alteration leads to a partial silencing of frataxin transcription, causing a multisystem disorder disease that includes neurological and non-neurological damage. Recent studies have proven the effectiveness of neurotrophic factors in a number of neurodegenerative diseases. Therefore, we intend to determine if liver growth factor (LGF), which has a demonstrated antioxidant and neuroprotective capability, could be a useful therapy for FA. To investigate the potential therapeutic activity of LGF we used transgenic mice of the FXNtm1MknTg (FXN)YG8Pook strain. In these mice, intraperitoneal administration of LGF (1.6 µg/mouse) exerted a neuroprotective effect on neurons of the lumbar spinal cord and improved cardiac hypertrophy. Both events could be the consequence of the increment in frataxin expression induced by LGF in spinal cord (1.34-fold) and heart (1.2-fold). LGF also upregulated by 2.6-fold mitochondrial chain complex IV expression in spinal cord, while in skeletal muscle it reduced the relation oxidized glutathione/reduced glutathione. Since LGF partially restores motor coordination, we propose LGF as a novel factor that may be useful in the treatment of FA.

Neuroprotective role of liver growth factor "LGF" in an experimental model of cerebellar ataxia.

Cerebellar ataxias (CA) comprise a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by a lack of motor coordination. They are caused by disturbances in the cerebellum and its associated circuitries, so the major therapeutic goal is to correct cerebellar dysfunction. Neurotrophic factors enhance the survival and differentiation of selected types of neurons. Liver growth factor (LGF) is a hepatic mitogen that shows biological activity in neuroregenerative therapies. We investigate the potential therapeutic activity of LGF in the 3-acetylpiridine (3-AP) rat model of CA. This model of CA consists in the lesion of the inferior olive-induced by 3-AP (40 mg/kg). Ataxic rats were treated with 5 µg/rat LGF or vehicle during 3 weeks, analyzing: (a) motor coordination by using the rota-rod test; and (b) the immunohistochemical and biochemical evolution of several parameters related with the olivo-cerebellar function. Motor coordination improved in 3-AP-lesioned rats that received LGF treatment. LGF up-regulated NeuN and Bcl-2 protein levels in the brainstem, and increased calbindin expression and the number of neurons receiving calbindin-positive projections in the cerebellum. LGF also reduced extracellular glutamate and GABA concentrations and microglia activation in the cerebellum. In view of these results, we propose LGF as a potential therapeutic agent in cerebellar ataxias.

Liver Growth Factor Induces Glia-Associated Neuroprotection in an In Vitro Model of Parkinson´s Disease.

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the progressive death of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra (SN), which leads to a loss of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the basal ganglia. Current treatments relieve the symptoms of the disease, but none stop or delay neuronal degeneration. Liver growth factor (LGF) is an albumin-bilirubin complex that stimulates axonal growth in the striatum and protects DA neurons in the SN of 6-hydroxydopamine-lesioned rats. Our previous results suggested that these effects observed in vivo are mediated by microglia and/or astrocytes. To determine if these cells are LGF targets, E14 (embryos from Sprague Dawley rats of 14 days) rat mesencephalic glial cultures were used. Treatment with 100 pg/mL of LGF up-regulated the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2) and the cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) phosphorylation in glial cultures, and it increased the microglia marker Iba1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) protein levels. The treatment of E14 midbrain neurons with a glial-conditioned medium from LGF-treated glial cultures (GCM-LGF) prevented the loss of DA neurons caused by 6-hydroxy-dopamine. This neuroprotective effect was not observed when GCM-LGF was applied in the presence of a blocking antibody of TNF-alpha activity. Altogether, our findings strongly suggest the involvement of microglia and TNF-alpha in the neuroprotective action of LGF on DA neurons observed in vitro.

Molecular spectrum and differential diagnosis in patients referred with sporadic or autosomal recessive osteogenesis imperfecta.

BACKGROUND: Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) is a heterogeneous bone disorder characterized by recurrent fractures. Although most cases of OI have heterozygous mutations in COL1A1 or COL1A2 and show autosomal dominant inheritance, during the last years there has been an explosion in the number of genes responsible for both recessive and dominant forms of this condition. Herein, we have analyzed a cohort of patients with OI, all offspring of unaffected parents, to determine the spectrum of variants accounting for these cases. Twenty patients had nonrelated parents and were sporadic, and 21 were born to consanguineous relationships. METHODS: Mutation analysis was performed using a next-generation sequencing gene panel, homozygosity mapping, and whole exome sequencing (WES). RESULTS: Patients offspring of nonconsanguineous parents were mostly identified with COL1A1 or COL1A2 heterozygous changes, although there were also a few cases with IFITM5 and WNT1 heterozygous mutations. Only one sporadic patient was a compound heterozygote for two recessive mutations. Patients offspring of consanguineous parents showed homozygous changes in a variety of genes including CRTAP,FKBP10,LEPRE1,PLOD2,PPIB,SERPINF1,TMEM38B, and WNT1. In addition, two patients born to consanguineous parents were found to have de novo COL1A1 heterozygous mutations demonstrating that causative variants in the collagen I structural genes cannot be overlooked in affected children from consanguineous couples. Further to this, WES analysis in probands lacking mutations in OI genes revealed deleterious variants in SCN9A,NTRK1, and SLC2A2, which are associated with congenital indifference to pain (CIP) and Fanconi-Bickel syndrome (FBS). CONCLUSION: This work provides useful information for clinical and genetic diagnosis of OI patients with no positive family history of this disease. Our data also indicate that CIP and FBS are conditions to be considered in the differential diagnosis of OI and suggest a positive role of SCN9A and NTRK1 in bone development.

Liver growth factor as a tissue regenerating factor in neurodegenerative diseases.

Liver growth factor (LGF) is a hepatic mitogen purified by our group in 1986. In the following years we demonstrated its activity both in "in vivo" and "in vitro" systems, stimulating hepatocytes mitogenesis as well as liver regeneration in several models of liver injury. Furthermore, we established its chemical composition (albumin-bilirubin complex) and its mitogenic actions in liver. From 2000 onwards we used LGF as a tissue regenerating factor in several models of extrahepatic diseases. The use of Liver growth factor as a neural tissue regenerator has been recently protected (Patent No US 2014/8,642,551 B2). LGF administration stimulates neurogenesis and neuron survival, promotes migration of newly generated neurons, and induces the outgrowth of striatal dopaminergic terminals in 6-hidroxydopamine-lesioned rats. Furthermore, LGF treatment raises striatal dopamine levels and protects dopaminergic neurons in hemiparkinsonian animals. LGF also stimulates survival of grafted foetal neural stem cells in the damaged striatum, reduces rotational behaviour and improves motor coordination. Interestingly, LGF also exerts a neuroprotective role both in an experimental model of cerebellar ataxia and in a model of Friedrich´s ataxia. Microglia seem to be the cellular target of LGF in the CNS. Moreover, the activity of the factor could be mediated by the stimulation of MAPK´s signalling pathway and by regulating critical proteins for cell survival, such as Bcl-2 and phospho-CREB. Since the factor shows neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects we propose LGF as a patented novel therapeutic tool that may be useful for the treatment of Parkinson´s disease and cerebellar ataxias. Currently, our studies have been extended to other neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (Patent No: US 2014/0113859 A1).

Neuroprotective activity of peripherally administered liver growth factor in a rat model of Parkinson's disease.

Liver growth factor (LGF) is a hepatic mitogen purified some years ago that promotes proliferation of different cell types and the regeneration of damaged tissues, including brain tissue. Considering the possibility that LGF could be used as a therapeutic agent in Parkinson's disease, we analyzed its potential neuroregenerative and/or neuroprotective activity when peripherally administered to unilaterally 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA)-lesioned rats. For these studies, rats subjected to nigrostriatal lesions were treated intraperitoneally twice a week with LGF (5 microg/rat) for 3 weeks. Animals were sacrificed 4 weeks after the last LGF treatment. The results show that LGF stimulates sprouting of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive terminals and increases tyrosine hydroxylase and dopamine transporter expression, as well as dopamine levels in the denervated striatum of 6-OHDA-lesioned rats. In this structure, LGF activates microglia and raises tumor necrosis factor-alpha protein levels, which have been reported to have a role in neuroregeneration and neuroprotection. Besides, LGF stimulates the phosphorylation of MAPK/ERK1/2 and CREB, and regulates the expression of proteins which are critical for cell survival such as Bcl2 and Akt. Because LGF partially protects dopamine neurons from 6-OHDA neurotoxicity in the substantia nigra, and reduces motor deficits in these animals, we propose LGF as a novel factor that may be useful in the treatment of Parkinson's disease.

Effects of intravenous administration of human umbilical cord blood stem cells in 3-acetylpyridine-lesioned rats.

Cerebellar ataxias include a heterogeneous group of infrequent diseases characterized by lack of motor coordination caused by disturbances in the cerebellum and its associated circuits. Current therapies are based on the use of drugs that correct some of the molecular processes involved in their pathogenesis. Although these treatments yielded promising results, there is not yet an effective therapy for these diseases. Cell replacement strategies using human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells (HuUCBMCs) have emerged as a promising approach for restoration of function in neurodegenerative diseases. The aim of this work was to investigate the potential therapeutic activity of HuUCBMCs in the 3-acetylpyridine (3-AP) rat model of cerebellar ataxia. Intravenous administered HuUCBMCs reached the cerebellum and brain stem of 3-AP ataxic rats. Grafted cells reduced 3-AP-induced neuronal loss promoted the activation of microglia in the brain stem, and prevented the overexpression of GFAP elicited by 3-AP in the cerebellum. In addition, HuUCBMCs upregulated the expression of proteins that are critical for cell survival, such as phospho-Akt and Bcl-2, in the cerebellum and brain stem of 3-AP ataxic rats. As all these effects were accompanied by a temporal but significant improvement in motor coordination, HuUCBMCs grafts can be considered as an effective cell replacement therapy for cerebellar disorders.