Donepezil Prevents Inhibition of Cerebral Energetic Metabolism Without Altering Behavioral Parameters in Animal Model of Obesity.

Obesity is characterized by chronic inflammation of low grade. The cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway favors the reduction of the inflammatory response. In this work the effect of stimulation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway on SHIRPA behavioral test and mitochondrial respiratory chain activity in obese mice was evaluated. The animals were paired in four groups: saline + control diet; donepezil + control diet; saline + high-fat diet and donepezil + high-fat diet. 5 mg/kg/day orally of donepezil or saline were given 7 days before the beginning of the diet until completing 11 weeks of the experiment. Food intake and body weight were measured. At the end of the experiment the animals were submitted to the SHIRPA behavioral test, soon after they were killed by decapitation, the open abdominal cavity and the mesenteric fat were removed. The hypothalamus, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and striatum were removed for evaluation of the mitochondrial respiratory chain. It can be observed that donepezil prevented weight gain and food consumption, as well as a tendency to prevent the accumulation of mesenteric fat in obese animals. There was no behavioral change in obese animals, nor did the influence of donepezil on these parameters. On the other hand, donepezil did not prevent inhibition of complex I activity, prevented the inhibition of complex II, and showed a tendency to prevent IV complex activity inhibited in obesity. With these results it can be concluded that the activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway is promising for the alterations found in obesity.

High-fat diet inhibits PGC-1α suppressive effect on NFκB signaling in hepatocytes.

PURPOSE: The peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) regulates the expression of genes implicated in fatty acid oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation. Its role in liver steatosis is well established, since mice with liver-specific deletion of PGC-1α exhibit lipid accumulation and high-fat diet reduces hepatic PGC-1α expression in mice. In this study, we investigated the role of PGC-1α in the inflammatory changes observed in steatohepatitis induced by high-fat diet. METHODS: C57black/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 30% fat for 10 weeks. After euthanasia, liver morphology was examined by HE staining and inflammation was determined by IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1ß quantification. Liver gene expression of PGC-1 isoforms was evaluated by real-time PCR and p65 NFκB nuclear translocation by Western blotting. HepG2 cells were treated with linoleic acid overload for 72 h to create an in vitro model of steatohepatitis. RNA interference (RNAi) was used to evaluate the involvement of PGC-1α on inflammatory mediators' production by hepatocytes. RESULTS: The high-fat diet led to a state of nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, associated with increased deposits of intra-abdominal fat, hyperglycemia and hyperlipidemia. Mice liver also exhibited increased proinflammatory cytokines' levels, decreased PGC-1α expression, and marked increase in p65 NFκB nuclear translocation. Linoleic acid treated cells also presented increased expression of proinflammatory cytokines and decreased PGC-1α expression. The knockdown of PGC-1α content caused an increase in IL-6 expression and release via enhanced IκBα phosphorylation and subsequent increase of p65 NFκB nuclear translocation. CONCLUSION: High-fat diet induces liver inflammation by inhibiting PGC-1α expression and its suppressive effect in NFκB pathway.

Effects of acute administration of mazindol on brain energy metabolism in adult mice.

OBJECTIVES: Mazindol is a sympathomimetic amine, widely used as an anorectic agent in the treatment of obesity. This drug causes psychostimulant effects because of its pharmacological profile similar to amphetamine, acting like a monoamine reuptake inhibitor. However, the mechanisms underlying the action of mazindol are still not clearly understood. METHODS: Swiss mice received a single acute administration of mazindol (0.25, 1.25 and 2.5 mg/kg, ip) or saline. After 2 h, the animals were killed by decapitation; the brain was removed and used for the evaluation of activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, Krebs cycle enzymes and creatine kinase. RESULTS: Acute administration of mazindol decreased complex I activity only in the hippocampus. Complex IV activity was increased in the cerebellum (2.5 mg/kg) and cerebral cortex (0.25 mg/kg). Citrate synthase activity was increased in the cerebellum (1.25 mg/kg) and cerebral cortex (1.25 mg/kg), and creatine kinase activity was increased in the cerebellum (1.25 mg/kg). CONCLUSION: We suggest that the inhibition of complex I in the hippocampus only and activation of complex IV, citrate synthase and creatine kinase occurs because of a stimulus effect of mazindol in the central nervous system, which causes a direct impairment on energy metabolism.

The decrease on Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity in the cortex, but not in hippocampus, is reverted by antioxidants in an animal model of sepsis.

In the present study, we investigated whether sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) modifies Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity, mRNA expression, and cerebral edema in hippocampus and cerebral cortex of rats and if antioxidant (ATX) treatment prevented the alterations induced by sepsis. Rats were subjected to CLP and were divided into three groups: sham; CLP-rats were subjected to CLP without any further treatment; and ATX-CLP plus administration of N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine. Several times (6, 12, and 24) after CLP or sham operation, the rats were killed and hippocampus and cerebral cortex were isolated. Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity was inhibited in the hippocampus 24 h after sepsis, and ATX treatment was not able to prevent this inhibition. The Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity also was inhibited in cerebral cortex 6, 12, and 24 h after sepsis. No differences on Na(+), K(+)-ATPase catalytic subunit mRNA levels were found in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex after sepsis. ATX treatment prevents Na(+), K(+)-ATPase inhibition only in the cerebral cortex. Na(+), K(+)-ATPase inhibition was not associated to increase brain water content. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that sepsis induced by CLP inhibits Na(+), K(+)-ATPase activity in a mechanism dependent on oxidative stress, but this is not associated to increase brain water content.

Investigação das alterações imunológicas em camundongos submetidos ao modelo animal de sepse por ligação e perfuração cecal (CLP) com alterações cerebrais / Investigation of changes immunological in mice submitted to model animal of sepsis by cecal ligature and puncture (CLP) with brain injure

A sepse é caracterizada por um desequilíbrio entre a resposta pró- e anti-inflamatória às infecções. Um dos principais componentes da resposta do hospedeiro no choque séptico são as interações recíprocas entre o sistema imune e o sistema nervoso central, desta forma o objetivo deste estudo foi investigar o desenvolvimento de alterações neurológicas e sua associação com alterações imunológicas em fases iniciais e tardias após a sepse por ligação e perfuração cecal (CLP). Dividimos em três experimentos: agudo, crônico e efeito da ACh na evolução tardia da sepse. No experimento agudo utilizamos camundongos Balb/c, induzimos sepse por CLP em diferentes gravidades (leve, moderado e grave), 6 horas após o CLP foi realizado teste comportamental SHIRPA e logo após os animais foram sacrificados. No experimento crônico os camundongos Balb/c foram submetidos ao CLP leve, o SHIRPA foi realizado 6 horas e 15 dias após o CLP e os animais foram sacrificados 15 dias após o CLP. No experimento dos efeitos da ACh utilizamos camundongos Balb/c que receberam a droga donepezila (5 mg/kg/dia, oralmente) sete dias antes do CLP leve até o dia do sacrifício e os camundongos homozigotos mutantes VAChT KD também submetidos ao CLP leve. O teste comportamental SHIRPA foi realizado 6 horas após o CLP e os animais sacríficos 15 dias após o CLP. O plasma, o baço e o hipocampo foram removidos em todos os experimentos. Os níveis do S100? foram medidos no plasma. Os baços foram pesados, e por citometria de fluxo foi caracterizado os linfócitos (linfócitos T citotóxicos, linfócitos T auxiliares, linfócitos B, células T reguladoras e células Th17) e morte celular (Apoptose inicial, necrose e apoptose tardia). Os níveis de citocinas no baço, hipocampo e plasma foram determinados por ELISA. Nossos resultados mostram que no experimento agudo, 6 horas após o CLP a encefalopatia é diferente dependendo da gravidade da sepse, e o perfil de linfócitos no baço não é alterado por nenhuma gravidade da...

Sepsis is characterized by an imbalance between pro- and anti-inflammatory responses to infection. One of the main components of the host response in septic shock are the reciprocal interactions between the immune system and the central nervous system, so the aim of this study was to investigate the development of neurological disorders and their association with immunological changes in early and late stages after sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). We divided in three experiments: acute, chronic and chronic ACh. In acute experiment we use Balb/c mice, induce sepsis by CLP in different severities (mild, moderate and severe), 6 hours after CLP was conducted behavioral test SHIRPA and after the animals were sacrificed. In the chronic experiment Balb/c mice were subjected to CLP mild, the SHIRPA was performed 6 hours and 15 days after CLP, and animals were sacrificed 15 days after CLP. In chronic ACh experiment use Balb/c mice that received the drug Donepezil (5 mg/kg/day, orally) seven days before the CLP mild until the day of sacrifice and use too mice homozygous mutants KD VAChT also submitted to CLP mild. The SHIRPA behavioral test was performed 6 hours after CLP and the animals were sacrificed 15 days after CLP. The plasma, spleen and hippocampus were removed in all experiments. The levels of S100? were measured in plasma. The spleens were weighed, and flow cytometry was characterized lymphocytes (cytotoxic T lymphocytes, helper T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, regulatory T cells and Th17 cells) and cell death (apoptosis initial, necrosis and DNA fragmentation). Cytokine levels in the spleen, hippocampus and plasma were determined by ELISA. Our results show that in the acute experiment, 6 hours after CLP encephalopathy is different depending on the severity of sepsis, since the profile of the spleen lymphocytes is not changed by any severity of sepsis. However, the spleen cell activation was shown in this study by variations in the quantity of...