Using a maternal immune stimulation model of schizophrenia to study behavioral and neurobiological alterations over the developmental course.

A growing body of evidence sheds light on the neurodevelopmental nature of schizophrenia with symptoms typically emerging during late adolescence or young adulthood. We compared the pre-symptomatic adolescence period with the full symptomatic period of adulthood at the behavioral and neurobiological level in the poly I:C maternal immune stimulation (MIS) rat model of schizophrenia. We found that in MIS-rats impaired sensorimotor gating, as reflected in disrupted prepusle inhibition (PPI), emerged post-pubertally, with behavioral deficits being only recorded in adulthood but not during adolescence. Using post mortem HPLC we found that MIS-rats show distinct dopamine and serotonin changes in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), nucleus accumbens (Nacc), caudate putamen, globus pallidus, and hippocampus. Further, FDG-PET has shown that these animals had lower glucose uptake in the ventral hippocampus and PFC and a higher metabolism in the amygdala and Nacc when compared to controls. Changes in neurotransmission and metabolic activity varied across brain structures with respect to first appearance and further development. In the mPFC and Hipp, MIS-rats showed abnormal neurochemical and metabolic activity prior to and with the development of behavioral deficits in both adolescent and adult states, reflecting an early impairment of these regions. In contrast, biochemical alteration in the Nacc and globus pallidus developed as a matter of age. Our findings suggest that MIS-induced neurochemical and metabolic changes are neurodevelopmental in nature and either progressive or non-progressive and that the behavioral deficits manifest as these abnormalities increase.

[Resveratrol: a neuroprotective polyphenol in the Mediterranean diet]. / Resveratrol: un polifenol neuroprotector de la dieta mediterranea.

INTRODUCTION: Resveratrol is a polyphenol present in grapes, some nuts and dried fruits, and red wine. A number of beneficial properties have been attributed to this compound. Its potential neuroprotective effects are the subject of much research today. AIM: To review the effects of resveratrol, and more particularly those related to its capacity to offer protection against the neurodegeneration associated with several pathologies and traumatic injuries in the central nervous system. DEVELOPMENT: It has been suggested that the daily consumption of red wine, and therefore of resveratrol, could account for the so-called 'French paradox', according to which the population in the south of France, despite eating a diet that is relatively high in saturated fats, presents a low risk of heart disease. From this first evidence of the cardioprotective properties of resveratrol, its study has been extended and equally attractive biopharmacological effects have now been found in many different fields. Thus, neuroprotective effects have been found in models of neurodegeneration (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, or diverse neuropathies), of ischaemia and of brain and spinal cord injury, but further clinical data are still needed in this regard. CONCLUSIONS: Although few studies have been conducted in humans, recent findings in experimental models of neurological pathology are encouraging and open up the doors to future clinical studies that will allow the therapeutic value of resveratrol to be determined.

Resveratrol: un polifenol neuroprotector de la dieta mediterránea / Resveratrol: a neuroprotective polyphenol in the Mediterranean diet

Introducción. El resveratrol es un polifenol presente en las uvas, algunos frutos secos y el vino tinto. Se han atribuido numerosas propiedades beneficiosas a este compuesto. Sus potenciales efectos neuroprotectores son objeto de numerosos estudios en la actualidad. Objetivo. Revisar los efectos del resveratrol, en particular los relacionados con su capacidad para proteger frente a la neurodegeneración asociada a diversas patologías y a lesiones traumáticas en el sistema nervioso central. Desarrollo. Se ha sugerido que el consumo diario de cantidades moderadas de vino tinto y, por tanto, de resveratrol, explicaría la llamada ‘paradoja francesa’, según la cual la población del sur de Francia, a pesar de consumir una dieta relativamente alta en grasas saturadas, presenta un reducido riesgo de enfermedad coronaria. A partir de estas primeras evidencias de las propiedades cardioprotectoras del resveratrol, se ha extendido su estudio y ya son muchos los campos en los que se han encontrado efectos biofarmacológicos igualmente atractivos, incluyendo efectos neuroprotectores en modelos de neurodegeneración (enfermedad de Alzheimer, de Parkinson o de Huntington, o neuropatías diversas), de isquemia y de lesión cerebral y medular, pero aún faltan estudios clínicos en este sentido. Conclusiones. Aunque los estudios en humanos aún son escasos, los recientes resultados encontrados en los modelos experimentales de patología neurológica son alentadores y abren la puerta a futuros estudios clínicos que permitan determinar la utilidad terapéutica del resveratrol (AU)

Introduction. Resveratrol is a polyphenol present in grapes, some nuts and dried fruits, and red wine. A number of beneficial properties have been attributed to this compound. Its potential neuroprotective effects are the subject of much research today. Aim. To review the effects of resveratrol, and more particularly those related to its capacity to offer protection against the neurodegeneration associated with several pathologies and traumatic injuries in the central nervous system. Development. It has been suggested that the daily consumption of red wine, and therefore of resveratrol, could account for the so-called ‘French paradox’, according to which the population in the south of France, despite eating a diet that is relatively high in saturated fats, presents a low risk of heart disease. From this first evidence of the cardioprotective properties of resveratrol, its study has been extended and equally attractive biopharmacological effects have now been found in many different fields. Thus, neuroprotective effects have been found in models of neurodegeneration (Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s or Huntington’s disease, or diverse neuropathies), of ischaemia and of brain and spinal cord injury, but further clinical data are still needed in this regard. Conclusions. Although few studies have been conducted in humans, recent findings in experimental models of neurological pathology are encouraging and open up the doors to future clinical studies that will allow the therapeutic value of resveratrol to be determined (AU)

Hepatic cells via cava vein can influence allogenic islet rat transplantation.

We have reported, previously, some effect of allogenic hepatic cells for islet tolerance when they are injected mixed (hepatic cells and islets) in different proportions via portal vein, in diabetic Wistar rats. Now we have studied the role of allogenic hepatic cells injected sequentially 15 min before islets, comparing via the portal vein (A and B groups) and via the cava vein (C and D groups) with a control group of islets alone. The allogenic islets were always injected via portal vein, in similar conditions, while the ratio of hepatic cells/islets was 100:1 (A, C groups) or 200:1 (B, D groups). Islets and hepatic cells were obtained from several different rats. The transplanted rats were observed during 30 days and results compared among the different rat groups: porta-porta (P/P), cava-porta (C/P), and control group. Statistically, a significant interaction between type of transplant and proportion of hepatic cells was observed. Also, C plus D groups showed statistical difference with the control group (p < 0.017) and also all the groups together (p < 0.047). These results suggest that hepatic cells can induce, in some cases, islet graft prolongation in Wistar rats. Better results were obtained when hepatic cells were injected via the cava vein than via the portal vein. Because we used a liver cell suspension integrated for several kinds of cells, the study does not clarify if this effect can be related to some specific hepatic cell subpopulation. To confirm the results and to determine if the hypothetical mechanism can be attributed to a block of the immune system or to some factor secreted by hepatic cells, more studies must be performed.

Nefropatía diabética / Diabetic nephropathy

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