[Neuroprotective mechanisms of the ubiquinol action in experimental focal ischemia]. / Issledovanie neiroprotektornykh mekhanizmov deistviia ubikhinola pri éksperimental'noi fokal'noi ishemii.

Ischemic stroke is one of the most socially important diseases characterized by impaired cerebral circulation with focal damage of the brain tissue and decreased functionality. Despite the successes of modern pharmacology, possibilities of pharmacotherapy for stroke remain limited, and the research for new drugs with neuroprotective effects that can prevent brain cell death is still relevant. In this study we have investigated the neuroprotective activity of ubiquinol as a part of an innovative form on a rat model of irreversible 24 h-cerebral ischemia with evaluation of the mechanisms of its neuroprotective effect. Ubiquinol (30 mg/kg), administered intravenously in the acute period of irreversible 24 h focal cerebral ischemia, had a direct neuroprotective effect, characterized by a decrease in the volume of brain tissue necrosis. The protective effect of ubiquinol is due to its ability to inhibit the development of oxidative stress by the direct anti-radical action, preventing the increase in the lipid hydroperoxide content in the brain tissue adjacent to the focus of necrosis, lowering the lipid oxidation rate in plasma against under conditions of increased total antioxidant activity in the brain and blood of experimental animals. In vitro experiments have shown the ability of ubiquinol to prevent cell death in primary culture of cerebral neurons of rat brain under 4 h oxygen/glucose deprivation followed by 20 h reoxygenation.

Carnosine as an effective neuroprotector in brain pathology and potential neuromodulator in normal conditions.

Carnosine (b-alanyl-L-histidine) is an endogenous dipeptide widely distributed in excitable tissues, such as muscle and neural tissues-though in minor concentrations in the latter. Multiple benefits have been attributed to carnosine: direct and indirect antioxidant effect, antiglycating, metal-chelating, chaperone and pH-buffering activity. Thus, carnosine turns out to be a multipotent protector against oxidative damage. However, the role of carnosine in the brain remains unclear. The key aspects concerning carnosine in the brain reviewed are as follows: its concentration and bioavailability, mechanisms of action in neuronal and glial cells, beneficial effects in human studies. Recent literature data and the results of our own research are summarized here. This review covers studies of carnosine effects on both in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral damage, such as neurodegenerative disorders and ischemic injuries and the data on its physiological actions on neuronal signaling and cerebral functions. Besides its antioxidant and homeostatic properties, new potential roles of carnosine in the brain are discussed.

[Lipoilcarnosine: synthesis, study of physico-chemical and antioxidant properties, biological activity]. / Lipoilkarnozin: sintez, izuchenie fiziko-khimicheskikh i antioksidantnykh svoistv, biologicheskaia aktivnost'.

Synthesis of lipoilcarnosine (LipC) - a conjugated molecule based on two natural antioxidants, carnosine and a-lipoic acid, is described. Its physico-chemical, antioxidant properties and biological activity are characterized. According to reversed-phase HPLC with a UV detector, purity of the final product was 89.3%. The individuality of the obtained sodium salt of LipC was confirmed by tandem HPLC-mass spectrometry. High resistance of LipC to hydrolysis with serum carnosinase was demonstrated. The antioxidant activity of LipC measured by reaction with the formation of thiobarbituric acid reacting substances and kinetic parameters of iron-induced chemiluminescence was higher than that of carnosine and lipoic acid. LipC did not affect viability of SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma culture cells, differentiated towards the dopaminergic type, at concentrations not exceeding 5 mM. At the concentration range of 0.1-0.25 mM LipC protected neuronal cells against 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP + )-induced toxicity.

Comparative Action of Cardiotonic Steroids on Intracellular Processes in Rat Cortical Neurons.

Binding to Na+,K+-ATPase, cardiotonic steroids (CTS) activate intracellular signaling cascades that affect gene expression and regulation of proliferation and apoptosis in cells. Ouabain is the main CTS used for studying these processes. The effects of other CTS on nervous tissue are practically uncharacterized. Previously, we have shown that ouabain affects the activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAP kinases) ERK1/2, p38, and JNK. In this study, we compared the effects of digoxin and bufalin, which belong to different subclasses of CTS, on primary culture of rat cortical cells. We found that CTS toxicity is not directly related to the degree of Na+,K+-ATPase inhibition, and that bufalin and digoxin, like ouabain, are capable of activating ERK1/2 and p38, but with different concentration and time profiles. Unlike bufalin and ouabain, digoxin did not decrease JNK activation after long-term incubation. We concluded that the toxic effect of CTS in concentrations that inhibit less than 80% of Na+,K+-ATPase activity is related to ERK1/2 activation as well as the complex profile of MAP kinase activation. A direct correlation between Na+,K+-ATPase inhibition and the degree of MAP kinase activation is only observed for ERK1/2. The different action of the three CTS on JNK and p38 activation may indicate that it is associated with intracellular signaling cascades triggered by protein-protein interactions between Na+,K+-ATPase and various partner proteins. Activation of MAP kinase pathways by these CTS occurs at concentrations that inhibit Na+,K+-ATPase containing the α1 subunit, suggesting that these signaling cascades are realized via α1. The results show that the signaling processes in neurons caused by CTS can differ not only because of different inhibitory constants for Na+,K+-ATPase.

Neuroprotective Effect of Carnosine on Primary Culture of Rat Cerebellar Cells under Oxidative Stress.

Dipeptide carnosine (ß-alanyl-L-histidine) is a natural antioxidant, but its protective effect under oxidative stress induced by neurotoxins is studied insufficiently. In this work, we show the neuroprotective effect of carnosine in primary cultures of rat cerebellar cells under oxidative stress induced by 1 mM 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (AAPH), which directly generates free radicals both in the medium and in the cells, and 20 nM rotenone, which increases the amount of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). In both models, adding 2 mM carnosine to the incubation medium decreased cell death calculated using fluorescence microscopy and enhanced cell viability estimated by the MTT assay. The antioxidant effect of carnosine inside cultured cells was demonstrated using the fluorescence probe dichlorofluorescein. Carnosine reduced by half the increase in the number of ROS in neurons induced by 20 nM rotenone. Using iron-induced chemiluminescence, we showed that preincubation of primary neuronal cultures with 2 mM carnosine prevents the decrease in endogenous antioxidant potential of cells induced by 1 mM AAPH and 20 nM rotenone. Using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, we showed that a 10-min incubation of neuronal cultures with 2 mM carnosine leads to a 14.5-fold increase in carnosine content in cell lysates. Thus, carnosine is able to penetrate neurons and exerts an antioxidant effect. Western blot analysis revealed the presence of the peptide transporter PEPT2 in rat cerebellar cells, which suggests the possibility of carnosine transport into the cells. At the same time, Western blot analysis showed no carnosine-induced changes in the level of apoptosis regulating proteins of the Bcl-2 family and in the phosphorylation of MAP kinases, which suggests that carnosine could have minimal or no side effects on proliferation and apoptosis control systems in normal cells.

[Experimental study of the basic pharmacokinetic characteristics of dipeptide carnosine and its efficiency of penetration into brain tissues].

We have used an original chromatography/mass spectrometry technique to study the pharmacokinetics of dipeptide carnosine in C57 Black/6 mice after intra-peritoneal administration of the drug at a dose of 1 g/kg. The basic pharmacokinetic characteristics of carnosine were measured the in the blood and brain. The obtained concentration-time curve has a biexponential character. It is shown that the maximum concentration of carnosine in the blood plasma is Cmax = 1081.75 ± 124.24 µg/mL and it is achieved in a time interval of Tmax = 0.25 h. We showed that i.p. administration of exogenous carnosine could significantly increase the concentration of that substance in the brain. Tissue availability of dipeptide carnosine for brain tissue is relatively good and constitutes 59% from the total amount of blood carnosine. It was found that the maximum concentration of carnosine in the brain occurs at the sixth hour after i.p. administration when the concentration of drug in the blood is minimal.