Traumatic Brain Injury Alters the Trajectory of Age-Related Mitochondrial Change.

Background: Some epidemiologic studies associate traumatic brain injury (TBI) with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Objective: To test whether a TBI-induced acceleration of age-related mitochondrial change could potentially mediate the reported TBI-AD association. Methods: We administered unilateral controlled cortical impact (CCI) or sham injuries to 5-month-old C57BL/6J and tau transgenic rTg4510 mice. In the non-transgenics, we assessed behavior (1-5 days, 1 month, and 15 months), lesion size (1 and 15 months), respiratory chain enzymes (1 and 15 months), and mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNAcn) (1 and 15 months) after CCI/sham. In the transgenics we quantified post-injury mtDNAcn and tangle burden. Results: In the non-transgenics CCI caused acute behavioral deficits that improved or resolved by 1-month post-injury. Protein-normalized complex I and cytochrome oxidase activities were not significantly altered at 1 or 15 months, although complex I activity in the CCI ipsilesional cortex declined during that period. Hippocampal mtDNAcn was not altered by injury at 1 month, increased with age, and rose to the greatest extent in the CCI contralesional hippocampus. In the injured then aged transgenics, the ipsilesional hippocampus contained less mtDNA and fewer tangles than the contralesional hippocampus; mtDNAcn and tangle counts did not correlate. Conclusions: As mice age their brains increase mtDNAcn as part of a compensatory response that preserves mitochondrial function, and TBI enhances this response. TBI may, therefore, increase the amount of compensation required to preserve late-life mitochondrial function. If TBI does modify AD risk, altering the trajectory or biology of aging-related mitochondrial changes could mediate the effect.

Chemical modification of paclitaxel (Taxol) reduces P-glycoprotein interactions and increases permeation across the blood-brain barrier in vitro and in situ.

The purpose of this work was to introduce a chemical modification into the paclitaxel (Taxol) structure to reduce interactions with the product of the multidrug resistant type 1 (MDR1) gene, P-glycoprotein (Pgp), resulting in improved blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability. Specifically, a taxane analogue, Tx-67, with a succinate group added at the C10 position of Taxol, was synthesized and identified as such a candidate. In comparison studies, Tx-67 had no apparent interactions with Pgp, as demonstrated by the lack of enhanced uptake of rhodamine 123 by brain microvessel endothelial cells (BMECs) in the presence of the agent. By contrast, Taxol exposure substantially enhanced rhodamine 123 uptake by BMECs through inhibition of Pgp. The transport across BMEC monolayers was polarized for both Tx-67 and Taxol with permeation in the apical to basolateral direction greater for Tx-67 and substantially reduced for Taxol relative to basolateral to apical permeation. Taxol and cyclosporin A treatments also did not enhance Tx-67 permeation across BMEC monolayers. In an in situ rat brain perfusion study, Tx-67 was demonstrated to permeate across the BBB at a greater rate than Taxol. These results demonstrate that the Taxol analogue Tx-67 had a reduced interaction with Pgp and, as a consequence, enhanced permeation across the blood-brain barrier in vitro and in situ.

TCP-FA4: a derivative of tranylcypromine showing improved blood-brain permeability.

A variety of approaches have been taken to improve the brain penetration of pharmaceutical agents. The amphipathic character of a compound can improve its interaction with the lipid bilayer within cell membranes, and as a result improve permeability. Fatty acid chains or lipoamino acids of various lengths were attached to tranylcypromine (TCP), in an attempt to improve the blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability by increasing the lipophilicity as well as the amphiphatic character of the drug. TCP-FA4, one of the derivatives containing a four carbon alkyl acid chain, showed the greatest improvement in permeability. This molecule was slightly neuroprotective in a beta-amyloid-induced neurodegeneration assay and may also be capable of upregulating brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as indicated by cell culture assays using human umbilical vein endothelial cells. Since decreased levels of BDNF are observed in many CNS disorders, and direct injection of BDNF is not a viable option due to its poor permeability across the BBB, small molecules capable of regulating BDNF that also cross the BBB may be an interesting treatment option.

(3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-Bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol, a novel neuroprotective agent.

Compounds that interact with microtubules, such as paclitaxel, have been shown to possess protective properties against beta-amyloid (Abeta) induced neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease. In this work, the novel agent (3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol was investigated for effectiveness in protecting neurons against several toxic stimuli and its interaction with the microtubule network. Exposure of neuronal cultures to Abeta peptide in the presence of 5 nM (3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol resulted in a 50% increase in survival. Neuronal cultures treated with other toxic stimuli such as staurosporine, thapsigargin, paraquat, and H(2)O(2) showed significantly enhanced survival in the presence of (3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol. Microtubule binding and tubulin assembly studies revealed differences compared to paclitaxel but confirmed the interaction of (3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol with microtubules. Furthermore, in vitro studies using bovine brain microvessel endothelial cells experiments suggest that (3R,5S,7as)-(3,5-bis(4-fluorophenyl)tetrahydro-1H-oxazolo[3,4-c]oxazol-7a-yl)methanol can readily cross the blood-brain barrier in a passive manner.