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1.
Mol Psychiatry ; 2024 May 08.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38719894

ABSTRACT

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a hypermnesic condition that develops in a subset of individuals following exposure to severe trauma. PTSD symptoms are debilitating, and include increased anxiety, abnormal threat generalization, and impaired extinction. In developing treatment strategies for PTSD, preclinical studies in rodents have largely focused on interventions that target post-encoding memory processes such as reconsolidation and extinction. Instead, here we focus on forgetting, another post-encoding process that regulates memory expression. Using a double trauma murine model for PTSD, we asked whether promoting neurogenesis-mediated forgetting can weaken trauma memories and associated PTSD-relevant behavioral phenotypes. In the double trauma paradigm, consecutive aversive experiences lead to a constellation of behavioral phenotypes associated with PTSD including increases in anxiety-like behavior, abnormal threat generalization, and deficient extinction. We found that post-training interventions that elevate hippocampal neurogenesis weakened the original trauma memory and decreased these PTSD-relevant phenotypes. These effects were observed using multiple methods to manipulate hippocampal neurogenesis, including interventions restricted to neural progenitor cells that selectively promoted integration of adult-generated granule cells into hippocampal circuits. The same interventions also weakened cocaine place preference memories, suggesting that promoting hippocampal neurogenesis may represent a broadly useful approach in hypermnesic conditions such as PTSD and substance abuse disorders.

2.
CNS Drugs ; 38(2): 141-151, 2024 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38265735

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Most second and third generation antiseizure medications (ASMs) are associated with cognitive adverse events, which are a major concern for patients. However, the profile of cognitive adverse events differs between ASMs. This study investigated the effects of cenobamate on cognition in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) within the Spanish Expanded Access Program (EAP). METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study. Inclusion criteria were age ≥ 18 years, DRE with focal seizures, and availability of cognition assessments and EAP authorization. Data were sourced from the clinical records of patients who took part in the Spanish cenobamate EAP. Primary endpoints included cognition (based on 20 neuropsychological outcomes, including verbal and visuospatial episodic memory, verbal fluency, executive function, working memory, attention, and speed of processing), seizure frequency, and concomitant antiseizure medication (ASM) usage at 6 months. RESULTS: The study included 20 patients; 10 patients (50%) had daily seizures, 7 (35%) had weekly seizures and 3 (15%) had monthly seizures. The median number of prior antiseizure medications (ASMs) and concomitant ASMs were 10 and 3, respectively. Mean cenobamate doses were 12.5 mg/day at baseline and 191.2 mg/day at 6 months. There was a statistically significant improvement in cognitive scores between baseline and 6 months for two measures of verbal episodic memory (p = 0.0056 and p = 0.0013) and one measure of visuospatial episodic memory (p = 0.011), and a significant worsening in cognitive score for attention (p = 0.030). At 6 months, 14 patients (70%) had a ≥ 50% reduction in seizure frequency, 3 patients (15%) had a ≥ 90% reduction, and 1 patient (5%) was seizure free. There were significant decreases in the mean number of concomitant ASMs (p = 0.0009), the sum of the ratios of prescribing daily dose/daily defined dose (total ratio of DDD) for concomitant ASMs (p < 0.0001), and concomitant ASM drug load (p = 0.038) between baseline and 6 months. Total ratio of DDD was significantly lower at 6 months for perampanel (p = 0.0016), benzodiazepines (p = 0.035), and sodium channel blockers (p = 0.0005) compared with baseline. Based on analysis of covariance, cognitive tests related to verbal or visuospatial episodic memory (e.g., RT of FCSRT, or ROCFT), executive functions (e.g., TMT-B), and processing speed (some 5-Digit Test subtests) appeared to be closely related to the reduction in pharmacological burden rather than the improvement in seizure control. CONCLUSIONS: Significant improvements in cognition, seizure frequency, and concomitant ASM usage were observed after the introduction of cenobamate in patients with DRE in a real-world setting. Covariance analysis supports the reduction in concomitant ASMs as the most important factor driving cognitive improvements with cenobamate. As this was an exploratory study with an uncontrolled, retrospective design and a low number of patients, further studies are required to confirm the findings.


Subject(s)
Carbamates , Chlorophenols , Drug Resistant Epilepsy , Tetrazoles , Humans , Adolescent , Retrospective Studies , Drug Resistant Epilepsy/drug therapy , Seizures/drug therapy , Cognition , Anticonvulsants/adverse effects , Treatment Outcome
3.
BMJ Open ; 14(1): e081158, 2024 01 24.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38267242

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: Reducing backlogs for elective care is a priority for healthcare systems. We conducted an interrupted time series analysis demonstrating the effect of an algorithm for placing automatic test order sets prior to first specialist appointment on avoidable follow-up appointments and attendance rates. DESIGN: Interrupted time series analysis. SETTING: 4 academic hospitals from Madrid, Spain. PARTICIPANTS: Patients referred from primary care attending 10 033 470 outpatient appointments from 16 clinical specialties during a 6-year period (1 January 2018 to 30 June 2023). INTERVENTION: An algorithm using natural language processing was launched in May 2021. Test order sets developed for 257 presenting complaints from 16 clinical specialties were placed automatically before first specialist appointments to increase rates of diagnosis and initiation of treatment with discharge back to primary care. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcomes included rate of diagnosis and discharge to primary care and follow-up to first appointment index. The secondary outcome was trend in 'did not attend' rates. RESULTS: Since May 2021, a total of 1 175 814 automatic test orders have been placed. Significant changes in trend of diagnosis and discharge to primary care at first appointment (p=0.005, 95% CI 0.5 to 2.9) and 'did not attend' rates (p=0.006, 95% CI -0.1 to -0.8) and an estimated attributable reduction of 11 306 avoidable follow-up appointments per month were observed. CONCLUSION: An algorithm for placing automatic standardised test order sets can reduce low-value follow-up appointments by allowing specialists to confirm diagnoses and initiate treatment at first appointment, also leading to early discharge to primary care and a reduction in 'did not attend' rates. This initiative points to an improved process for outpatient diagnosis and treatment, delivering healthcare more effectively and efficiently.


Subject(s)
Body Fluids , Hospitals, Teaching , Humans , Interrupted Time Series Analysis , Algorithms , Cognition
4.
Stroke ; 54(10): 2652-2665, 2023 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37694402

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Cognitive dysfunction is a frequent stroke sequela, but its pathogenesis and treatment remain unresolved. Involvement of aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis and maladaptive circuitry remodeling has been proposed, but their mechanisms are unknown. Our aim was to evaluate potential underlying molecular/cellular events implicated. METHODS: Stroke was induced by permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery occlusion in 2-month-old C57BL/6 male mice. Hippocampal metabolites/neurotransmitters were analyzed longitudinally by in vivo magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Cognitive function was evaluated with the contextual fear conditioning test. Microglia, astrocytes, neuroblasts, interneurons, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and c-fos were analyzed by immunofluorescence. RESULTS: Approximately 50% of mice exhibited progressive post-middle cerebral artery occlusion cognitive impairment. Notably, immature hippocampal neurons in the impaired group displayed more severe aberrant phenotypes than those from the nonimpaired group. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy, significant bilateral changes in hippocampal metabolites, such as myo-inositol or N-acetylaspartic acid, were found that correlated, respectively, with numbers of glia and immature neuroblasts in the ischemic group. Importantly, some metabolites were specifically altered in the ipsilateral hippocampus suggesting its involvement in aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis and remodeling processes. Specifically, middle cerebral artery occlusion animals with higher hippocampal GABA levels displayed worse cognitive outcome. Implication of GABA in this setting was supported by the amelioration of ischemia-induced memory deficits and aberrant hippocampal neurogenesis after blocking pharmacologically GABAergic neurotransmission, an intervention which was ineffective when neurogenesis was inhibited. These data suggest that GABA exerts its detrimental effect, at least partly, by affecting morphology and integration of newborn neurons into the hippocampal circuits. CONCLUSIONS: Hippocampal GABAergic neurotransmission could be considered a novel diagnostic and therapeutic target for poststroke cognitive impairment.


Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction , Stroke , Male , Animals , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery , Cognitive Dysfunction/etiology , Hippocampus , Neurogenesis
5.
Stroke ; 50(10): 2922-2932, 2019 10.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31451099

ABSTRACT

Background and Purpose- After stroke, the population of infiltrated neutrophils in the brain is heterogeneous, including a population of alternative neutrophils (N2) that express M2 phenotype markers. We explored the role of TLR4 (toll-like receptor 4) on neutrophil infiltration and polarization in this setting. Methods- Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery occlusion in TLR4-KO and WT (wild type) mice. Infarct size was measured by Nissl staining and magnetic resonance imaging. Leukocyte infiltration was quantified 48 hours after middle cerebral artery occlusion by immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. To elucidate mechanisms underlying TLR4-mediated N2 phenotype, a cDNA microarray analysis was performed in neutrophils isolated from blood 48 hours after stroke in WT and TLR4-KO mice. Results- As demonstrated previously, TLR4-deficient mice presented lesser infarct volumes than WT mice. TLR4-deficient mice showed higher density of infiltrated neutrophils 48 hours after stroke compared with WT mice, concomitantly to neuroprotection. Furthermore, cytometric and stereological analyses revealed an increased number of N2 neutrophils (YM1+ cells) into the ischemic core in TLR4-deficient mice, suggesting a protective effect of this neutrophil subset that was corroborated by depleting peripheral neutrophils or using mice with TLR4 genetically ablated in the myeloid lineage. Finally, cDNA microarray analysis in neutrophils, confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction, showed that TLR4 modulates several pathways associated with ischemia-induced inflammation, migration of neutrophils into the parenchyma, and their functional priming, which might explain the opposite effect on outcome of the different neutrophil subsets. Conclusions- TLR4 deficiency increased the levels of alternative neutrophils (N2)-an effect associated with neuroprotection after stroke-supporting that modulation of neutrophil polarization is a major target of TLR4 and highlighting the crucial role of TLR4 at the peripheral level after stroke. Visual Overview- An online visual overview is available for this article.


Subject(s)
Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/pathology , Neutrophil Infiltration/physiology , Neutrophils/metabolism , Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism , Animals , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/immunology , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Neutrophils/cytology , Phenotype
6.
J Clin Invest ; 129(4): 1536-1550, 2019 04 01.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30676325

ABSTRACT

Poststroke cognitive impairment is considered one of the main complications during the chronic phase of ischemic stroke. In the adult brain, the hippocampus regulates both encoding and retrieval of new information through adult neurogenesis. Nevertheless, the lack of predictive models and studies based on the forgetting processes hinders the understanding of memory alterations after stroke. Our aim was to explore whether poststroke neurogenesis participates in the development of long-term memory impairment. Here, we show a hippocampal neurogenesis burst that persisted 1 month after stroke and that correlated with an impaired contextual and spatial memory performance. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the enhancement of hippocampal neurogenesis after stroke by physical activity or memantine treatment weakened existing memories. More importantly, stroke-induced newborn neurons promoted an aberrant hippocampal circuitry remodeling with differential features at ipsi- and contralesional levels. Strikingly, inhibition of stroke-induced hippocampal neurogenesis by temozolomide treatment or using a genetic approach (Nestin-CreERT2/NSE-DTA mice) impeded the forgetting of old memories. These results suggest that hippocampal neurogenesis modulation could be considered as a potential approach for treatment of poststroke cognitive impairment.


Subject(s)
Cognitive Dysfunction/drug therapy , Hippocampus/metabolism , Neurogenesis/drug effects , Spatial Memory/drug effects , Stroke/drug therapy , Temozolomide/pharmacology , Animals , Cognitive Dysfunction/genetics , Cognitive Dysfunction/metabolism , Cognitive Dysfunction/physiopathology , Hippocampus/physiopathology , Male , Mice , Mice, Transgenic , Stroke/genetics , Stroke/metabolism , Stroke/physiopathology
7.
eNeuro ; 5(4)2018.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-30225360

ABSTRACT

Newborn granule cells are continuously produced in the subgranular zone of dentate gyrus throughout life. Once these cells mature, they integrate into pre-existing circuits modulating hippocampus-dependent memory. Subsequently, mechanisms controlling generation and maturation of newborn cells are essential for proper hippocampal function. Therefore, we have studied the role of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), a ligand-activated bHLH-PAS transcription factor, in hippocampus-dependent memory and granule neuronal morphology and function using genetic loss-of-function approaches based on constitutive and inducible-nestin AhR-/- mice. The results presented here show that the impaired hippocampus-dependent memory in AhR absence is not due to its effects on neurogenesis but to aberrant dendritic arborization and an increased spine density, albeit with a lower number of mature mushrooms spines in newborn granule cells, a finding that is associated with an immature electrophysiological phenotype. Together, our data strongly suggest that AhR plays a pivotal role in the regulation of hippocampal function, by controlling hippocampal granule neuron morphology and synaptic maturation.


Subject(s)
Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/physiology , Dendritic Spines/physiology , Dentate Gyrus/cytology , Dentate Gyrus/physiopathology , Memory Disorders , Morphogenesis/physiology , Neurogenesis/physiology , Neuronal Plasticity/physiology , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/physiology , Animals , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/deficiency , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/genetics , Male , Memory Disorders/genetics , Memory Disorders/pathology , Memory Disorders/physiopathology , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/deficiency , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/genetics
8.
Curr Biol ; 28(14): 2283-2290.e3, 2018 07 23.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-29983316

ABSTRACT

Hippocampus-dependent, event-related memories formed in early infancy in human and non-human animals are rapidly forgotten. Recently we found that high levels of hippocampal neurogenesis contribute to accelerated rates of forgetting during infancy. Here, we ask whether these memories formed in infancy are permanently erased (i.e., storage failure) or become progressively inaccessible with time (i.e., retrieval failure). To do this, we developed an optogenetic strategy that allowed us to permanently express channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) in neuronal ensembles that were activated during contextual fear encoding in infant mice. We then asked whether reactivation of ChR2-tagged ensembles in the dentate gyrus was sufficient for memory recovery in adulthood. We found that optogenetic stimulation of tagged dentate gyrus neurons recovered "lost" infant memories up to 3 months following training and that memory recovery was associated with broader reactivation of tagged hippocampal and cortical neuronal ensembles.


Subject(s)
Amnesia/physiopathology , Channelrhodopsins/genetics , Dentate Gyrus/physiology , Fear/physiology , Memory/physiology , Age Factors , Amnesia/genetics , Animals , Channelrhodopsins/metabolism , Female , Male , Mice , Optogenetics
9.
Stroke ; 48(6): 1695-1699, 2017 06.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-28428349

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Hemorrhagic transformation is the main complication of revascularization therapies after stroke. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is implicated in cerebral damage and inflammation in stroke. This study was designed to determine the role of TLR4 in hemorrhagic transformation development after tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration. METHODS: Mice expressing (TLR4+/+) or lacking functional TLR4 (TLR4-/-) were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion using an in situ thromboembolic model by thrombin injection into the middle cerebral artery, and tPA (10 mg/kg) was administered 20 minutes or 3 hours after ischemia. Infarct size, hemorrhages, IgG extravasation, matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression, and neutrophil infiltration were assessed 24 hours after ischemia. RESULTS: In TLR4+/+, early reperfusion (tPA at 20 minutes) resulted infarct volume, whereas late recanalization (tPA at 3 hours) did not modify lesion size and increased the rate of the most severe hemorrhages. In TLR4-/- mice, both early and late reperfusion did not modify lesion size. Importantly, late tPA administration did not result in worse hemorrhages and in an increased bleeding area as occurred in TLR4+/+ group. In TLR4-/- animals, late reperfusion produced a lesser increase in matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression when compared with TLR4+/+ animals. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate TLR4 involvement in hemorrhagic transformation induced by delayed tPA administration, very likely by increasing matrix metalloproteinase 9 expression.


Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/drug therapy , Cerebral Hemorrhage/metabolism , Fibrinolytic Agents/pharmacology , Stroke/drug therapy , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/pharmacology , Toll-Like Receptor 4/metabolism , Animals , Brain Ischemia/etiology , Brain Ischemia/metabolism , Cerebral Hemorrhage/chemically induced , Cerebral Infarction/drug therapy , Cerebral Infarction/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Fibrinolytic Agents/administration & dosage , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/complications , Intracranial Embolism/complications , Intracranial Thrombosis/complications , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Transgenic , Stroke/etiology , Stroke/metabolism , Time Factors , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/administration & dosage
10.
Curr Pharm Des ; 22(8): 1060-73, 2016.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25248805

ABSTRACT

Kynurenines are a wide range of catabolites which derive from tryptophan through the "Kynurenine Pathway" (KP). In addition to its peripheral role, increasing evidence shows a role of the KP in the central nervous system (CNS), mediating both physiological and pathological functions. Indeed, an imbalance in this route has been associated with several neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer´s and Huntington´s diseases. Altered KP catabolism has also been described during both acute and chronic phases of stroke; however the contribution of the KP to the pathophysiology of acute ischemic damage and of post-stroke disorders during the chronic phase including depression and vascular dementia, and the exact mechanisms implicated in the regulation of the KP after stroke are not well established yet. A better understanding of the regulation and activity of the KP after stroke could provide new pharmacological tools in both acute and chronic phases of stroke. In this review, we will make an overview of CNS modulation by the KP. We will detail the KP contribution in the ischemic damage, how the unbalance of the KP might trigger an alteration of the cognitive function after stroke as well as potential targets for the development of new drugs.


Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/physiopathology , Kynurenine/metabolism , Metabolic Networks and Pathways , Tryptophan/metabolism , Acute Disease , Chronic Disease , Humans
11.
Circulation ; 130(23): 2040-51, 2014 Dec 02.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25359166

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a transcription factor that belongs to the basic helix-loop-helix PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim homology domain) family known to mediate the toxic and carcinogenic effects of xenobiotics. Interestingly, AhR is widely expressed in the central nervous system, but its physiological and pathological roles are still unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS: To define the role of AhR in stroke, we used middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice and oxygen-glucose deprivation in rat cortical neurons. The results presented here show that the ischemic insult increases total and nuclear AhR levels and AhR transcriptional activity in neurons in vivo and in vitro. We also show that AhR has a causal role in acute ischemic damage because pharmacological or genetic loss-of-function approaches result in neuroprotection. Inhibition of cAMP response element-binding protein-dependent signaling may participate in the deleterious actions of AhR. Finally, we have also found that L-kynurenine, a tryptophan metabolite with AhR agonistic properties, is an endogenous ligand that mediates AhR activation in the brain after middle cerebral artery occlusion. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate that an L-kynurenine/AhR pathway mediates acute brain damage after stroke and open new possibilities for the diagnosis and treatment of this pathology.


Subject(s)
Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/metabolism , Brain Ischemia/metabolism , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/metabolism , Kynurenine/metabolism , Neurons/metabolism , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/metabolism , Animals , Azo Compounds/pharmacology , Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors/genetics , Brain/metabolism , Brain/pathology , Brain Ischemia/genetics , Brain Ischemia/pathology , Disease Models, Animal , Flavones/pharmacology , Humans , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/genetics , Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery/pathology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Mice, Knockout , Neurons/cytology , Primary Cell Culture , Pyrazoles/pharmacology , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/antagonists & inhibitors , Receptors, Aryl Hydrocarbon/genetics , Signal Transduction/physiology , Transcriptional Activation/physiology , Young Adult
12.
J Leukoc Biol ; 95(4): 587-98, 2014 Apr.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-24338629

ABSTRACT

PPARγ-achieved neuroprotection in experimental stroke has been explained by the inhibition of inflammatory genes, an action in which 5-LO, Alox5, is involved. In addition, PPARγ is known to promote the expression of CD36, a scavenger receptor that binds lipoproteins and mediates bacterial recognition and also phagocytosis. As phagocytic clearance of neutrophils is a requisite for resolution of the inflammatory response, PPARγ-induced CD36 expression might help to limit inflammatory tissue injury in stroke, an effect in which 5-LO might also be involved. Homogenates, sections, and cellular suspensions were prepared from brains of WT and Alox5(-/-) mice exposed to distal pMCAO. BMMs were obtained from Lys-M Cre(+) PPARγ(f/f) and Lys-M Cre(-) PPARγ(f/f) mice. Stereological counting of double-immunofluorescence-labeled brain sections and FACS analysis of cell suspensions was performed. In vivo and in vitro phagocytosis of neutrophils by microglia/macrophages was analyzed. PPARγ activation with RSG induced CD36 expression in resident microglia. This process was mediated by the 5-LO gene, which is induced in neurons by PPARγ activation and at least by one of its products--LXA4--which induced CD36 independently of PPARγ. Moreover, CD36 expression helped resolution of inflammation through phagocytosis, concomitantly to neuroprotection. Based on these findings, in addition to a direct modulation by PPARγ, we propose in brain a paracrine model by which products generated by neuronal 5-LO, such as LXA4, increase the microglial expression of CD36 and promote tissue repair in pathologies with an inflammatory component, such as stroke.


Subject(s)
Arachidonate 5-Lipoxygenase/physiology , CD36 Antigens/physiology , Hypoglycemic Agents/pharmacology , Inflammation/immunology , Neutrophils/immunology , PPAR gamma/physiology , Thiazolidinediones/pharmacology , Animals , Brain Ischemia/immunology , CD36 Antigens/analysis , Cells, Cultured , Lipoxins/biosynthesis , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , PPAR gamma/agonists , Phagocytosis , Rats , Rosiglitazone , Up-Regulation
13.
J Vis Exp ; (94)2014 Dec 28.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-25590380

ABSTRACT

Microglia activation, as well as extravasation of haematogenous macrophages and neutrophils, is believed to play a pivotal role in brain injury after stroke. These myeloid cell subpopulations can display different phenotypes and functions and need to be distinguished and characterized to study their regulation and contribution to tissue damage. This protocol provides two different methodologies for brain immune cell characterization: a precise stereological approach and a flow cytometric analysis. The stereological approach is based on the optical fractionator method, which calculates the total number of cells in an area of interest (infarcted brain) estimated by a systematic random sampling. The second characterization approach provides a simple way to isolate brain leukocyte suspensions and to characterize them by flow cytometry, allowing for the characterization of microglia, infiltrated monocytes and neutrophils of the ischemic tissue. In addition, it also details a cerebral ischemia model in mice that exclusively affects brain cortex, generating highly reproducible infarcts with a low rate of mortality, and the procedure for histological brain processing to characterize infarct volume by the Cavalieri method.


Subject(s)
Brain Ischemia/blood , Brain Ischemia/pathology , Flow Cytometry/methods , Leukocytes/pathology , Animals , Disease Models, Animal , Ischemic Attack, Transient/blood , Ischemic Attack, Transient/pathology , Mice , Microglia/pathology , Monocytes/pathology , Myeloid Cells/pathology , Neutrophils/pathology
14.
PLoS One ; 8(6): e66281, 2013.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-23750284

ABSTRACT

Ewing sarcoma is the second most common bone malignancy in children and young adults. It is driven by oncogenic fusion proteins (i.e. EWS/FLI1) acting as aberrant transcription factors that upregulate and downregulate target genes, leading to cellular transformation. Thus, identificating these target genes and understanding their contribution to Ewing sarcoma tumorigenesis are key for the development of new therapeutic strategies. In this study we show that lysyl oxidase (LOX), an enzyme involved in maintaining structural integrity of the extracellular matrix, is downregulated by the EWS/FLI1 oncoprotein and in consequence it is not expressed in Ewing sarcoma cells and primary tumors. Using a doxycycline inducible system to restore LOX expression in an Ewing sarcoma derived cell line, we showed that LOX displays tumor suppressor activities. Interestingly, we showed that the tumor suppressor activity resides in the propeptide domain of LOX (LOX-PP), an N-terminal domain produced by proteolytic cleavage during the physiological processing of LOX. Expression of LOX-PP reduced cell proliferation, cell migration, anchorage-independent growth in soft agar and formation of tumors in immunodeficient mice. By contrast, the C-terminal domain of LOX, which contains the enzymatic activity, had the opposite effects, corroborating that the tumor suppressor activity of LOX is mediated exclusively by its propeptide domain. Finally, we showed that LOX-PP inhibits ERK/MAPK signalling pathway, and that many pathways involved in cell cycle progression were significantly deregulated by LOX-PP, providing a mechanistic explanation to the cell proliferation inhibition observed upon LOX-PP expression. In summary, our observations indicate that deregulation of the LOX gene participates in Ewing sarcoma development and identify LOX-PP as a new therapeutic target for one of the most aggressive paediatric malignancies. These findings suggest that therapeutic strategies based on the administration of LOX propeptide or functional analogues could be useful for the treatment of this devastating paediatric cancer.


Subject(s)
Down-Regulation , Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism , Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase/chemistry , Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase/genetics , Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/metabolism , RNA-Binding Protein EWS/metabolism , Sarcoma, Ewing/pathology , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/chemistry , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/genetics , Animals , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Humans , Mice , Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/chemistry , Protein Structure, Tertiary , Protein-Lysine 6-Oxidase/metabolism , Proto-Oncogene Protein c-fli-1/chemistry , RNA-Binding Protein EWS/chemistry , Tumor Suppressor Proteins/metabolism
15.
Patholog Res Int ; 2011: 191274, 2011 Feb 09.
Article in English | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-21437182

ABSTRACT

A unique case of metaplastic breast carcinoma with an epithelial component showing tumoral necrosis and neuroectodermal stromal component is described. The tumor grew rapidly and measured 9 cm at the time of diagnosis. No lymph node metastases were present. The disease progressed rapidly and the patient died two years after the diagnosis from a hemorrhage caused by brain metastases. The morphology and phenotype of the tumor are described in detail and the differential diagnostic options are discussed.

16.
Santiago de Chile; s.n; 2010. 50 p. tab, graf, ilus.
Thesis in Spanish | LILACS, MOSAICO - Integrative health | ID: biblio-878510

ABSTRACT

Los estrógenos ejercen diversas acciones biológicas que incluyen proliferación y diferenciación de un gran número de células. Las actividades biológicas de los estrógenos son mediadas a través de dos receptores estrogénicos (RE) distintos, REα y REß, los que son miembros de una superfamilia de receptores nucleares. El mecanismo de acción de los estrógenos involucra su unión al RE seguido de la dimerización de éste y unión a elementos de respuesta a estrógenos (EREs) ubicados en los promotores de los genes blanco. Los dos RE exhiben distintos patrones de distribución en los tejidos y tienen la capacidad de unirse a diferentes ligandos con diversas propiedades de transactivación. Estas diferencias pueden contribuir a la acción selectiva de los agonistas y antagonistas de RE en diferentes tejidos. Los RE pueden ser blancos farmacéuticos para mejorar la terapia de reemplazo hormonal (TRH) en mujeres post-menopáusicas y para nuevas drogas de quimioterapia en cánceres hormono-dependientes. La TRH puede restaurar los niveles de estrógeno pero incrementa en la mujer los riegos de enfermedades cardiovasculares, demencia y cáncer de mamas. Algunos estudios señalan que el REα está involucrado en la proliferación de células en cáncer de mamas, mientras que se ha demostrado que el REß actúa en la supresión de tumores. Entre los compuestos que pueden unirse a los RE, se encuentran los moduladores selectivos de RE (SERMs) que tiene la habilidad de actuar como agonistas o antagonistas dependiendo del contexto celular o la isoforma de RE involucrado. Algunos SERMs como raloxifeno y tamoxifeno son usados en clínica para el tratamiento de osteoporosis y cáncer de mamas estrógeno dependiente. Los fitoestrógenos (FE) son compuestos derivados de plantas que pueden imitar o modular la acción que producen los estrógenos endógenos por unión a los RE. Estos grupos de compuestos incluyen flavonoides, cumestanos y lignanos. Las características estructurales de los FE permiten su unión a RE y pueden exhibir actividad estrogénica o antiestrogénica. La mayor parte de los FE usados en TRH activa ambos sub-tipos de RE. Los FE presentan distinta afinidad por las diferentes isoformas de los RE, por lo que podríamos obtener de ellos las respuestas beneficiosas deseables y evitar las de riesgo. La búsqueda de nuevos principios activos o de compuestos con actividad estrogénica que sean inocuos para el ser humano representa una buena estrategia para contribuir a la TRH.


Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Plant Extracts , Toxicity Tests, Acute , Phytoestrogens , Chile , Models, Animal
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