Exploring the complexities of 1C metabolism: implications in aging and neurodegenerative diseases.

The intricate interplay of one-carbon metabolism (OCM) with various cellular processes has garnered substantial attention due to its fundamental implications in several biological processes. OCM serves as a pivotal hub for methyl group donation in vital biochemical reactions, influencing DNA methylation, protein synthesis, and redox balance. In the context of aging, OCM dysregulation can contribute to epigenetic modifications and aberrant redox states, accentuating cellular senescence and age-associated pathologies. Furthermore, OCM's intricate involvement in cancer progression is evident through its capacity to provide essential one-carbon units crucial for nucleotide synthesis and DNA methylation, thereby fueling uncontrolled cell proliferation and tumor development. In neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, perturbations in OCM pathways are implicated in the dysregulation of neurotransmitter synthesis and mitochondrial dysfunction, contributing to disease pathophysiology. This review underscores the profound impact of OCM in diverse disease contexts, reinforcing the need for a comprehensive understanding of its molecular complexities to pave the way for targeted therapeutic interventions across inflammation, aging and neurodegenerative disorders.

Metformin Treatment Inhibits Motility and Invasion of Glioblastoma Cancer Cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is one of the most common and deadliest cancers of the central nervous system (CNS). GBMs high ability to infiltrate healthy brain tissues makes it difficult to remove surgically and account for its fatal outcomes. To improve the chances of survival, it is critical to screen for GBM-targeted anticancer agents with anti-invasive and antimigratory potential. Metformin, a commonly used drug for the treatment of diabetes, has recently emerged as a promising anticancer molecule. This prompted us, to investigate the anticancer potential of metformin against GBMs, specifically its effects on cell motility and invasion. The results show a significant decrease in the survival of SF268 cancer cells in response to treatment with metformin. Furthermore, metformin's efficiency in inhibiting 2D cell motility and cell invasion in addition to increasing cellular adhesion was also demonstrated in SF268 and U87 cells. Finally, AKT inactivation by downregulation of the phosphorylation level upon metformin treatment was also evidenced. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the anti-invasive antimetastatic potential of metformin as well as its underlying mechanism of action.

Colectomy induces an aldosterone-mediated increase in jejunal glucose uptake in rats.

AIMS: The main function of the colon is water and electrolyte absorption. Total colectomy eliminates this colonic function and may alter the absorptive capacity of the small intestine for nutrients. This study examines the effect of total colectomy on jejunal glucose absorption and investigates the potential role of aldosterone in mediating the alterations in glucose uptake post-colectomy using the aldosterone antagonist spironolactone. MAIN METHODS: Total colectomy with ileo-rectal anastomosis was performed on anesthetized rats. Sham rats were identically handled without colon resection. Two days post-surgery, groups of colectomized rats were injected with either a daily subcutaneous dose of spironolactone or sesame oil for 12days. Body weight changes and food and water intake were measured in all experimental groups. Glucose absorption was measured by in-vivo single pass perfusion in the rat jejunum of control, sham, colectomized, colectomized with spironolactone, and colectomized with sesame oil treatment. Na/K ATPase, SGK1, SGLT1 and GLUT2 expressions were determined in jejunal mucosa in control, colectomized and colectomized/spironolactone injected rats by Western blot analysis. Histological assessment was performed on jejunal sections in control and colectomized groups. KEY FINDINGS: Glucose absorption significantly increased in colectomized rats with an observed increase in Na/K ATPase and SGK1 expression. No significant expression change in SGLT1 and GLUT2 was detected in the jejunum in colectomized rats. Spironolactone, however, significantly decreased the glucose uptake post-colectomy and normalized Na/K ATPase and SGK1 expression. SIGNIFICANCE: Our results suggest that jejunal glucose uptake increases post-colectomy as a possible consequence of an aldosterone-mediated function.

Neuronal death during combined intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia is due to mitochondrial dysfunction.

Breathing-disordered states, such as in obstructive sleep apnea, which are cyclical in nature, have been postulated to induce neurocognitive morbidity in both pediatric and adult populations. The oscillatory nature of intermittent hypoxia, especially when chronic, may mimic the paradigm of ischemia-reperfusion in that tissues and cells are exposed to episodes of low and high O(2) and this may lead to oxidant stress. Therefore, we decided to explore the potential contribution of oxidant stress in our intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia animal model and the role that mitochondria might play in this stress. Neonatal mice were exposed to intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia for 10 days and 2 wk. Combined intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia led to a marked increase in apoptotic cell death in the cerebral cortex. Oxygen consumption studies in isolated mitochondria from intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia-exposed brains demonstrated significant reductions in both state 4 and state 3 respiratory activities by approximately 60% and 75%, respectively. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy registered a significant increase in superoxide production during nonphosphorylating state 4 by 37%, although superoxide leakage during state 3 did not increase upon treatment. Neuronal superoxide-specific dihydroethidium oxidation was also greater in exposed animals. These studies indicate that intermittent hypoxia/hypercapnia leads to oxidative stress due to mitochondrial response within the mouse central nervous system.

Differential effects of chronic intermittent and chronic constant hypoxia on postnatal growth and development.

Exposure to chronic constant or intermittent hypoxia (CCH or CIH) may have different effects on growth and development in early life. In this work, we exposed postnatal day 2 (P2) CD1 mice to CCH or CIH (11% O2) for 4 weeks and examined the effect of hypoxia on body and organ growth until P30. Regression analysis showed that weight increased in control, CCH and CIH cohorts with age with r2 values of 0.99, 0.97, and 0.94, respectively. Between days 2 and 30, slopes were 0.93+/-0.057, 0.76+/-0.108, and 0.63+/-0.061 (g/day, means+/-SEM) for control, CIH, and CCH, respectively and significantly different from each other (P<0.001). The slopes between P2 and P16 were 0.78+/-0.012, 0.46+/-0.002, and 0.47+/-0.019 for control, CCH and CIH, respectively. From P16 to 30, slopes were 1.12+/-0.033, 1.09+/-0.143, and 0.82+/-0.08 for control, CIH, and CCH, respectively with no significant difference from each other, suggesting a catch-up growth in the latter part of the hypoxic period. Slower weight gain resulted in a 12% and 23% lower body weight in CIH and CCH mice (P<0.001) by P30. Lung/body ratios were 0.010, 0.015, 0.015 for control, CIH, and CCH at P30, respectively. The decrease in liver, kidney, and brain weight were greater in CCH than CIH. Smaller liver weight was shown to be due to a reduction in cell size and cell number. Liver in CIH and CCH mice showed a 5% and 10% reduction in cell size (P<0.05) and a reduction of 28% in cell number (P<0.001) at P30. In contrast, CCH and CIH heart weight was 13% and 33% greater than control at P30 (P<0.05), respectively. This increase in the heart weight was due to an increase in the size of cardiomyocytes which showed an increase of 12% and 14% (P<0.001) for CIH and CCH, respectively as compared to control. Brain weight was 0.48 and 0.46 g for CIH and CCH, respectively (95% and 92% of normal). We concluded that (a) CIH and CCH follow different body and organ growth patterns; (b) mostly with CCH, the liver and kidneys are reduced in size in a proportionate way to body size but heart, lung, and brain are either spared or increased in size compared to body weight; and (c) the decrease in liver is secondary mostly to a decrease in cell number.

Effect of chronic elevated carbon dioxide on the expression of acid-base transporters in the neonatal and adult mouse.

Several pulmonary and neurological conditions, both in the newborn and adult, result in hypercapnia. This leads to disturbances in normal pH homeostasis. Most mammalian cells maintain tight control of intracellular pH (pH(i)) using a group of transmembrane proteins that specialize in acid-base transport. These acid-base transporters are important in adjusting pH(i) during acidosis arising from hypoventilation. We hypothesized that exposure to chronic hypercapnia induces changes in the expression of acid-base transporters. Neonatal and adult CD-1 mice were exposed to either 8% or 12% CO(2) for 2 wk. We used Western blot analysis of membrane protein fractions from heart, kidney, and various brain regions to study the response of specific acid-base transporters to CO(2). Chronic CO(2) increased the expression of the sodium hydrogen exchanger 1 (NHE1) and electroneutral sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (NBCn1) in the cerebral cortex, heart, and kidney of neonatal but not adult mice. CO(2) increased the expression of electrogenic NBC (NBCe1) in the neonatal but not the adult mouse heart and kidney. Hypercapnia decreased the expression of anion exchanger 3 (AE3) in both the neonatal and adult brain but increased AE3 expression in the neonatal heart. We conclude that: 1) chronic hypercapnia increases the expression of the acid extruders NHE1, NBCe1 and NBCn1 and decreases the expression of the acid loader AE3, possibly improving the capacity of the cell to maintain pH(i) in the face of acidosis; and 2) the heterogeneous response of tissues to hypercapnia depends on the level of CO(2) and development.

Chronic high-inspired CO2 decreases excitability of mouse hippocampal neurons.

To examine the effect of chronically elevated CO(2) on excitability and function of neurons, we exposed mice to 8 and 12% CO(2) for 4 wk (starting at 2 days of age), and examined the properties of freshly dissociated hippocampal neurons obtained from slices. Chronic CO(2)-treated neurons (CC) had a similar input resistance (R(m)) and resting membrane potential (V(m)) as control (CON). Although treatment with 8% CO(2) did not change the rheobase (64 +/- 11 pA, n = 9 vs. 47 +/- 12 pA, n = 8 for CC 8% vs. CON; means +/- SE), 12% CO(2) treatment increased it significantly (73 +/- 8 pA, n = 9, P = 0.05). Furthermore, the 12% CO(2) but not the 8% CO(2) treatment decreased the Na(+) channel current density (244 +/- 36 pA/pF, n = 17, vs. 436 +/- 56 pA/pF, n = 18, for CC vs. CON, P = 0.005). Recovery from inactivation was also lowered by 12% but not 8% CO(2). Other gating properties of Na(+) current, such as voltage-conductance curve, steady-state inactivation, and time constant for deactivation, were not modified by either treatment. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of Na(+) channel types I-III was not changed by 8% CO(2) treatment, but their expression was significantly decreased by 20-30% (P = 0.03) by the 12% treatment. We conclude from these data and others that neuronal excitability and Na(+) channel expression depend on the duration and level of CO(2) exposure and maturational changes occur in early life regarding neuronal responsiveness to CO(2).

Effect of carbon dioxide on neonatal mouse lung: a genomic approach.

Despite the deleterious effects associated with elevated carbon dioxide (CO(2)) or hypercapnia, it has been hypothesized that CO(2) can protect the lung from injury. However, the effects of chronic hypercapnia on the neonatal lung are unknown. Hence, we investigated the effect of chronic hypercapnia on neonatal mouse lung to identify genes that could potentially contribute to hypercapnia-mediated lung protection. Newborn mouse litters were exposed to 8% CO(2), 12% CO(2), or room air for 2 wk. Lungs were excised and analyzed for morphometric alterations. The alveolar walls of CO(2)-exposed mice appeared thinner than those of controls. Analyses of gene expression differences by microarrays revealed that genes from a variety of functional categories were differentially expressed following hypercapnia treatment, including those encoding growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, and endopeptidases. In particular and of major interest, the expression level of genes encoding surfactant proteins A and D, as well as chloride channel calcium-activated 3, were significantly increased, but the expression of WNT1-inducible signaling pathway protein 2 was significantly decreased. The significant changes in gene expression occurred mostly at 8% CO(2), but only a few at 12% CO(2). Our results lead us to conclude that 1) there are a number of gene families that may contribute to hypercapnia-mediated lung protection; 2) the upregulation of surfactant proteins A and D may play a role as anti-inflammatory or antioxidant agents; and 3) the effects of CO(2) seem to depend on the level to which the lung is exposed.

Effect of chronic continuous or intermittent hypoxia and reoxygenation on cerebral capillary density and myelination.

Chronic hypoxia, whether continuous (CCH) or intermittent (CIH), occurs in many neonatal pathological conditions, such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia and obstructive sleep apnea. In this study, we explored the effect of CCH and CIH on cerebral capillary density and myelination. We subjected CD-1 mice starting at postnatal day 2 to either CCH 11% oxygen (O(2)), or CIH 11% O(2) (4-min cycles), for periods of 2 and 4 wk followed by reoxygenation for 4 wk. Mice were deeply anesthetized and perfused. Brains were removed to fixative for 24 h, then paraffin-embedded. Coronal brain sections were taken for analysis. Immunocytochemistry for glucose transporter 1 was used to assess angiogenesis, and Luxol fast blue and fluoromyelin stains were used to assess myelination. Capillary density increased after 2-wk exposure to CIH and CCH. By 4 wk, capillary density increased in both CIH and CCH by 25% and 47%, respectively, in cortex and by 29% and 44%, respectively, in hippocampus (P < 0.05). There was a decrease in myelination in the corpus callosum of mice exposed to CIH (75% of control) and CCH (50% of control) (P < 0.05). Reoxygenation reversed the increased capillary density seen in CCH to normoxic values. However, dysmyelination that occurred in CCH-exposed mice did not show any improvement upon reoxygenation. We conclude that neonatal chronic hypoxia 1) induces brain angiogenesis, which is reversible with reoxygenation, and 2) irreversibly reduces the extent of myelination in the corpus callosum. This potential irreversible effect on myelination in early life can, therefore, have long-term and devastating effects.