Pleiotropic Outcomes of Glyphosate Exposure: From Organ Damage to Effects on Inflammation, Cancer, Reproduction and Development.

Glyphosate is widely used worldwide as a potent herbicide. Due to its ubiquitous use, it is detectable in air, water and foodstuffs and can accumulate in human biological fluids and tissues representing a severe human health risk. In plants, glyphosate acts as an inhibitor of the shikimate pathway, which is absent in vertebrates. Due to this, international scientific authorities have long-considered glyphosate as a compound that has no or weak toxicity in humans. However, increasing evidence has highlighted the toxicity of glyphosate and its formulations in animals and human cells and tissues. Thus, despite the extension of the authorization of the use of glyphosate in Europe until 2022, several countries have begun to take precautionary measures to reduce its diffusion. Glyphosate has been detected in urine, blood and maternal milk and has been found to induce the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and several cytotoxic and genotoxic effects in vitro and in animal models directly or indirectly through its metabolite, aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). This review aims to summarize the more relevant findings on the biological effects and underlying molecular mechanisms of glyphosate, with a particular focus on glyphosate's potential to induce inflammation, DNA damage and alterations in gene expression profiles as well as adverse effects on reproduction and development.

The Complex Interplay between Endocannabinoid System and the Estrogen System in Central Nervous System and Periphery.

The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a lipid cell signaling system involved in the physiology and homeostasis of the brain and peripheral tissues. Synaptic plasticity, neuroendocrine functions, reproduction, and immune response among others all require the activity of functional ECS, with the onset of disease in case of ECS impairment. Estrogens, classically considered as female steroid hormones, regulate growth, differentiation, and many other functions in a broad range of target tissues and both sexes through the activation of nuclear and membrane estrogen receptors (ERs), which leads to genomic and non-genomic cell responses. Since ECS function overlaps or integrates with many other cell signaling systems, this review aims at updating the knowledge about the possible crosstalk between ECS and estrogen system (ES) at both central and peripheral level, with focuses on the central nervous system, reproduction, and cancer.

Bisphenol A induces DNA damage in cells exerting immune surveillance functions at peripheral and central level.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a synthetic xenoestrogen diffused worldwide. Humans are chronically exposed to low doses of BPA from food and drinks, thus BPA accumulates in tissues posing human health risk. In this study, we investigated the effects of BPA on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from human healthy donors, and in glia and microglia of rat offspring at postnatal day 17 (17PND) from pregnant females who received BPA soon after coupling and during lactation and weaning. Results indicated that BPA affected Phytoemagglutinin (PHA) stimulated PBMC proliferation causing an S-phase cell cycle accumulation at nanomolar concentrations while BPA was almost ineffective in resting PBMC. Furthermore, BPA induced chromosome aberrations and the appearance of shattered cells characterized by high number of fragmented and pulverized chromosomes, suggesting that the compound could cause a massive genomic rearrangement by inducing catastrophic events. The BPA-induced DNA damage was observed mainly in TCD4+ and TCD8+ subsets of T lymphocytes and was mediated by the increase of ERK1/2 phosphorylation, p21/Waf1 and PARP1 protein expression. Intriguingly, we observed for the first time that BPA-induced effects were associated to a sex specific modulation of ERα and ERß in human PBMC. Immunofluorescence analysis of rat hippocampus corroborated in vitro findings showing that BPA induced É£H2AX phosphorylation in microglia and astrocytosis by decreasing ERα expression within the dentate gyrus. Overall these results suggest that BPA can alter immune surveillance functions at both peripheral and central level with a potential risk for cancer, neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration.

Modulatory Effects of Plant Polyphenols on Bone Remodeling: A Prospective View From the Bench to Bedside.

During the past, a more comprehensive knowledge of mechanisms implicated in bone resorption processes has driven researchers to develop a compound library of many small molecules that specifically interfere with the genesis of osteoclast precursors cells. Natural compounds that suppress osteoclast commitment may have therapeutic value in treating pathologies associated with bone resorption like osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, bone metastasis, and periodontal disease. The present review is focused on the current knowledge on the polyphenols derived from plants that could be efficacious in suppressing osteoclast differentiation and bone resorption.

Neuro-toxic and Reproductive Effects of BPA.

BACKGROUND: Bisphenol A (BPA) is one of the highest volume chemicals produced worldwide. It has recognized activity as an endocrine-disrupting chemical and has suspected roles as a neurological and reproductive toxicant. It interferes in steroid signaling, induces oxidative stress, and affects gene expression epigenetically. Gestational, perinatal and neonatal exposures to BPA affect developmental processes, including brain development and gametogenesis, with consequences on brain functions, behavior, and fertility. METHODS: This review critically analyzes recent findings on the neuro-toxic and reproductive effects of BPA (and its analogues), with focus on neuronal differentiation, synaptic plasticity, glia and microglia activity, cognitive functions, and the central and local control of reproduction. RESULTS: BPA has potential human health hazard associated with gestational, peri- and neonatal exposure. Beginning with BPA's disposition, this review summarizes recent findings on the neurotoxicity of BPA and its analogues, on neuronal differentiation, synaptic plasticity, neuroinflammation, neuro-degeneration, and impairment of cognitive abilities. Furthermore, it reports the recent findings on the activity of BPA along the HPG axis, effects on the hypothalamic Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone (GnRH), and the associated effects on reproduction in both sexes and successful pregnancy. CONCLUSION: BPA and its analogues impair neuronal activity, HPG axis function, reproduction, and fertility. Contrasting results have emerged in animal models and human. Thus, further studies are needed to better define their safety levels. This review offers new insights on these issues with the aim to find the "fil rouge", if any, that characterize BPA's mechanism of action with outcomes on neuronal function and reproduction.

Innate immunity and cellular senescence: The good and the bad in the developmental and aged brain.

Ongoing studies evidence cellular senescence in undifferentiated and specialized cells from tissues of all ages. Although it is believed that senescence plays a wider role in several stress responses in the mature age, its participation in certain physiological and pathological processes throughout life is coming to light. The "senescence machinery" has been observed in all brain cell populations, including components of innate immunity (e.g., microglia and astrocytes). As the beneficial versus detrimental implications of senescence is an open question, we aimed to analyze the contribution of immune responses in regulatory mechanisms governing its distinct functions in healthy (development, organogenesis, danger patrolling events) and diseased brain (glioma, neuroinflammation, neurodeneration), and the putative connection between cellular and molecular events governing the 2 states. Particularly this review offers new insights into the complex roles of senescence both as a chronological event as age advances, and as a molecular mechanism of brain homeostasis through the important contribution of innate immune responses and their crosstalk with neighboring cells in brain parenchyma. We also highlight the impact of the recently described glymphatic system and brain lymphatic vasculature in the interplay between peripheral and central immune surveillance and its potential implication during aging. This will open new ways to understand brain development, its deterioration during aging, and the occurrence of several oncological and neurodegenerative diseases.

ß-Amyloid-acetylcholine molecular interaction: new role of cholinergic mediators in anti-Alzheimer therapy?

BACKGROUND: For long time Alzheimer's disease has been attributed to a cholinergic deficit. More recently, it has been considered dependent on the accumulation of the amyloid beta peptide (Aß), which promotes neuronal loss and impairs neuronal function. Results/methodology: In the present study, using biophysical and biochemical experiments we tested the hypothesis that in addition to its role as a neurotransmitter, acetylcholine may exert its action as an anti-Alzheimer agent through a direct interaction with Aß. CONCLUSION: Our data provide evidence that acetylcholine favors the soluble peptide conformation and exerts a neuroprotective effect against the neuroinflammatory and toxic effects of Aß. The present paper paves the way toward the development of new polyfunctional anti-Alzheimer therapeutics capable of intervening on both the cholinergic transmission and the Aß aggregation.

Auricular Acupressure Can Modulate Pain Threshold.

The objective of our study was to investigate if auriculotherapy (AT) can modulate pain threshold. In our experiments, AT consisted of placing Vaccaria seeds over the "fingers point" of one ear. Two groups of healthy volunteers were enrolled for the study. Each subject was asked to perform an autoalgometric test developed by our group on three occasions: before, 1 hour after, AT and 24 hours after AT. Participants of the first group received a 2-minute long session of AT, while participants of the second group received a 2-minute long session of sham treatment, consisting of a puncture/massage above the skin of the neck. The autoalgometric test consisted of applying an increasing pressure with the finger-tips and finger-backs of four fingers by the subjects themselves (i.e., eight sites were evaluated) against a round-shaped needle for two times: until a minimum pain sensation (first time, minimal test) or a maximally tolerable pain sensation (second time, maximal test). Our results showed a significant higher pain threshold in the maximal test at 24 hours after AT compared to sham treatment. This result indicates for the first time that AT can increase pain tolerability, rather than affecting the minimal pain threshold.

HIV-1 Tat protein induces glial cell autophagy through enhancement of BAG3 protein levels.

BAG3 protein has been described as an anti-apoptotic and pro-autophagic factor in several neoplastic and normal cells. We previously demonstrated that BAG3 expression is elevated upon HIV-1 infection of glial and T lymphocyte cells. Among HIV-1 proteins, Tat is highly involved in regulating host cell response to viral infection. Therefore, we investigated the possible role of Tat protein in modulating BAG3 protein levels and the autophagic process itself. In this report, we show that transfection with Tat raises BAG3 levels in glioblastoma cells. Moreover, BAG3 silencing results in highly reducing Tat- induced levels of LC3-II and increasing the appearance of sub G0/G1 apoptotic cells, in keeping with the reported role of BAG3 in modulating the autophagy/apoptosis balance. These results demonstrate for the first time that Tat protein is able to stimulate autophagy through increasing BAG3 levels in human glial cells.

Aggregation of Aß(25-35) on DOPC and DOPC/DHA bilayers: an atomic force microscopy study.

ß amyloid peptide plays an important role in both the manifestation and progression of Alzheimer disease. It has a tendency to aggregate, forming low-molecular weight soluble oligomers, higher-molecular weight protofibrillar oligomers and insoluble fibrils. The relative importance of these single oligomeric-polymeric species, in relation to the morbidity of the disease, is currently being debated. Here we present an Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) study of Aß(25-35) aggregation on hydrophobic dioleoylphosphatidylcholine (DOPC) and DOPC/docosahexaenoic 22∶6 acid (DHA) lipid bilayers. Aß(25-35) is the smallest fragment retaining the biological activity of the full-length peptide, whereas DOPC and DOPC/DHA lipid bilayers were selected as models of cell-membrane environments characterized by different fluidity. Our results provide evidence that in hydrophobic DOPC and DOPC/DHA lipid bilayers, Aß(25-35) forms layered aggregates composed of mainly annular structures. The mutual interaction between annular structures and lipid surfaces end-results into a membrane solubilization. The presence of DHA as a membrane-fluidizing agent is essential to protect the membrane from damage caused by interactions with peptide aggregates; to reduces the bilayer defects where the delipidation process starts.

Acupuncture and neurotrophin modulation.

The Western explanation for acupuncture effectiveness is based upon more than half a century of basic and clinical research, which identified the activation of sensory system and the subsequent activity-dependent regulation of neurotransmitters, neurohormones, and several classes of neuromodulators as plausible mechanism for the acupuncture's therapeutic properties. The regulation of neurotrophins' expression and activity is one of the possible neurophysiological mechanisms underlying acupuncture's effects on neuropathic pain, nerve injury, neurodegeneration, and even in the regulation of gonadal functions. The present work will review the scientific literature produced by a decade of investigations on the relationship between acupuncture and neurotrophins. This scientific production and the current knowledge about the neural and neurohormonal activity-dependent regulation of neurotrophin expression/action suggest the existence of a link between the ability of acupuncture in regulating neural physiology and its effects on the neurotrophic milieu in different disease states.

Systemic administration of substance P recovers beta amyloid-induced cognitive deficits in rat: involvement of Kv potassium channels.

Reduced levels of Substance P (SP), an endogenous neuropeptide endowed with neuroprotective and anti-apoptotic properties, have been found in brain and spinal fluid of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. Potassium (K(+)) channel dysfunction is implicated in AD development and the amyloid-ß (Aß)-induced up-regulation of voltage-gated potassium channel subunits could be considered a significant step in Aß brain toxicity. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether SP could reduce, in vivo, Aß-induced overexpression of Kv subunits. Rats were intracerebroventricularly infused with amyloid-ß 25-35 (Aß25-35, 20 µg) peptide. SP (50 µg/Kg, i.p.) was daily administered, for 7 days starting from the day of the surgery. Here we demonstrate that the Aß infused rats showed impairment in cognitive performances in the Morris water maze task 4 weeks after Aß25-35 infusion and that this impairing effect was prevented by SP administration. Kv1.4, Kv2.1 and Kv4.2 subunit levels were quantified in hippocampus and in cerebral cortex by Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence. Interestingly, SP reduced Kv1.4 levels overexpressed by Aß, both in hippocampus and cerebral cortex. Our findings provide in vivo evidence for a neuroprotective activity of systemic administration of SP in a rat model of AD and suggest a possible mechanism underlying this effect.

Increased nerve growth factor signaling in sensory neurons of early diabetic rats is corrected by electroacupuncture.

Diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), characterized by early hyperalgesia and increased nerve growth factor (NGF), evolves in late irreversible neuropathic symptoms with reduced NGF support to sensory neurons. Electroacupuncture (EA) modulates NGF in the peripheral nervous system, being effective for the treatment of DPN symptoms. We hypothesize that NGF plays an important pathogenic role in DPN development, while EA could be useful in the therapy of DPN by modulating NGF expression/activity. Diabetes was induced in rats by streptozotocin (STZ) injection. One week after STZ, EA was started and continued for three weeks. NGF system and hyperalgesia-related mediators were analyzed in the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and in their spinal cord and skin innervation territories. Our results show that four weeks long diabetes increased NGF and NGF receptors and deregulated intracellular signaling mediators of DRG neurons hypersensitization; EA in diabetic rats decreased NGF and NGF receptors, normalized c-Jun N-terminal and p38 kinases activation, decreased transient receptor potential vanilloid-1 ion channel, and possibly activated the nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (Nf- κ B). In conclusion, NGF signaling deregulation might play an important role in the development of DPN. EA represents a supportive tool to control DPN development by modulating NGF signaling in diabetes-targeted neurons.

Protease-activated receptor-1 expression in rat microglia after trimethyltin treatment.

In the nervous system, protease-activated receptors (PARs), which are activated by thrombin and other extracellular proteases, are expressed widely at both neuronal and glial levels and have been shown to be involved in several brain pathologies. As far as the glial receptors are concerned, previous experiments performed in rat hippocampus showed that expression of PAR-1, the prototypic member of the PAR family, increased in astrocytes both in vivo and in vitro following treatment with trimethyltin (TMT). TMT is an organotin compound that induces severe hippocampal neurodegeneration associated with astrocyte and microglia activation. In the present experiments, the authors extended their investigation to microglial cells. In particular, by 7 days following TMT intoxication in vivo, confocal immunofluorescence revealed an evident PAR-1-related specific immunoreactivity in OX-42-positive microglial cells of the CA3 and hilus hippocampal regions. In line with the in vivo results, when primary rat microglial cells were treated in vitro with TMT, a strong upregulation of PAR-1 was observed by immunocytochemistry and Western blot analysis. These data provide further evidence that PAR-1 may be involved in microglial response to brain damage.

Protease-activated receptor-1 regulates cytokine production and induces the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 in microglia.

Protease-activated receptors (PARs) are cleaved and activated by thrombin and other extracellular proteases which are released during tissue trauma and inflammation. PAR-1 is the prototypic member of the PAR family and has been shown to be upregulated in several brain pathologies being expressed by neurons and glial cells. The present experiments show that the administration of the PAR-1 activating peptides (TRAP6 and TFLLR) inhibits the production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha and IL-6 in microglial cells treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) while promoting the release of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Conversely, the addition of the specific PAR-2 agonist SLIGRL had no effect on the amount of cytokines released following LPS treatment. Consistent with these data PAR-1, but not PAR-2, stimulation upregulates the expression of the suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS-3). The present data support the hypothesis that in microglia PAR-1 may be involved in the regulation of inflammatory reactions modulating the balance between pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines possibly through SOCS induction.

Trimethyltin-induced differential expression of PAR subtypes in reactive astrocytes of the rat hippocampus.

Thrombin, its main inhibitor (protease nexin-1) and its related receptors (protease-activated receptors, PAR-1,-2, -3, -4) were studied in rat hippocampus following administration of trimethyltin (TMT), a neurotoxin inducing neuronal degeneration and reactive gliosis. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry revealed that while expression of prothrombin and protease nexin-1 did not change significantly in TMT-treated hippocampi, PARs (in particular PAR-1 and to a lesser extent PAR-2 and PAR-3) were upregulated in reactive astrocytes, suggesting their involvement in neurodegeneration and in the consequent response of the nervous tissue.

Immunohistochemical-scintigraphic correlation of sympathetic cardiac innervation in postischemic left ventricular aneurysms.

BACKGROUND: This study was conceived to explore the correspondence between scintigraphic imaging of the sympathetic innervation of human postischemic left ventricular aneurysms and direct immunohistochemical localization of the nerve fibers in the same area. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In 7 patients undergoing left ventricular aneurysmectomy for postischemic ventricular aneurysm, the findings of thallium 201 and metaiodobenzylguanidine myocardial scintigraphy were compared with direct immunohistochemical localization of the nerve fibers in the same area. This comparison showed good correspondence between scintigraphic and immunohistochemical data, although scintigraphy failed to detect areas of minimal sympathetic innervation. Moreover, microscopic analysis showed sympathetic nerve fibers with peculiar morphology and distribution in the aneurysmal zone. CONCLUSION: There is a good correspondence between immunohistochemical and scintigraphic imaging in the detection of sympathetic cardiac nerves in human left ventricular aneurysms; a morphologically abnormal sympathetic reinnervation can be found in the aneurysmal area (although denervation can persist in some zones).