Polyphenols and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Potential Effects and Mechanisms of Neuroprotection.

The increase in people's longevity has, consequently, led to more brain involvement and neurodegenerative diseases, which can become complicated and lead to chronic degenerative diseases, thereby presenting greater public health problems. Medicinal plants have been used since ancient times and contain high concentrations of molecules, including polyphenols. It has been proven that polyphenols, which are present in various natural sources can provide curative effects against various diseases and brain disorders through neuroprotective effects. These neuroprotective effects are mainly attributed to their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, eliminate reactive oxygen species, and cause the chelation of metal ions. Polyphenols increase the concentration of neurotrophic factors and bind directly to the membrane receptors of these neurotrophic factors, to modulate and activate the signaling cascades that allow the plasticity, survival, proliferation, and growth of neuronal cells, thereby allowing for better learning, memory, and cognition. Moreover, polyphenols have no serious adverse side effects resulting from their consumption.

Giant chondroid syringoma on the upper lip: a case report.

Chondroid syringoma is a benign, rare, asymptomatic, slow-growing mixed tumor. Tumors larger than 3cm are considered giant and may be malignant. We present a 65-year-old man with a chronic, indolent, subcutaneous tumor with upper lip deformity. An excisional biopsy was performed under local anesthesia. Based on histopathological analysis, the resected lesion was identified as a chondroid syringoma of the apocrine type. There was no recurrence during the one-year follow-up after surgery. The occurrence of a large chondroid syringoma in the upper lip is rare.

Melatonin Decreases Circulating Levels of Galectin-3 and Cytokines, Motor Activity, and Anxiety Following Acute Global Cerebral Ischemia in Male Rats.

BACKGROUND: Global cerebral ischemia (GCI) elicits damages to cerebral structures, learning dysfunction, memory impairments, hyperactivity, and anxiety. Circulating levels of galectin-3 (Gal-3) are associated with patient severity and outcome. AIM: To report circulating levels of Gal-3, and cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10) in the initial hours (acute) following GCI in a four-vessel occlusion (4-VO) rat model and the effect of melatonin treatment. METHODS: 4-VO model was used to produce GCI using male Sprague-Dawley rats. Groups were: Sham-Veh, Sham-Mel, Isch-Veh and Isch-Mel. Melatonin was administered 30 min after carotid clamp removal. Gal-3 and cytokines levels were measured at 0, 30 min, 6 h and 24 h after the end of cerebral flow interruption using ELISA kits. Motor activity and anxiety were measured using open-field test. RESULTS: Acute GCI (AGCI) followed by reperfusion decreased serum concentrations of TNF-α and increased IL-6 levels 24 h after ischemia, whereas melatonin reduced significantly the concentrations of these cytokines. In all groups IL-10 was higher 30 min and negligible at other times. Circulating levels of Gal-3 were reduced 30 min after ischemia/reperfusion. In the Isch-Mel group the neuroprotective effect generated a reduction in circulating Gal-3 at 6 and 24 h after AGCI, compared with all the groups. Motor activity was increased due to ischemic reperfusion, but acute melatonin treatment reduced locomotion, similar to the control group. Anxiety was reduced in the melatonin group. CONCLUSIONS: Melatonin treatment following AGCI reduces pro-inflammatory factors, Gal-3, motility, and anxiety, therefore it should be considered as supplementary treatment following ischemic stroke.

Early Life Stress Activates Glial Cells in the Hippocampus but Attenuates Cytokine Secretion in Response to an Immune Challenge in Rat Pups.

OBJECTIVE: Early life stress (ELS) increases the vulnerability to developing psychopathological disorders in adulthood that are accompanied by brain inflammatory processes. However, it is not known how a combined double hit (stress and immune) at an early age affects the response of the neuroimmune system. Here we investigated the effect of periodic maternal separation (MS) followed by administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on glial cells in the CA3 region and hilus of the hippocampus and on cytokine release on postnatal day (PN) 15. METHODS: Male rat pups were subjected to MS (3 h/day, PN1-14). MS and control pups received a single LPS injection (1 mg/kg of body weight) on PN14. They were subjected to an open field test 1 h later. The pups were sacrificed 90 min after LPS injection (PN14) or on PN15 for cytokine or immunohistological analyses, respectively. RESULTS: LPS reduced the locomotion and induced high corticosterone levels in treated pups. MS or LPS reduced microglial density and activated microglial cells in the hippocampal CA3 and hilus regions. Microglial activation was highest in MS-LPS pups. The astrocyte density was mildly reduced by MS or LPS in the CA3 region and hilus, but the reduction was maximal in MS-LPS pups. LPS increased the secretion of plasmatic interleukin (IL)-1ß, tumor necrosis factor-α, and IL-6, and of hippocampal IL-1ß protein, but these were attenuated in MS-LPS pups. CONCLUSION: Although MS and LPS activate neuroimmune cells, stress attenuates the hippocampal and peripheral cytokine response to LPS through an as-yet unidentified adaptive mechanism. These results provide information regarding the neurobiology of stress and inflammation.

Purification and structural characterization of lectins from the cnidarian Bunodeopsis antilliensis [corrected].

Purification and characterization of two different lectins from the Mexican anemone Bunodeopsis antilliensis are reported. These two lectins named Bunodeopsis antilliensis agglutinin-A (BAA-A) and -B (BAA-B) presented the following characteristics: BAA-A was resolved as a component, with haemagglutinating activity for human blood type A (N-acetylgalactosamine-galactose-fucose), with a molecular weight of 28,900 obtained by means of mass spectrometry, showed an isoelectric point of 5.04 with a higher carbohydrate specificity for N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). The analysis of the N-terminal revealed it is related to phosphoesterase and GTP binding protein. BAA-B mainly active with human blood type B (galactose-galactose-fucose) was resolved into three fractions (BAA-B1-3). Their molecular weight were: BAA-B(1) 39,350, BAA-B(2) 28,300 and BAA-B(3) 17,550. The estimated isoelectric points were 8.05, 4.66 and 6.60, respectively. Only fraction 3 exhibited haemagglutinating activity with a higher carbohydrate specificity for galactose and mannose. The analysis of the N-terminal pointed out it is related with phospholipase A(2). We suggest these lectins could be related to a feeding strategy[corrected].