Ligand-specific regulation of the endogenous mu-opioid receptor by chronic treatment with mu-opioid peptide agonists.

Since the discovery of the endomorphins (EM), the postulated endogenous peptide agonists of the mu-opioid receptors, several analogues have been synthesized to improve their binding and pharmacological profiles. We have shown previously that a new analogue, cis-1S,2R-aminocyclohexanecarboxylic acid(2)-endomorphin-2 (ACHC-EM2), had elevated mu-receptor affinity, selectivity, and proteolytic stability over the parent compound. In the present work, we have studied its antinociceptive effects and receptor regulatory processes. ACHC-EM2 displayed a somewhat higher (60%) acute antinociceptive response than the parent peptide, EM2 (45%), which peaked at 10 min after intracerebroventricular (icv) administration in the rat tail-flick test. Analgesic tolerance developed to the antinociceptive effect of ACHC-EM2 upon its repeated icv injection that was complete by a 10-day treatment. This was accompanied by attenuated coupling of mu-sites to G-proteins in subcellular fractions of rat brain. Also, the density of mu-receptors was upregulated by about 40% in the light membrane fraction, with no detectable changes in surface binding. Distinct receptor regulatory processes were noted in subcellular fractions of rat brains made tolerant by the prototypic full mu-agonist peptide, DAMGO, and its chloromethyl ketone derivative, DAMCK. These results are discussed in light of the recently discovered phenomenon, that is, the "so-called biased agonism" or "functional selectivity".

Involvement of DNA-PKcs in the IL-6 and IL-12 response to CpG-ODN is mediated by its interaction with TRAF6 in dendritic cells.

CpG-ODN stimulates dendritic cells (DCs) to produce cytokines, which are important for pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders and vaccine strategy for cancer. CpG-ODN activates the TLR9/MyD88/TRAF6 cascade leading to activation of IKK-NF-κB and JNK, which are critical for production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. However, whether other molecules are involved in activation of CpG-ODN signaling is still not clear. Here we report that the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs) is involved in this activation process. DNA-PKcs-deficient DCs exhibited a defect in the IL-6 and IL-12 response to CpG-ODN in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Loss of DNA-PKcs impaired phosphorylation of IKK, IκBα, NF-κB and JNK in response to CpG-ODN. Interestingly, CpG-ODN was able to bind DNA-PKcs and induce its association and co-localization with TRAF6 in the absence of TLR9. Our data suggest that DNA-PKcs is a player in CpG-ODN signaling and may explain why DNA-PKcs is implicated in the pathogenic process of autoimmune disease.

Intra-mitochondrial poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation: potential role for alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) is an intracellular enzyme involved in DNA repair and in building poly-ADP-ribose polymers on nuclear proteins using NAD(+). While the majority of PARP resides in the nucleus, several studies indicated that PARP may also be located in the cytosol or in the mitochondrial matrix. In this study we found several poly-ADP-ribosylated proteins in isolated rat liver mitochondria following hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) or nitric oxide donor treatment. Protein poly-ADP-ribosylation was more intense in isolated mitochondria than in whole tissue homogenates and it was not associated with increased nuclear PARP activity. We identified five poly-ADP-ribose (PAR) positive mitochondrial bands by protein mass fingerprinting. All of the identified enzymes exhibited decreased activity or decreased levels following oxidative or nitrosative stress. One of the identified proteins is dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (DLDH), a component of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH) complex, which uses NAD(+) as a substrate. This raised the possibility that KGDH may have a PARP-like enzymatic activity. The intrinsic PARP activity of KGDH and DLDH was confirmed using a colorimetric PARP assay kit and by the incubation of the recombinant enzymes with H(2)O(2). The KGDH enzyme may, therefore, have a novel function as a PARP-like enzyme, which may play a role in regulating intramitochondrial NAD(+) and poly(ADP-ribose) homeostasis, with possible roles in physiology and pathophysiology.

[Pain and opioids]. / Fájdalom és opioidok.

Noxious stimuli cause pain to protect the body from harmful situations and attract attention to pathophysiologic changes of the body. Specific receptors of pain (nociceptors) can be found all over our body. Pain initiates protecting mechanisms such as vegetative and motor reflexes, and emotional, behavioral changes. However, chronic pain is practically useless and leads to psychopathological changes. There are several ways to relieve pain including non-steroid anti-inflammatory agents, opioids, neurosurgical and non-invasive methods. Central and peripheral effects of opioids can be realized through opioid receptors of the central and the enteric nervous system. In the central nervous system, they can inhibit the perception of pain or change the emotional reactions. Opioids are indicated in postoperative pain, neuropathic pain and cancer. However, the use of opioids has severe side-effects such as breathing depression and the development of tolerance and dependence which do not make opioids optimal painkillers. There are several laboratories in Hungary and abroad working on the design of optimal pain relievers. Furthermore, the euphoric effects of opioids lead to abuse which makes the research important on the mechanisms of opioid addiction. Taken together, opioid research, the design of new compounds and the exploration of the mechanisms of opiate addiction are very important.

[Astrocytes in health and disease]. / Asztrociták egészségben és betegségben.

It is now known that astrocytes are not merely supporting cells but they also play an important role in neuronal functions. Astrocytes tightly ensheath neuronal synapses and regulate the excitation of neurons by the uptake of neurotransmitters; regulate the cerebral blood flow, cerebral fluid volume and extracellular concentrations of ions. They also supply fuel in the form of lactate and provide free radical scavengers such as glutathione for active neurons. These facts indicate that impaired function of astrocytes may lead to neuronal dysfunction. After brain injury (stroke, trauma or tumors) astrocytes are swollen and release active molecules such as glutamate or free radicals resulting in neuronal dysfunction. Thus, investigation of the molecular mechanisms of astrocyte function may reveal novel targets for the development of therapeutic tools in neuronal diseases.

[Influence of diabetes mellitus on cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury]. / Diabetes mellitus hatása az agyi infarktusban szerepet játszó sejten belüli folyamatokra.

Cerebral ischemia, caused by disturbance of the blood supply to the brain, is a major cause of death in our days. Diabetes mellitus exacerbates neuronal death induced by an ischemic insult. It is important to characterize the underlying mechanism of the cell damage in order to design therapeutic agents. The purpose of this study is to summarize some of the intracellular events leading to aggravated cell injury after diabetic ischemia including mitochondrial dysfunction. Release of mitochondrial cytochrome c activates the cell death executioner caspase-3 protease resulting in the cleavage of poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) involved in DNA repair. Mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with enhanced production of free radicals such as superoxide anion, nitric oxide and peroxynitrite after diabetic ischemic injury. Mitochondrial dysfunction affects not only neurons but also astrocytes, which play an important role in neuronal functions. Damage of these cells participates in the exaggerated brain damage after cerebral ischemia. In summary, diabetes mellitus enhances intracellular pathways activated by cerebral ischemia and leads to exaggerated brain damage in diabetic subjects.

Streptozotocin-induced diabetes causes astrocyte death after ischemia and reperfusion injury.

Diabetes exacerbates neuronal cell death induced by cerebral ischemia. One contributing factor is enhanced acidosis during ischemia. Astrocytes are vulnerable to hypoxia under acidic conditions in vitro and may be targets of ischemia under diabetic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine whether diabetes would cause damage to astrocytes after an ischemic brain injury in vivo. Diabetic and nondiabetic rats were subjected to 5 min of forebrain ischemia and followed by 30 min, 6 h, or 1 or 3 days of recovery. The results showed that ischemia caused activation of astrocytes in nondiabetic rats. In contrast, diabetes caused astrocyte activation in early stage of reperfusion and astrocyte death in late stage of reperfusion. Remarkable astrocyte death was preceded by increased DNA oxidation. Further studies revealed that increased astrocyte damage coincided with enhanced production of free radicals. These data suggest that hyperglycemic ischemia worsens outcome in astrocytes, as it does in neurons.

Hyperglycemia increases superoxide production in the CA1 pyramidal neurons after global cerebral ischemia.

Transient global cerebral ischemia results in selective neuronal death in the vulnerable hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in a delayed manner. Hyperglycemia accelerates and exacerbates neuronal damage in this region. The object of this study was to determine whether hyperglycemia-enhanced damage is associated with increased production of superoxide anion after ischemia. The results showed that hyperglycemic ischemia caused a significant increase of superoxide production in the hippocampal CA1 neurons compared to normoglycemic animals after 18 h of recirculation, suggesting that enhanced superoxide anion production may mediate the hyperglycemia-accelerated and -enhanced neuronal death in the hippocampal CA1 area after ischemia and reperfusion.

Induction of heat shock proteins by hyperglycemic cerebral ischemia.

Hyperglycemia worsens the neuronal death induced by cerebral ischemia. A previous study demonstrated that diabetic hyperglycemia suppressed the expression of heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) in the liver. The objective of this study is to determine whether hyperglycemia exacerbates ischemic brain damage by suppressing the expression of heat shock proteins (HSPs) in the brain. Both normoglycemic and hyperglycemic rats were subjected to a transient global cerebral ischemia of 15 min and followed by 0.5, 1 and 3 h of reperfusion. The expression of stress-related genes and levels of HSP proteins were determined by DNA microarray, immunocytochemistry and Western blot analyses. The results showed that hyperglycemic ischemia upregulated the expressions of hsp70, hsp90A, hsp90B, heat shock cognate 71 kD protein (hsc70) and mthsp70. Protein levels of HSP70 and HSP60 were enhanced by hyperglycemia compared with normoglycemia. The results suggested that hyperglycemia-exacerbated ischemic brain damage is not mediated by the suppression of the HSPs. The increased levels of HSPs and mthsp70 suggest that the cell and the mitochondrion had strong stress responses to hyperglycemic ischemia.

Bongkrekic acid ameliorates ischemic neuronal death in the cortex by preventing cytochrome c release and inhibiting astrocyte activation.

Mitochondrial release of cytochrome c (cyt-c) plays a critical role in initiating cell death after cerebral ischemia. The objective of this study was to determine whether bongkrekic acid (BKA) ameliorates ischemic neuronal damage by inhibiting the release of cyt-c. These results showed that a 10min period of global ischemia caused neuronal death, increased the release of cyt-c and activated astrocytes in the cortex and CA1. BKA treatment reduced ischemic-induced neuronal death, prevented cyt-c release and inhibited astrocyte activation in the cortex, but not in the CA1. These results suggest that the neuroprotective effect of BKA is associated with its ability to prevent cyt-c release and to inhibit astrocyte activation.

Diabetes activates cell death pathway after transient focal cerebral ischemia.

It is well known that diabetes aggravates brain damage in experimental and clinical stroke subjects. Diabetes accelerates maturation of neuronal damage, increases infarct volume, and induces postischemic seizures. The mechanism by which diabetes increases ischemic brain damage is still elusive. Our previous experiments indicate that mitochondria dysfunction may play a role in neuronal death. The objective of this study is to determine whether streptozotocin-induced diabetes activates cell death pathway after a brief period of focal cerebral ischemia. Both diabetic and nondiabetic rats were subjected to 30 min of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, followed by 0, 0.5, 3, and 6 h of reperfusion. We first determined the pathological outcomes after 7 days of recovery by histopathology, and then detected key components of programmed cell death pathway using immunocytochemistry coupled with confocal laser-scanning microscopy and Western blot analysis. The results show that the cytosolic cytochrome c increased mildly after reperfusion in nondiabetic samples. This increase was markedly enhanced in diabetic rats in both ischemic focus and penumbra. Subsequently, caspase-3 was activated and poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) was cleaved. Our results suggest that activation of apoptotic cell death pathway may play a pivotal role in exaggerating brain damage in diabetic subjects.