Neuroprotective effects of testosterone on dendritic morphology following partial motoneuron depletion: Efficacy in female rats

Motoneuron loss is a significant medical problem, capable of causing severe movement disorders and even death. We have previously demonstrated that partial depletion of motoneurons induces dendritic atrophy in remaining motoneurons, with a concomitant reduction in motor activation. Treatment of male rats with testosterone attenuates the regressive changes following partial motoneuron depletion. To test whether testosterone has similar effects in females, we examined potential neuroprotective effects in motoneurons innervating muscles of the quadriceps of female rats. Motoneurons were selectively killed by intramuscular injection of cholera toxin-conjugated saporin. Simultaneously, some saporin-injected rats were given implants containing testosterone or left untreated. Four weeks later, surviving motoneurons were labeled with cholera toxin-conjugated HRP, and dendritic arbors were reconstructed in three dimensions. Compared to normal females, partial motoneuron depletion resulted in decreased dendritic length in remaining quadriceps motoneurons, and this atrophy was greatly attenuated by testosterone treatment. These findings suggest that testosterone has neuroprotective effects on morphology in both males and females, further supporting a role for testosterone as a neurotherapeutic agent in the injured nervous system.     

Effects of IL-6 secreted from astrocytes on the survival of dopaminergic neurons in lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation

The role of astrocytes in microglia-induced neuronal death remains controversial. In this study, astrocytes and astrocyte-derived conditioned media (ACM) supported the survival of dopaminergic neurons, and the former was more effective than the latter. In the presence of astrocytes, low concentrations of LPS enhanced the survival of dopaminergic neurons, while high concentrations attenuated survival. LPS dramatically induced astrocytes to secrete IL-6 in a dose-dependent manner with no effect on secretion of GDNF. Neuron–astrocyte cultures had highest secretion of GDNF, followed by ACM-treated neuron-enriched cultures. After neuron–astrocyte cultures treated with IL-6-neutralizing antibody, both effects of the enhanced and attenuated survival of dopaminergic neurons were abolished. Our results indicate that astrocytes play a protective role in the LPS-induced damage of dopaminergic neurons in certain circumstances, and the interaction between astrocytes and dopaminergic neurons may enhance the protective effect of astrocytes. Suitable activation of astrocytes increases the protective effect while excessive activation attenuates it, and IL-6 might medicate this dual action. The underlying mechanisms related to the secretion of GDNF and proinflammatory factors warrant further investigation.     

颈部血管低温液体输注的研究进展

治疗性低温是一种切实有效的脑保护措施,可以通过降低代谢率、减轻脑水肿、阻断细胞凋亡、降低细胞内钙离子内流、抑制炎症反应以及谷氨酸的释放等多种机制起到明确的神经保护作用[1-4].目前已在临床上使用于心脏骤停导致的缺血缺氧性脑病、缺血性中风和严重颅脑外伤等疾病的治疗中.全身低温是目前最常用的低温方式,但实施过程中伴随的感染、凝血功能障碍和心律失常等并发症严重影响了其治疗效果f5].选择性脑降温(selective brain cooling,SBC)是指选择性降低大脑温度而不降低全身体温的一种降温方法.     

Neuroprotection of Exendin-4 by Enhanced Autophagy in a Parkinsonian Rat Model of α-Synucleinopathy

Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor stimulation ameliorates parkinsonian motor and non-motor deficits in both experimental animals and patients; however, the disease-modifying mechanisms of GLP-1 receptor activation have remained unknown. The present study investigated whether exendin-4 (a GLP-1 analogue) can rescue motor deficits and exert disease-modifying effects in a parkinsonian rat model of α-synucleinopathy. This model was established by unilaterally injecting AAV-9-A53T-α-synuclein into the right substantia nigra pars compacta, followed by 4 or 8 weeks of twice-daily intraperitoneal injections of exendin-4 (5 μg/kg/day) starting at 2 weeks after AAV-9-A53T-α-synuclein injections. Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) scanning and immunostaining established that treatment with exendin-4 attenuated tyrosine-hydroxylase-positive neuronal loss and terminal denervation and mitigated the decrease in expression of vesicular monoamine transporter 2 within the nigrostriatal dopaminergic systems of rats injected with AAV-9-A53T-α-synuclein. It also mitigated the parkinsonian motor deficits assessed in behavioral tests. Furthermore, through both in vivo and in vitro models of Parkinson’s disease, we showed that exendin-4 promoted autophagy and mediated degradation of pathological α-synuclein, the effects of which were counteracted by 3-methyladenine or chloroquine, the autophagic inhibitors. Additionally, exendin-4 attenuated dysregulation of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in rats injected with AAV-9-A53T-α-synuclein. Taken together, our results demonstrate that exendin-4 treatment relieved behavioral deficits, dopaminergic degeneration, and pathological α-synuclein aggregation in a parkinsonian rat model of α-synucleinopathy and that these effects were mediated by enhanced autophagy via inhibiting the PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway. In light of the safety and tolerance of exendin-4 administration, our results suggest that exendin-4 may represent a promising disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13311-021-01018-5.     

Neuroprotective effects of adjunctive treatments for acute stroke thrombolysis: a review of clinical evidence

The narrow therapeutic time window and risk of intracranial hemorrhage largely restrict the clinical application of thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke. Adjunctive treatments added to rt-PA may be beneficial to improve the capacity of neural cell to withstand ischemia, and to reduce the hemorrhage risk as well. This review aims to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of adjunctive treatments in combination with thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke. Relevant studies were searched in the PubMed, Web of Science and EMBASE database. In this review, we first interpret the potential role of adjunctive treatments to thrombolytic therapy in acute ischemic stroke. Furthermore, we summarize the current clinical evidence for the combination of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator and various adjunctive therapies in acute ischemic stroke, either pharmacological or non-pharmacological therapy, and discuss the mechanisms of some promising treatments, including uric acid, fingolimod, minocycline, remote ischemic conditioning, hypothermia and transcranial laser therapy. Even though fingolimod, minocycline, hypothermia and remote ischemic conditioning have yielded promising results, they still need to be rigorously investigated in further clinical trials. Further trials should also focus on neuroprotective approach with pleiotropic effects or combined agents with multiple protective mechanisms.     

发光二极管照射对高糖培养的视网膜神经元凋亡的光生物调节作用及其机制

背景 研究糖尿病视网膜病变(DR)的发病机制及防治具有重要的临床意义.近年来随着生物医学光子学研究的发展,国际上利用光生物调节进行疾病防治的研究越来越受到重视,但关于光生物调节对DR的防治作用研究鲜见报道. 目的 探讨光生物调节对高糖环境下视网膜神经元凋亡的抑制作用及其机制,为光生物调节在DR治疗方面的应用提供依据.方法 采用免疫磁珠分离法分离Wistar大鼠视网膜神经元并进行传代培养,采用Nissl染色法对培养的细胞进行鉴定.将培养的细胞分为正常对照组、高糖模型组和高糖+发光二极管(LED)组,正常对照组细胞采用Neurobasal培养基进行培养,高糖模型组细胞在Neurobasal培养基中添加25 mmol/L葡萄糖,高糖+LED组细胞造模后48 h在培养箱中用LED红光光源进行照射,光源波长为620 nm,最大功率为1W,中心光辐射照度为6.67 mW/cm2.光源置于细胞上方2 cm处,光斑直径为2.0cm,使光斑完全覆盖1个培养孔,每次连续照射300 s,12h后重复照射1次,共照射3次.培养后48 h采用流式细胞仪测定各组细胞凋亡情况;采用激光扫描共焦显微镜观察各组细胞内Ca2+浓度变化;Western blot法检测各组细胞中磷酸化丝氨酸-苏氨酸激酶(p-AKT)蛋白的相对表达量.结果 培养后2～3d,倒置显微镜下可见细胞呈多边形和椭圆形,可见细胞核及核仁.培养后5～7d神经元突起增多,经Nissl染色后细胞质呈蓝紫色,神经元与神经胶质细胞的比例达91％.正常对照组、高糖模型组和高糖+LED组细胞凋亡率分别为(7.634_±3.176)％、(33.642±9.315)％和(23.914±6.375)％,其中高糖模型组和高糖+LED组细胞凋亡率均明显高于正常对照组,高糖+ LED组细胞凋亡率明显低于高糖模型组,差异均有统计学意义(均P＜0.0l).激光扫描共焦显微镜下可见高糖模型组和高糖+LED组细胞中Ca2+荧光像素值均明显高于正常对照组,高糖+LED组细胞中Ca2+荧光像素值明显低于高糖模型组,差异均有统计学意义(均P＜0.05).Westen blot法检测显示正常对照组、高糖模型组和高糖+LED组细胞中p-AKT蛋白相对表达量分别为10.34±3.18、2.16±0.46和7.15±1.72,高糖+LED组细胞中p-AKT蛋白相对表达量明显低于高糖模型组,差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 高糖环境抑制抗凋亡的PI3K/AKT通路活性并影响视网膜神经元钙稳态,导致细胞凋亡.低强度LED光照射可激活PI3K/AKT通路,减少高糖引起的细胞凋亡.     

青光眼视神经损伤与修复期待精准的个体化治疗

青光眼是临床上常见的以视神经损害为主要特征的致盲眼病,降低眼压仍是目前治疗青光眼的主要方法,但一些患者眼压虽然得到合理控制,视神经损害却难以恢复,甚至持续发展,因此其病理机制的研究和视神经损害的防治研究一直是近年来青光眼治疗研究的热点.最近随着生物医学研究的快速发展,尽管青光眼视神经损伤和修复的基础研究已经取得了显著进展,青光眼视神经损伤的机制已得到阐明,但是鲜见证据充分的、有确定疗效的临床研究报道.目前基因组学研究、干细胞研究、分子生物学研究、电子技术在医学中的应用研究等取得了长足进步,尤其是大数据时代的到来更为临床上青光眼的神经保护研究奠定了良好的基础.眼科医生应关注大数据信息时代为疾病精准化治疗带来的机遇和挑战,聚焦于青光眼视神经保护的精准个体化治疗,降低青光眼的致盲率.     

香芹酚通过抑制脑水肿与氧化应激反应保护大鼠 颅脑损伤

目的 探讨香芹酚对大鼠颅脑损伤（TBI）的保护作用及其机制。方法 SD大鼠50只,随机分为5组:假手术组、模型组、低剂量香芹酚（10 mg/kg）组、中剂量香芹酚（20 mg/kg）组、高剂量香芹酚（40 mg/kg）组,每组10只。Feeney氏自由落体法制备TBI模型,造模后1、3、7 d采用改良神经功能损害程度评分（mNSS）评估神经功能,干湿法测定脑组织含水量;ELISA法检测氧化应激因子丙二醛（MDA）、超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）、谷胱甘肽（GSH）、过氧化氢酶（CAT）以及化学定量法检测一氧化氮（NO）含量及一氧化氮合酶（NOS）活性。结果 香芹酚能显著改善大鼠TBI后神经功能,显著减轻TBI后脑水肿,显著降低损伤脑组织MDA、NO和NOS含量,显著增加损伤脑组织SOD、CAT和GSH含量。结论 香芹酚可通过减轻大鼠TBI后脑水肿、抑制氧化应激从而发挥神经保护作用。     

适度酒精预适应对大鼠局灶性脑缺血再灌注损伤保护作用的研究

目的 研究适度酒精预适应对大鼠局灶性脑缺血再灌注诱导的神经元损伤的保护作用。 方法 将36只雄性SD大鼠随机分为假手术组、缺血再灌注组和酒精预适应组,每组12只。局灶性脑 缺血再灌注模型采用右侧大脑中动脉闭塞方式,缺血2 h,再灌注24 h。酒精预适应组在脑缺血再灌 注前24 h用95%酒精与0.3 ml无菌蒸馏水混合后进行灌胃,95%酒精体积（μl）计算为：[大鼠体重（g） x0.6]+0.3。其余两组用同等剂量的生理盐水灌胃。每组取8只大鼠在缺血再灌注后24 h进行神经功能 评分和氯化2,3,5-三苯基四氮唑（2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride,TTC）染色并根据染色结果计 算脑梗死体积。每组剩余的4只,在缺血再灌注后24 h进行磁共振T2加权像（T2-weighted imaging,T2WI） 序列扫描,然后将大鼠处死取脑,经过冷冻切片后,每只大鼠取第一躯体感觉皮质区的2张切片,1 张用末端转移酶介导的脱氧尿嘧啶核苷三磷酸缺口末端标记（terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferasemediated 2'-deoxyuridine 5'-triphosphate nick-end labeling,TUNEL）检测其凋亡性细胞死亡情况,另一 张用Fluoro-Jade B检测其神经元退化变性情况。 结果 相较于缺血再灌注组,经过适度酒精预适应后会显著降低大鼠的神经功能评分[15.00 （14.25,16.00）vs 3.50（2.25,4.00）（P <0.001）]、脑梗死体积[TTC：（242.80±17.44）mm3 vs （54.83±13.43）mm3;T2WI ：（296.80±8.53）mm3 vs（59.68±9.97）mm3,P均<0.001]、凋亡细胞所占百 分比[（33.47±2.23）% vs（9.66±0.84）%,P <0.001]和退化变性神经元所占百分比（[ 45.31±3.40）% vs（23.26±1.25）%,P <0.001]。 结论 适度酒精预适应可以保护局灶性脑缺血再灌注诱导的神经元损伤。     

酮体代谢在颅脑创伤中对脑组织的神经保护作用

【摘要】〓外伤性脑损伤后造成脑组织缺血缺氧,继发炎症、脑血肿、脑肿胀、脑水肿、颇内压升高等一系列病理生理学变化。在颅脑创伤中,继发性颅脑损伤是引起急性病情恶化和招致病人死亡、致残的主要原因。颅脑创伤后会出现葡萄糖代谢障碍,从而影响神经元的代谢和能量来源。生酮饮食是一种高脂肪、低碳水化合物、低蛋白的饮食治疗方案,机体主要依靠脂肪而不是碳水化合物来供应能量,已用于临床抗癫痫的治疗,其有效性和安全性已得到国际公认。近来有报道证实颅脑创伤后生酮饮食可以延缓细胞调亡,起到神经保护作用,并能减轻脑水肿。现就酮体代谢对颅脑创伤后的神经保护作用进行综述。