Pharmacological doses of melatonin impede cognitive decline in tau‐related Alzheimer models,once tauopathy is initiated,by restoring the autophagic flux

Alterations in autophagy are increasingly being recognized in the pathogenesis of proteinopathies like Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study was conducted to evaluate whether melatonin treatment could provide beneficial effects in an Alzheimer model related to tauopathy by improving the autophagic flux and, thereby, prevent cognitive decline. The injection of AAV‐hTau^P301L viral vectors and treatment/injection with okadaic acid were used to achieve mouse and human ex vivo, and in vivo tau‐related models. Melatonin (10 μmol/L) impeded oxidative stress, tau hyperphosphorylation, and cell death by restoring autophagy flux in the ex vivo models. In the in vivo studies, intracerebroventricular injection of AAV‐hTau^P301L increased oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, and tau hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampus 7 days after the injection, without inducing cognitive impairment; however, when animals were maintained for 28 days, cognitive decline was apparent. Interestingly, late melatonin treatment (10 mg/kg), starting once the alterations mentioned above were established (from day 7 to day 28), reduced oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, tau hyperphosphorylation, and caspase‐3 activation; these observations correlated with restoration of the autophagy flux and memory improvement. This study highlights the importance of autophagic dysregulation in tauopathy and how administration of pharmacological doses of melatonin, once tauopathy is initiated, can restore the autophagy flux, reduce proteinopathy, and prevent cognitive decline. We therefore propose exogenous melatonin supplementation or the development of melatonin derivatives to improve autophagy flux for the treatment of proteinopathies like AD.     

Melatonin reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular function in pulmonary hypertensive newborn sheep

Pulmonary hypertension of the newborn (PHN) constitutes a critical condition with severe cardiovascular and neurological consequences. One of its main causes is hypoxia during gestation, and thus, it is a public health concern in populations living above 2500 m. Although some mechanisms are recognized, the pathophysiological facts that lead to PHN are not fully understood, which explains the lack of an effective treatment. Oxidative stress is one of the proposed mechanisms inducing pulmonary vascular dysfunction and PHN. Therefore, we assessed whether melatonin, a potent antioxidant, improves pulmonary vascular function. Twelve newborn sheep were gestated, born, and raised at 3600 meters. At 3 days old, lambs were catheterized and daily cardiovascular measurements were recorded. Lambs were divided into two groups, one received daily vehicle as control and another received daily melatonin (1 mg/kg/d), for 8 days. At 11 days old, lung tissue and small pulmonary arteries (SPA) were collected. Melatonin decreased pulmonary pressure and resistance for the first 3 days of treatment. Further, melatonin significantly improved the vasodilator function of SPA, enhancing the endothelial‐ and muscular‐dependent pathways. This was associated with an enhanced nitric oxide‐dependent and nitric oxide independent vasodilator components and with increased nitric oxide bioavailability in lung tissue. Further, melatonin reduced the pulmonary oxidative stress markers and increased enzymatic and nonenzymatic antioxidant capacity. Finally, these effects were associated with an increase of lumen diameter and a mild decrease in the wall of the pulmonary arteries. These outcomes support the use of melatonin as an adjuvant in the treatment for PHN.     

miR-26b通过调节Notch1信号通路参与原发性肝细胞肝癌侵袭的机制研究

目的:探讨miR-26b参与原发性肝细胞肝癌（HCC）侵袭的机制。方法:在细胞培养液中培养人肝细胞系HL-7702和HCC细胞各系Hepb-3、HuH-7、MHCC97-L、MHCC97-H。实时荧光定量PCR法（qRT-PCR）检测miR-26b的表达水平；用miR-26b mimics、miR-26b inhibitors和Notch1-siRNA分别转染HCC细胞；MTT实验检测转染后HCC细胞的活力；采用Western blot检测Notch1受体蛋白表达水平的变化；Transwell小室测定不同处理后的HCC细胞的侵袭能力。结果:人正常肝细胞系HL-7702和HCC细胞系Hepb-3、HuH-7、MHCC97-L、MHCC97-H中的miR-26b相对表达含量随其侵袭和迁移能力的升高而依次下降；抑制miR-26b的表达，Notch1受体蛋白表达明显增高，而此时HCC细胞的侵袭性显著增强；相反，上调miR-26b的表达，Notch1受体蛋白表达明显降低，而HCC细胞侵袭性显著下降；miR-26b可能通过调控Notch1信号通路调节HCC细胞侵袭性。结论:miR-26b通过负调控Notch1信号通路抑制HCC细胞侵袭能力，为HCC侵袭的机制奠定了理论基础，miR-26b可能成为HCC治疗的新靶点。