Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · May 2015
Hippocampal BDNF signaling restored with chronic asiaticoside treatment in depression-like mice.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a key role in the regulation of depression in the brain. Recently, increasing studies have focused on the antidepressant-like mechanism of BDNF and its downstream signaling pathway. A previous study has shown that asiaticoside produced an antidepressant-like action in the mouse tail suspension test and forced swimming test. ⋯ However, K252a, an inhibitor of BDNF receptor tropomyosin-related kinase receptor B (TrkB), completely abolished the antidepressant-like effect of asiaticoside. Moreover, the expression of hippocampal BDNF, PSD-95 and synapsin I that had increased with asiaticoside also declined with K252a pretreatment. In conclusion, our study implies that it is possible that asiaticoside exerts its antidepressant-like action by activating BDNF signaling in the hippocampus.
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Brain research bulletin · May 2015
Prophylactic lithium alleviates splenectomy-induced cognitive dysfunction possibly by inhibiting hippocampal TLR4 activation in aged rats.
Though the pathogenesis of postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) remains unclear, evidence is accumulating for a pivotal role of neuroinflammation in the disease process. Advanced age and severe surgical trauma are two main risk factors for POCD. Lithium, a neuroprotective agent, can alleviate peripheral surgery-induced memory impairment in aged rats. ⋯ Then, we also found that splenectomy merely increased hippocampal TLR2 and TLR4 mRNA levels in aged rats. At last, we confirmed that prophylactic lithium reduced the increased levels of hippocampal TLR4/NF-κB induced by splenectomy. Taken together, these results demonstrate that TLR4 signaling inactivation may contribute to the protective effects of prophylactic lithium on the occurrence of POCD by inhibiting systemic inflammation and especially neuroinflammation.
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Brain research bulletin · Mar 2015
High therapeutic potential of positive allosteric modulation of α7 nAChRs in a rat model of traumatic brain injury: proof-of-concept.
There are currently no clinically efficacious drug therapies to treat brain damage secondary to traumatic brain injury (TBI). In this proof-of-concept study, we used a controlled cortical impact model of TBI in young adult rats to explore a novel promising approach that utilizes PNU-120596, a previously reported highly selective Type-II positive allosteric modulator (α7-PAM) of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs). α7-PAMs enhance and prolong α7 nAChR activation, but do not activate α7 nAChRs when administered without an agonist. ⋯ Our data support this hypothesis and demonstrate that subcutaneous administration of PNU-120596 post-TBI in young adult rats significantly reduces both brain cell damage and reactive gliosis. Therefore, our results introduce post-TBI systemic administration of α7-PAMs as a promising therapeutic intervention that could significantly restrict brain injury post-TBI and facilitate recovery of TBI patients.
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Brain research bulletin · Mar 2015
The inimitable kynurenic acid: the roles of different ionotropic receptors in the action of kynurenic acid at a spinal level.
Kynurenic acid (KYNA) is a neuroactive metabolite that interacts with NMDA, AMPA/kainate and alpha 7 nicotinic receptors. The goal of this study was to clarify the roles of these receptors in the action of KYNA at a spinal level by using highly specific receptor antagonists alone or in triple combinations. Chronic osteoarthritis-like joint pain was induced with monosodium-iodoacetate in male Wistar rats. ⋯ High doses of NBQX resulted in significant antinociception with a slight motor impairment, while only the highest dose of MLA gave rise to significant antinociception with a slight motor impairment. After the coadministration of these ligands as combinations, no potentiation was observed. It may be supposed that the effects of KYNA are primarily due to the inhibition of NMDA receptors at both glycine and phencyclidine (PCP) binding sites, and not to the interactions at the different ionotropic receptors, but the mechanisms behind its high bio-efficiency are still unknown.
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Brain research bulletin · Feb 2015
The up-regulation of spinal Toll-like receptor 4 in rats with inflammatory pain induced by complete Freund's adjuvant.
Peripheral inflammation induces central sensitization that displays the features by the development of pain hypersensitivity to the stimuli. It has been shown that activation of glia contributes to the development of behavioral hypersensitivity after peripheral inflammation. It has been suggested that Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) primarily expressed on microglia affects central pain response. ⋯ The quantification of TLR4 with Western Blot analysis also suggests the same patter with the morphological results during the progress of inflammatory pain. In addition, chronic minocycline hydrochloride intrathecal injection reverses pain hypersensitivity and suppresses activation of microglia and TLR4 induced by CFA, but has hardly any effects on paw edema. Taken together, our data demonstrate the importance of TLR4 and microglia in rats in CFA inflammatory pain states, and suggest that blockade of microglia should likely be considered as a therapeutic opportunity.