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The specific mechanism of gingerol in cerebral ischemia remains unknown. A neuroprotective function for miR‐210 in cerebral ischemia has been identified. The brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)‐mediated signaling pathway protects against cerebral ischemic injury. This investigation aimed to determine whether gingerol plays a neuroprotective role in cerebral ischemia via the miR‐210/BDNF axis. N2a cells subjected to 10 h of hypoxia and 4 h of reoxygenation were treated with 5, 10, or 20 μmol/L gingerol. The levels of viability, apoptosis, and proteins in N2a cells were determined using MTT assays, flow cytometry, and western blotting, respectively. The binding relationship between BDNF and miR‐210 was studied using a dual luciferase reporter assay. The expression levels of miR‐210 and BDNF were determined using qPCR. Gingerol repressed the increase in apoptosis and decrease in viability observed in response to hypoxia/reoxygenation. Gingerol increased Bcl‐2, BDNF, and TrkB levels and reduced Bax and cleaved caspase 3 levels after hypoxia/reoxygenation. Gingerol evoked decreased expression of miR‐210. Inhibition of miR‐210 resulted in increased viability and reduced apoptosis along with increased levels of Bcl‐2, BDNF, and TrkB and reduced levels of Bax and cleaved caspase 3 after hypoxia/reoxygenation. Additionally, the miR‐210 mimic reversed changes induced by gingerol. The cotransfection of the miR‐210 mimic and wild type BDNF led to decreased luciferase activity. BDNF was negatively regulated by miR‐210. BDNF siRNA reversed these changes evoked by miR‐210 inhibition. Gingerol ameliorated hypoxia/reoxygenation‐stimulated neuronal damage by regulating the miR‐210/BDNF axis, indicating that gingerol is worthy of further application in cerebral ischemia therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most frequent, lethal, and aggressive tumor of the central nervous system in adults. In this study, we found for the first time that moschamindole (MCD), a rare phenolic amide with 8/6/6/5/5 rings, is a major bioactive constituent derived from Phragmites communis Trin (Poaceae) that exhibits a potential cytotoxic effect on both TMZ‐resistant GBM cell lines and xenograft models. MCD‐induced intrinsic apoptosis signals and mitochondrial dysfunction were confirmed by cell cycle arrest, caspase‐3/7 activation, and membrane potential depolarization. Furthermore, investigations exploring the mechanism showed that MCD specifically inhibits Mia40‐mediated oxidative folding of mitochondrial intermembrane space (IMS) proteins via PCR assay and immunoblot analysis. MCD relies on its positive charge to associate with mitochondrial oxidative respiration, thus blocking energy metabolism and inducing apoptosis. Overexpression and upregulation of Mia40 were proven to reverse MCD‐induced apoptosis and were correlated with the chemoresistance of GBM in vitro and in vivo, respectively. Taken together, our study demonstrates that Mia40 is a potential target of the chemoresistance of glioblastoma and suggests that MCD might be a potential agent for the individualized treatment of chemoresistant GBM based on mitochondrial metabolic characteristics and Mia40 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a highly aggressive type of brain tumour. Patients with GBM respond poorly to chemotherapy and have poor survival outcomes. Neuron-glial antigen 2 (NG2), also known as chondroitin sulphate proteoglycan 4 (CSPG4), has been shown to contribute to critical processes, such as cell survival, proliferation, and chemotherapy resistance, during glioma progression. In this study, we found that furanodienone (FUR), a diene-type sesquiterpene isolated from the rhizomes of Rhizoma curcumae, exhibited a potential cytotoxic effect on temozolomide (TMZ)-resistant GBM cells in vitro by inhibiting CSPG4 and related signalling pathways. Studies investigating the mechanism demonstrated that FUR suppressed CSPG4-Akt-ERK signalling, inflammatory responses, and cytokine levels but activated caspase-dependent pathways and mitochondrial dysfunction. Furthermore, an immunofluorescence assay and a dual-luciferase reporter assay revealed that inhibition of EGR1-mediated transcription might have contributed to the FUR-dependent blockade of CSPG4 signalling and glioma cell survival. These results established a link between FUR-induced CSPG4 inhibition and the suppression of EGR1-dependent transcription. Attenuation of ERK1/2 and cytokine signalling might have generated the EGR1-dependent negative feedback loop of the CSPG4 pathway during FUR-induced apoptosis. These findings suggested that FUR could be a therapeutic candidate for the treatment of malignant glioma via targeting CSPG4 signalling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]