Search

Oxidative stress (OS) is defined as the imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant defense system. Living organisms produce ROS from molecular oxygen as a consequence of normal cellular metabolism. In order to prevent damage, cells have an antioxidant defense system constituted by an enzymatic component (including catalases, superoxide dismutases, etc.) and nonenzymatic antioxidants component (glutathione, α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, etc.). When the levels of ROS exceed cell capacity, it can cause damage in cellular components such as carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, thus altering their function. Whenever this imbalance occurs within the central nervous system, it can lead to the development of the neurodegenerative disorders. Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the loss of neuronal cells and, in most cases, by the aggregates of proteins that form intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions in neurons and glial cells. Data on the literature show that there are two possible mechanisms involved in most of neurodegenerative diseases: (1) mutations and/or aggregation of characteristic proteins of each disease such as α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease (PD) or beta-amyloid peptide in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and (2) dysfunction of mitochondrial energy metabolism in neurons. In this section, we will focus on this last one., Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata

Oxidative stress (OS) is defined as the imbalance between the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and the antioxidant defense system. Living organisms produce ROS from molecular oxygen as a consequence of normal cellular metabolism. In order to prevent damage, cells have an antioxidant defense system constituted by an enzymatic component (including catalases, superoxide dismutases, etc.) and nonenzymatic antioxidants component (glutathione, α-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, etc.). When the levels of ROS exceed cell capacity, it can cause damage in cellular components such as carbohydrates, nucleic acids, lipids, and proteins, thus altering their function. Whenever this imbalance occurs within the central nervous system, it can lead to the development of the neurodegenerative disorders. Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by the loss of neuronal cells and, in most cases, by the aggregates of proteins that form intracytoplasmic and intranuclear inclusions in neurons and glial cells. Data on the literature show that there are two possible mechanisms involved in most of neurodegenerative diseases: (1) mutations and/or aggregation of characteristic proteins of each disease such as α-synuclein in Parkinson’s disease (PD) or beta-amyloid peptide in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and (2) dysfunction of mitochondrial energy metabolism in neurons. In this section, we will focus on this last one. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata

In the current study we implemented ICV IGF-1 gene therapy in very old rats (28 months) and assessed the motor performance pre and 17-days after surgery. Glial immunoreactivity in striatum was evaluated by Iba1 and GFAP markers., Facultad de Ciencias Médicas

Aging is associated with a progressive increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in both laboratory animals and humans. In the central nervous system, cholinergic and dopaminergic (DA) neurons are among the cells most susceptible to the deleterious effects of age. Thus, the basal forebrain cholinergic system is known to undergo moderate neurodegenerative changes during normal aging as well as severe atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Parkinson's disease (PD), a degeneration of nigro-striatal DA neurons is the most conspicuous reflection of the vulnerability of DA neurons to age. Overall, there is growing evidence that a progressive decline in cognitive function and central DA activity represents basic features of normal aging both in humans and laboratory rodents. Exacerbation of these processes contributes to the symptoms of AD and PD, respectively. In this context, neurotrophic factors that can prevent or delay the decline in cognitive function and central DA activity during normal aging may reveal new therapeutic avenues for treatment of AD and PD and are therefore of clinical interest. Among the peptide factors, Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I) and Glial cell line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor are emerging as powerful neuroprotective molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative pathologies. Among the neurosteroids, estrogens are recognized as neuroprotective and seem to act synergistically with IGF-I and possibly other neurotrophic peptides. This chapter will discuss the evidence supporting the neuroprotective relevance of the above factors., Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata

Aging is associated with a progressive increase in the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases in both laboratory animals and humans. In the central nervous system, cholinergic and dopaminergic (DA) neurons are among the cells most susceptible to the deleterious effects of age. Thus, the basal forebrain cholinergic system is known to undergo moderate neurodegenerative changes during normal aging as well as severe atrophy in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Parkinson's disease (PD), a degeneration of nigro-striatal DA neurons is the most conspicuous reflection of the vulnerability of DA neurons to age. Overall, there is growing evidence that a progressive decline in cognitive function and central DA activity represents basic features of normal aging both in humans and laboratory rodents. Exacerbation of these processes contributes to the symptoms of AD and PD, respectively. In this context, neurotrophic factors that can prevent or delay the decline in cognitive function and central DA activity during normal aging may reveal new therapeutic avenues for treatment of AD and PD and are therefore of clinical interest. Among the peptide factors, Insulin-like Growth Factor I (IGF-I) and Glial cell line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor are emerging as powerful neuroprotective molecules for the treatment of neurodegenerative pathologies. Among the neurosteroids, estrogens are recognized as neuroprotective and seem to act synergistically with IGF-I and possibly other neurotrophic peptides. This chapter will discuss the evidence supporting the neuroprotective relevance of the above factors. Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata

Thymulin is a thymic hormone exclusively produced by the thymic epithelial cells. It consists of a nonapeptide component coupled to the ion zinc, which confers biological activity to the molecule. After its discovery in the early 1970s, thymulin was characterized as a thymic hormone involved in several aspects of intrathymic and extrathymic T cell differentiation. Subsequently, it was demonstrated that thymulin production and secretion is strongly influenced by the neuroendocrine system. Conversely, a growing core of information, to be reviewed here, points to thymulin as a hypophysotropic peptide. In recent years, interest has arisen in the potential use of thymulin as a therapeutic agent. Thymulin was shown to possess anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in the brain. Furthermore, an adenoviral vector harboring a synthetic gene for thymulin, stereotaxically injected in the rat brain, achieved a much longer expression than the adenovirally mediated expression in the brain of other genes, thus suggesting that an anti-inflammatory activity of thymulin prevents the immune system from destroying virus-transduced brain cells. Other studies suggest that thymulin gene therapy may also be a suitable therapeutic strategy to prevent some of the endocrine and metabolic alterations that typically appear in thymus-deficient animal models. The present article briefly reviews the literature on the physiology, molecular biology, and therapeutic potential of thymulin., Instituto de Investigaciones Bioquímicas de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas de la provincia de Buenos Aires