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Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world. Strikingly, the molecular pathways engaged by its regular consumption remain unclear. We herein addressed the mechanisms associated with habitual (chronic) caffeine consumption in the mouse hippocampus using untargeted orthogonal omics techniques. Our results revealed that chronic caffeine exerts concerted pleiotropic effects in the hippocampus at the epigenomic, proteomic, and metabolomic levels. Caffeine lowered metabolism-related processes (e.g., at the level of metabolomics and gene expression) in bulk tissue, while it induced neuron-specific epigenetic changes at synaptic transmission/plasticity-related genes and increased experience-driven transcriptional activity. Altogether, these findings suggest that regular caffeine intake improves the signal-to-noise ratio during information encoding, in part through fine-tuning of metabolic genes, while boosting the salience of information processing during learning in neuronal circuits., Introduction Caffeine is the most widely consumed psychoactive substance in the world (by about 80% of the population) via dietary intake from coffee, tea, and soda beverages. Its popularity derives [...]

Accumulating data support the role of tau pathology in cognitive decline in ageing and Alzheimer's disease, but underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined. Interestingly, ageing and Alzheimer's disease have been associated with an abnormal upregulation of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), a fine tuner of synaptic plasticity. However, the link between A2AR signalling and tau pathology has remained largely unexplored. In the present study, we report for the first time a significant upregulation of A2AR in patients suffering from frontotemporal lobar degeneration with the MAPT P301L mutation. To model these alterations, we induced neuronal A2AR upregulation in a tauopathy mouse model (THY-Tau22) using a new conditional strain allowing forebrain overexpression of the receptor. We found that neuronal A2AR upregulation increases tau hyperphosphorylation, potentiating the onset of tau-induced memory deficits. This detrimental effect was linked to a singular microglial signature as revealed by RNA sequencing analysis. In particular, we found that A2AR overexpression in THY-Tau22 mice led to the hippocampal upregulation of C1q complement protein-also observed in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration-and correlated with the loss of glutamatergic synapses, likely underlying the observed memory deficits. These data reveal a key impact of overactive neuronal A2AR in the onset of synaptic loss in tauopathies, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Consumption of caffeine, a non-selective adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR) antagonist, reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and mitigates both amyloid and Tau lesions in transgenic mouse models of the disease. While short-term treatment with A2AR antagonists have been shown to alleviate cognitive deficits in mouse models of amyloidogenesis, impact of a chronic and long-term treatment on the development of amyloid burden, associated neuroinflammation and memory deficits has never been assessed. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of a 6-month treatment of APPsw/PS1dE9 mice with the potent and selective A2AR antagonist MSX-3 from 3 to 9-10 months of age. At completion of the treatment, we found that the MSX-3 treatment prevented the development of memory deficits in APP/PS1dE9 mice, without significantly altering hippocampal and cortical gene expressions. Interestingly, MSX-3 treatment led to a significant decrease of Aβ1-42 levels in the cortex of APP/PS1dE9 animals, while Aβ1-40 increased, thereby strongly affecting the Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio. Together, these data support the idea that A2AR blockade is of therapeutic value for AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extracellular concentration of adenosine in the brain increases dramatically during ischemia. Adenosine A2A receptor is expressed in neurons and glial cells and in inflammatory cells (lymphocytes and granulocytes). Recently, adenosine A2A receptor emerged as a potential therapeutic attractive target in ischemia. Ischemia is a multifactorial pathology characterized by different events evolving in the time. After ischemia the early massive increase of extracellular glutamate is followed by activation of resident immune cells, that is, microglia, and production or activation of inflammation mediators. Proinflammatory cytokines, which upregulate cell adhesion molecules, exert an important role in promoting recruitment of leukocytes that in turn promote expansion of the inflammatory response in ischemic tissue. Protracted neuroinflammation is now recognized as the predominant mechanism of secondary brain injury progression. A2A receptors present on central cells and on blood cells account for important effects depending on the time-related evolution of the pathological condition. Evidence suggests that A2A receptor antagonists provide early protection via centrally mediated control of excessive excitotoxicity, while A2A receptor agonists provide protracted protection by controlling massive blood cell infiltration in the hours and days after ischemia. Focus on inflammatory responses provides for adenosine A2A receptor agonists a wide therapeutic time-window of hours and even days after stroke. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) are a population of cycling cells which persist in the adult central nervous system (CNS) where, under opportune stimuli, they differentiate into mature myelinating oligodendrocytes. Adenosine A2A receptors are Gs-coupled P1 purinergic receptors which are widely distributed throughout the CNS. It has been demonstrated that OPCs express A2A receptors, but their functional role in these cells remains elusive. Oligodendrocytes express distinct voltage-gated ion channels depending on their maturation. Here, by electrophysiological recordings coupled with immunocytochemical labeling, we studied the effects of adenosine A2A receptors on membrane currents and differentiation of purified primary OPCs isolated from the rat cortex. We found that the selective A2A agonist, CGS21680, inhibits sustained, delayed rectifier, K+ currents (IK) without modifying transient (IA) conductances. The effect was observed in all cells tested, independently from time in culture. CGS21680 inhibition of IK current was concentration-dependent (10–200 nM) and blocked in the presence of the selective A2A antagonist SCH58261 (100 nM). It is known that IK currents play an important role during OPC development since their block decreases cell proliferation and differentiation. In light of these data, our further aim was to investigate whether A2A receptors modulate these processes. CGS21680, applied at 100 nM in the culture medium of oligodendrocyte cultures, inhibits OPC differentiation (an effect prevented by SCH58261) without affecting cell proliferation. Data demonstrate that cultured OPCs express functional A2A receptors whose activation negatively modulate IK currents. We propose that, by this mechanism, A2A adenosine receptors inhibit OPC differentiation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Evidence indicate that adenosine A2A receptor subtype is of critical importance in stroke. An overexpression of A2A adenosine receptors occurs at central level on neurons and microglia of ischemic striatum and cortex after focal ischemia. Adenosine A2A receptor subtype is localized not only at central level but also peripherally on blood cells, where it is known to exert antiinflammatory effect. Purpose of the present work was to investigate the putative neuroprotective effect of the adenosine A2A receptor agonist CGS21680 in a rat model of transient medial cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Transient cerebral ischemia was induced by 1h occlusion of MCA. CGS21680 (0.01 and 0.1mg/kg, i.p.) was administered starting 4h after ischemia according to a chronic protocol (twice/day for 7 days). CGS21680, at the dose of 0.1mg/kg transiently increased heart frequency but did not modify blood pressure. At the dose of 0.01mg/kg the drug did not modify either heart frequency or blood pressure. Following transient MCAo, CGS21680 at both doses protected from neurological deficit from the first day up to 7 days thereafter. At this time, it has reduced microgliosis, astrogliosis and improved myelin organization in the striatum and cytoarchitecture of the ischemic cortex and striatum. Two days after transient MCAo, CGS21680 has reduced the number of infiltrated granulocytes into the ischemic tissue. Data indicate that CGS21680 systemically administered is protective by immunosuppressive effects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Accumulating data support the role of tau pathology in cognitive decline in ageing and Alzheimer's disease, but underlying mechanisms remain ill-defined. Interestingly, ageing and Alzheimer's disease have been associated with an abnormal upregulation of adenosine A2A receptor (A2AR), a fine tuner of synaptic plasticity. However, the link between A2AR signalling and tau pathology has remained largely unexplored. In the present study, we report for the first time a significant upregulation of A2AR in patients suffering from frontotemporal lobar degeneration with the MAPT P301L mutation. To model these alterations, we induced neuronal A2AR upregulation in a tauopathy mouse model (THY-Tau22) using a new conditional strain allowing forebrain overexpression of the receptor. We found that neuronal A2AR upregulation increases tau hyperphosphorylation, potentiating the onset of tau-induced memory deficits. This detrimental effect was linked to a singular microglial signature as revealed by RNA sequencing analysis. In particular, we found that A2AR overexpression in THY-Tau22 mice led to the hippocampal upregulation of C1q complement protein-also observed in patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration-and correlated with the loss of glutamatergic synapses, likely underlying the observed memory deficits. These data reveal a key impact of overactive neuronal A2AR in the onset of synaptic loss in tauopathies, paving the way for new therapeutic approaches., (© The Author(s) (2019). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.)

Consumption of caffeine, a non-selective adenosine A 2A receptor (A 2A R) antagonist, reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mitigates both amyloid and Tau lesions in transgenic mouse models of the disease. While short-term treatment with A 2A R antagonists have been shown to alleviate cognitive deficits in mouse models of amyloidogenesis, impact of a chronic and long-term treatment on the development of amyloid burden, associated neuroinflammation and memory deficits has never been assessed. In the present study, we have evaluated the effect of a 6-month treatment of APPsw/PS1dE9 mice with the potent and selective A 2A R antagonist MSX-3 from 3 to 9-10 months of age. At completion of the treatment, we found that the MSX-3 treatment prevented the development of memory deficits in APP/PS1dE9 mice, without significantly altering hippocampal and cortical gene expressions. Interestingly, MSX-3 treatment led to a significant decrease of Aβ1-42 levels in the cortex of APP/PS1dE9 animals, while Aβ1-40 increased, thereby strongly affecting the Aβ1-42/Aβ1-40 ratio. Together, these data support the idea that A 2A R blockade is of therapeutic value for AD.