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Alzheimer's disease is the most common neurodegenerative disease, and its treatment is lacking. In this work, we tested Amylovis-201, a naphthalene-derived compound, as a possible therapeutic candidate for the treatment of AD. For this purpose, we performed three experiments. In the first and third experiment, animals received a bilateral administration of streptozotocin and, starting 24 h after injection, a daily dose of Amylovis-201 (orally), for 17 days or for the whole time of the experiment respectively (28 days), after which learning and memory, as well as the number of hippocampal dentate gyrus cells, were assessed. In the second experiment, healthy animals received a single dose of Amylovis-201, 10 min or 5 h after the learning section to assess whether this substance could promote specific mechanisms involved in memory trace formation. Our data show that, administration of a single dose of Amylovis-201, 10 min after the end of training, but not at 5 h, produces a prolongation in memory duration, probably because it modulates specific mechanisms involved in memory trace consolidation. Furthermore, daily administration of Amylovis-201 to animals with bilateral intracerebroventricular injection of STZ produces a reduction in the loss of the hippocampus dentate gyrus cells and an improvement in spatial memory, probably because Amylovis-201 can interact with some of the protein kinases of the insulin signaling cascade, also involved in neural plasticity, and thereby halt or reverse some of the effects of STZ. Taking to account these results, Amylovis-201 is a good candidate for the therapeutic treatment of AD., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of complex multifactorial neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by a wide and variable set of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including deficits in social communication, narrow and restricted interests, and repetitive behavior. The immune hypothesis is considered to be a major factor contributing to autism pathogenesis, as well as a way to explain the differences of the clinical phenotypes and comorbidities influencing disease course and severity. Evidence highlights a link between immune dysfunction and behavioral traits in autism from several types of evidence found in both cerebrospinal fluid and peripheral blood and their utility to identify autistic subgroups with specific immunophenotypes; underlying behavioral symptoms are also shown. This review summarizes current insights into immune dysfunction in ASD, with particular reference to the impact of immunological factors related to the maternal influence of autism development; comorbidities influencing autism disease course and severity; and others factors with particular relevance, including obesity. Finally, we described main elements of similarities between immunopathology overlapping neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, taking as examples autism and Parkinson Disease, respectively.

Neurotoxic lesion of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) is known to cause subtle motor dysfunctions. However, motor coordination during advance on a discontinuous and elevated surface has not been studied. It is also not known whether there are changes in the mRNA expression of nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 ( Nrf2 ) in nigral tissue., Methods: The effects of the unilateral neurotoxic lesion of the PPN in motor coordination evaluated through grid test and Nrf2 mRNA expression in nigral tissue were evaluated. Two experimental designs (ED) were organized: ED#1 behavioral study (7 and 30 days after PPN lesion) and ED#2 molecular biology study (24 h, 48 h and 7 days) after PPN lesion., Results: ED#1-The number of faults made with left limbs, were significant higher in the lesioned groups ( p < 0.01) both 7 and 30 days post-lesion. The number of failures made by the right limbs, was also significantly higher ( p < 0.05) vs. control groups. ED#2- Nrf2 mRNA expression showed an increase 24 h after PPN injury ( p < 0.01), followed by a peak of expression 48 h post injury ( p < 0.001)., Conclusions: Disorders of motor coordination associated with PPN injury are bilateral. The increased Nrf2 mRNA expression could represent an adaptive response to oxidative stress in the nigral tissue following pontine injury.

Background and Objectives : The knowledge that the cholinergic neurons from pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) are vulnerable to the degeneration in early stages of the Parkinson disease progression has opened new perspectives to the development of experimental model focused in pontine lesions that could increase the risk of nigral degeneration. In this context it is known that PPN lesioned rats exhibit early changes in the gene expression of proteins responsible for dopaminergic homeostasis. At the same time, it is known that nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChRs) mediate the excitatory influence of pontine-nigral projection. However, the effect of PPN injury on the expression of transcription factors that modulate dopaminergic neurotransmission in the adult brain as well as the α7 nAChRs gene expression has not been studied. The main objective of the present work was the study of the effects of the unilateral neurotoxic lesion of PPN in nuclear receptor-related factor 1 (Nurr1), paired-like homeodomain transcription factor 3 (Pitx3), and α7 nAChRs mRNA expression in nigral tissue. Materials and Methods : The molecular biology studies were performed by means of RT-PCR. The following experimental groups were organized: Non-treated rats, N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-lesioned rats, and Sham operated rats. Experimental subjects were sacrificed 24 h, 48 h and seven days after PPN lesion. Results : Nurr1 mRNA expression, showed a significant increase both 24 h ( p < 0.001) and 48 h ( p < 0.01) after PPN injury. Pitx3 mRNA expression evidenced a significant increase 24 h ( p < 0.001) followed by a significant decrease 48 h and seven days after PPN lesion ( p < 0.01). Finally, the α7 nAChRs nigral mRNA expression remained significantly diminished 24 h, 48 h ( p < 0.001), and 7 days ( p < 0.01) after PPN neurotoxic injury. Conclusion : Taking together these modifications could represent early warning signals and could be the preamble to nigral neurodegeneration events., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Background: The degeneration of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) precedes the degeneration of the nigral cells in the pre-symptomatic stages of Parkinson's disease (PD). Although the literature recognizes that a lesion of the PPN increases the vulnerability of dopaminergic cells, it is unknown if this risk is associated with the loss of capability of handling the dopaminergic function., Methods: In this paper, the effects of a unilateral neurotoxic lesion of the PPN in tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and dopamine transporter (DAT) mRNA expression in nigrostriatal tissue were evaluated. Three experimental groups were organized: non-treated rats, NMDA-lesioned rats and Sham-operated rats., Results: Seven days after the PPN lesion, in nigral tissue, TH mRNA expression was higher in comparison with control groups ( p < 0.05); in contrast, VMAT2 mRNA expression showed a significant decrease ( p < 0.01). DAT mRNA expression showed a significant decrease ( p < 0.001) in the striatal tissue. Comparing nigral neuronal density of injured and control rats revealed no significant difference seven days post-PPN injury., Conclusions: Findings suggest that the PPN lesion modifies the mRNA expression of the proteins associated with dopaminergic homeostasis at nigrostriatal level. It could represent vulnerability signals for nigral dopaminergic cells and further increase the risk of degeneration of these cells., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) has been considered a critically important region in the regulation of some of the physiological functions that fail during the progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). In this paper, the effects of unilateral neurotoxic lesion of the PPN [through the injection of N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) solution (concentration: 0.1M; volume: 0.5µL)] in motor execution and gait disorders and the changes in cellular and molecular indicators in rat nigral tissue were evaluated. The motor execution was assessed using the beam test (BT) and the gait disorders by footprint test. Glutathione (GSH) concentrations, acetyl cholinesterase enzymatic activity (AChE EA), and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA expression in nigral tissue were analyzed. NMDA-lesioned rats showed fine motor dysfunction with a significant increase in the slow (p≤0.01) and fast movement (p≤0.01) time and in path deviation (p≤0.01) on the smaller diameter beams. Moreover, NMDA-lesioned rats exhibited an imprecise path with moments of advances and setbacks, alternating with left and right deviations, suspensions, and inverted positions. Footprint test revealed slight gait disorders, which were manifested by a reduction in the left and right stride lengths, the intra-step distance, and the support area (p≤0.01). Biochemical studies showed that 48h after the PPN neurotoxic injury, the GSH concentrations and BDNF expression were significantly increased (p≤0.01). These variables returned to normal values 7days after the PPN lesion; the AChE EA showed a significant increase at this time. These functional changes in nigral tissue could be a plastic responses associated with early PD., (Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The melanization reaction promoted by the prophenoloxidase-activating system is an essential defense response in invertebrates subjected to regulatory mechanisms that are still not fully understood. We report here the finding and characterization of a novel trypsin inhibitor, named panulirin, isolated from the hemocytes of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus with regulatory functions on the melanization cascade. Panulirin is a cationic peptide (pI 9.5) composed of 48 amino acid residues (5.3 kDa), with six cysteine residues forming disulfide bridges. Its primary sequence was determined by combining Edman degradation/N-terminal sequencing and electrospray ionization-MS/MS spectrometry. The low amino acid sequence similarity with known proteins indicates that it represents a new family of peptidase inhibitors. Panulirin is a competitive and reversible tight-binding inhibitor of trypsin (Ki = 8.6 nm) with a notable specificity because it does not inhibit serine peptidases such as subtilisin, elastase, chymotrypsin, thrombin, and plasmin. The removal of panulirin from the lobster hemocyte lysate leads to an increase in phenoloxidase response to LPS. Likewise, the addition of increasing concentrations of panulirin to a lobster hemocyte lysate, previously depleted of trypsin-inhibitory activity, decreased the phenoloxidase response to LPS in a concentration-dependent fashion. These results indicate that panulirin is implicated in the regulation of the melanization cascade in P. argus by inhibiting peptidase(s) in the pathway toward the activation of the prophenoloxidase enzyme.