RESUMEN
Spinal cord injury results in paralysis, sensory disturbances, sphincter dysfunction, and multiple systemic secondary conditions, most arising from autonomic dysregulation. All this produces profound negative psychosocial implications for affected people, their families, and their communities; the financial costs can be challenging for their families and health institutions. Treatments aimed at restoring the spinal cord after spinal cord injury, which have been tested in animal models or clinical trials, generally seek to counteract one or more of the secondary mechanisms of injury to limit the extent of the initial damage. Most published works on structural/functional restoration in acute and chronic spinal cord injury stages use a single type of treatment: a drug or trophic factor, transplant of a cell type, and implantation of a biomaterial. Despite the significant benefits reported in animal models, when translating these successful therapeutic strategies to humans, the result in clinical trials has been considered of little relevance because the improvement, when present, is usually insufficient. Until now, most studies designed to promote neuroprotection or regeneration at different stages after spinal cord injury have used single treatments. Considering the occurrence of various secondary mechanisms of injury in the acute and sub-acute phases of spinal cord injury, it is reasonable to speculate that more than one therapeutic agent could be required to promote structural and functional restoration of the damaged spinal cord. Treatments that combine several therapeutic agents, targeting different mechanisms of injury, which, when used as a single therapy, have shown some benefits, allow us to assume that they will have synergistic beneficial effects. Thus, this narrative review article aims to summarize current trends in the use of strategies that combine therapeutic agents administered simultaneously or sequentially, seeking structural and functional restoration of the injured spinal cord.
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Traumatic spinal cord injury (tSCI) has complex pathophysiological events that begin after the initial trauma. One such event is fibroglial scar formation by fibroblasts and reactive astrocytes. A strong inhibition of axonal growth is caused by the activated astroglial cells as a component of fibroglial scarring through the production of inhibitory molecules, such as chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans or myelin-associated proteins. Here, we used neural precursor cells (aldynoglia) as promoters of axonal growth and a fibrin hydrogel gelled under alkaline conditions to support and guide neuronal cell growth, respectively. We added Tol-51 sulfoglycolipid as a synthetic inhibitor of astrocyte and microglia in order to test its effect on the axonal growth-promoting function of aldynoglia precursor cells. We obtained an increase in GFAP expression corresponding to the expected glial phenotype for aldynoglia cells cultured in alkaline fibrin. In co-cultures of dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and aldynoglia, the axonal growth promotion of DRG neurons by aldynoglia was not affected. We observed that the neural precursor cells first clustered together and then formed niches from which aldynoglia cells grew and connected to groups of adjacent cells. We conclude that the combination of alkaline fibrin with synthetic sulfoglycolipid Tol-51 increased cell adhesion, cell migration, fasciculation, and axonal growth capacity, promoted by aldynoglia cells. There was no negative effect on the behavior of aldynoglia cells after the addition of sulfoglycolipid Tol-51, suggesting that a combination of aldynoglia plus alkaline fibrin and Tol-51 compound could be useful as a therapeutic strategy for tSCI repair.
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Axones , Fibrina , Ganglios Espinales , Animales , Ganglios Espinales/efectos de los fármacos , Ganglios Espinales/metabolismo , Ganglios Espinales/citología , Axones/metabolismo , Axones/efectos de los fármacos , Fibrina/metabolismo , Hidrogeles/química , Hidrogeles/farmacología , Ratas , Glucolípidos/farmacología , Células-Madre Neurales/efectos de los fármacos , Células-Madre Neurales/metabolismo , Células-Madre Neurales/citología , Neuronas/metabolismo , Neuronas/efectos de los fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Técnicas de Cocultivo , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/metabolismo , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/tratamiento farmacológico , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/patología , Neuroglía/efectos de los fármacos , Neuroglía/metabolismo , Astrocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Astrocitos/metabolismo , Médula Espinal/metabolismo , Médula Espinal/efectos de los fármacos , Médula Espinal/citología , Movimiento Celular/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Cancer and bacterial infections rank among the most significant global health threats. accounting for roughly 25 million fatalities each year. This statistic underscores the urgent necessity for developing novel drugs, enhancing current treatments, and implementing systems that boost their bioavailability to achieve superior therapeutic outcomes. Liposomes have been recognised as effective carriers; nonetheless, they encounter issues with long-term stability and structural integrity, which limit their pharmaceutical applicability. Chitosomes (chitosan-coated liposomes) are generally a good alternative to solve these issues. This research aims to demonstrate the effective individual encapsulation of ciprofloxacin (antibacterial, hydrophilic) and etoposide (anticancer, hydrophobic), within chitosomes to create more effective drug delivery systems (oral administration for ciprofloxacin, parenteral administration for etoposide). Thus, liposomes and chitosomes were prepared using the thin-film hydration technique and were characterised through ATR-FTIR, Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), zeta potential, and release profiling. In both cases, the application of chitosomes enhanced long-term stability in size and surface charge. Chitosome-encapsulated ciprofloxacin formulations exhibited a slower and sustained release profile, while the combined effect of etoposide and chitosan showed heightened efficacy against the glioblastoma cell line U373. Therefore, coating liposomes with chitosan improved the encapsulation system's properties, resulting in a promising method for drug delivery.
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Following spinal cord injury (SCI), the regenerative capacity of the central nervous system (CNS) is severely limited by the failure of axonal regeneration. The regeneration of CNS axons has been shown to occur by grafting predegenerated peripheral nerves (PPNs) and to be promoted by the transplantation of neural precursor cells (NPCs). The introduction of a combinatorial treatment of PPNs and NPCs after SCI has to address the additional problem of glial scar formation, which prevents regenerating axons from leaving the implant and making functional connections. Previously, we discovered that the synthetic sulfoglycolipid Tol-51 inhibits astrogliosis. The objective was to evaluate axonal regeneration and locomotor function improvement after SCI in rats treated with a combination of PPN, NPC, and Tol-51. One month after SCI, the scar tissue was removed and replaced with segments of PPN or PPN+Tol-51; PPN+NPC+Tol-51. The transplantation of a PPN segment favors regenerative axonal growth; in combination with Tol-51 and NPC, 30% of the labeled descending corticospinal axons were able to grow through the PPN and penetrate the caudal spinal cord. The animals treated with PPN showed significantly better motor function. Our data demonstrate that PPN implants plus NPC and Tol-51 allow successful axonal regeneration in the CNS.
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Regeneración Nerviosa , Células-Madre Neurales , Nervios Periféricos , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal , Animales , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/fisiopatología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/terapia , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/patología , Ratas , Regeneración Nerviosa/efectos de los fármacos , Células-Madre Neurales/efectos de los fármacos , Células-Madre Neurales/trasplante , Células-Madre Neurales/citología , Nervios Periféricos/efectos de los fármacos , Nervios Periféricos/patología , Femenino , Axones/efectos de los fármacos , Glucolípidos/farmacología , Recuperación de la Función/efectos de los fármacosRESUMEN
Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) results in partial or complete motor deficits, such as paraplegia, tetraplegia, and sphincter control, as well as sensory disturbances and autonomic dysregulation such as arterial hypotension, lack of sweating, and alterations in skin lability. All this has a strong psychological impact on the affected person and his/her family, as well as costs to healthcare institutions with an economic burden in the short, medium, and long terms. Despite at least forty years of experimental animal studies and several clinical trials with different therapeutic strategies, effective therapy is not universally accepted. Most of the published works on acute and chronic injury use a single treatment, such as medication, trophic factor, transplant of a cell type, and so on, to block some secondary injury mechanisms or promote some mechanisms of structural/functional restoration. However, despite significant results in experimental models, the outcome is a moderate improvement in muscle strength, sensation, or eventually in sphincter control, which has been considered non-significant in human clinical trials. Here we present a brief compilation of successful individual treatments that have been applied to secondary mechanisms of action. These studies show limited neuroprotective or neurorestorative approaches in animal models and clinical trials. Thus, the few benefits achieved so far represent a rationale to further explore other strategies that seek better structural and functional restoration of the injured spinal cord.
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Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal , Humanos , Animales , Femenino , Masculino , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/terapia , CuadriplejíaRESUMEN
Spinal cord injury is a traumatic lesion that causes a catastrophic condition in patients, resulting in neuronal deficit and loss of motor and sensory function. That loss is caused by secondary injury events following mechanical damage, which results in cell death. One of the most important events is inflammation, which activates molecules like proinflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß, IFN-γ, and TNF-α) that provoke a toxic environment, inhibiting axonal growth and exacerbating CNS damage. As there is no effective treatment, one of the developed therapies is neuroprotection of the tissue to preserve healthy tissue. Among the strategies that have been developed are the use of cell therapy, the use of peptides, and molecules or supplements that have been shown to favor an anti-inflammatory environment that helps to preserve tissue and cells at the site of injury, thus favoring axonal growth and improved locomotor function. In this review, we will explain some of these strategies used in different animal models of spinal cord injury, their activity as modulators of the immune system, and the benefits they have shown.
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Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal , Animales , Humanos , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/tratamiento farmacológico , Inflamación/patología , Neuronas/metabolismo , Antiinflamatorios/uso terapéutico , Citocinas/metabolismo , Médula Espinal/metabolismo , Recuperación de la Función/fisiologíaRESUMEN
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) regulates dendritic branching and dendritic spine morphology, as well as synaptic plasticity and long-term potentiation. Consequently, BDNF deficiency has been associated with some neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's diseases. In contrast, elevated BDNF levels correlate with recovery after traumatic central nervous system (CNS) injuries. The utility of BDNF as a therapeutic agent is limited by its short half-life in a pathological microenvironment and its low efficacy caused by unwanted consumption of non-neuronal cells or inappropriate dosing. Here, we tested the activity of chitosan microsphere-encapsulated BDNF to prevent clearance and prolong the efficacy of this neurotrophin. Neuritic growth activity of BDNF release from chitosan microspheres was observed in the PC12 rat pheochromocytoma cell line, which is dependent on neurotrophins to differentiate via the neurotrophin receptor (NTR). We obtained a rapid and sustained increase in neuritic out-growth of cells treated with BDNF-loaded chitosan microspheres over control cells (p < 0.001). The average of neuritic out-growth velocity was three times higher in the BDNF-loaded chitosan microspheres than in the free BDNF. We conclude that the slow release of BDNF from chitosan microspheres enhances signaling through NTR and promotes axonal growth in neurons, which could constitute an important therapeutic agent in neurodegenerative diseases and CNS lesions.
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Factor Neurotrófico Derivado del Encéfalo , Quitosano , Ratas , Animales , Factor Neurotrófico Derivado del Encéfalo/metabolismo , Quitosano/metabolismo , Microesferas , Neuronas/metabolismo , Plasticidad NeuronalRESUMEN
Aldynoglia are growth-promoting cells with a morphology similar to radial glia and share properties and markers with astrocytes and Schwann cells. They are distributed in several locations throughout the adult central nervous system, where the cells of the aldynoglia interact and respond to the signals of the immune cells. After spinal cord injury (SCI), the functions of resident aldynoglia, identified as ependymocytes, tanycytes, and ependymal stem cells (EpSCs) of the spinal cord are crucial for the regeneration of spinal neural tissue. These glial cells facilitate axonal regrowth and remyelination of injured axons. Here, we review the influence of M1 or M2 macrophage/microglia subpopulations on the fate of EpSCs during neuroinflammation and immune responses in the acute, subacute, and chronic phases after SCI.
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Inflamación/inmunología , Inflamación/patología , Neuroglía/patología , Neuronas/inmunología , Neuronas/patología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/inmunología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/patología , Animales , Humanos , Inmunidad , Regeneración Nerviosa , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/fisiopatologíaRESUMEN
Humans evolved by losing the capacity to synthesize the glycan Galα1-3Galß1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal), which resulted in the capacity to develop a protective response mediated by anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG antibodies against pathogens containing this modification on membrane proteins. As an evolutionary trade-off, humans can develop the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS), a recently diagnosed disease mainly associated with allergic reactions to mammalian meat consumption. The etiology of the AGS is the exposure to tick bites and the IgE antibody response against α-Gal-containing glycoproteins and glycolipids. The objective of this study was to characterize the anti-α-Gal antibody response in association with the immune-mediated peripheral neuropathy, Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), and compare it with different factors known to modulate the antibody response to α-Gal such as exposure to tick bites and development of allergic reactions in response to tick bites. The results showed a significant decrease in the IgM/IgG response to α-Gal in GBS patients when compared to healthy individuals. In contrast, the IgM/IgG levels to α-Gal did not change in patients with allergic reactions to tick bites. The IgE response was not affected in GBS patients, but as expected, the IgE levels significantly increased in individuals exposed to tick bites and patients with tick-associated allergies. These results suggest that the immune pathways of anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG and IgE production are independent. Further studies should consider the susceptibility to allergic reactions to tick bites in GBS patients.
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Inmunidad Adaptativa , Hipersensibilidad a los Alimentos/complicaciones , Síndrome de Guillain-Barré/complicaciones , Hipersensibilidad/inmunología , Mordeduras de Garrapatas/complicaciones , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina G/inmunología , Inmunoglobulina M/inmunología , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Chitosan sulfates have demonstrated the ability to mimic heparan sulfate (HS) function. In this context, it is crucial to understand how the specific structural properties of HS domains determine their functionalities and biological activities. In this study, several HS-mimicking chitosans have been prepared to mimic the structure of HS domains that have proved to be functionally significant in cell processes. The results presented herein are in concordance with the hypothesis that sulfated chitosan-growth factor (GF) interactions are controlled by a combination of two effects: the electrostatic interactions and the conformational adaptation of the polysaccharide. Thus, we found that highly charged O-sulfated S-CS and S-DCS polysaccharides with a low degree of contraction interacted more strongly with GFs than N-sulfated N-DCS, with a higher degree of contraction and a low charge. Finally, the evidence gathered suggests that N-DCS would be able to bind to an allosteric zone and is likely to enhance GF signaling activity. This is because the bound protein remains able to bind to its cognate receptor, promoting an effect on cell proliferation as has been shown for PC12 cells. However, S-CS and S-DCS would sequester the protein, decreasing the GF signaling activity by depleting the protein or locally blocking its active site.
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Materiales Biomiméticos/farmacología , Quitosano/farmacología , Péptidos y Proteínas de Señalización Intercelular/metabolismo , Transducción de Señal/efectos de los fármacos , Animales , Materiales Biomiméticos/síntesis química , Materiales Biomiméticos/metabolismo , Materiales Biomiméticos/toxicidad , Diferenciación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Quitosano/síntesis química , Quitosano/metabolismo , Quitosano/toxicidad , Heparitina Sulfato/química , Células PC12 , Unión Proteica , RatasRESUMEN
Humans evolved by losing the capacity to synthesize the glycan Galα1-3Galß1-(3)4GlcNAc-R (α-Gal), which resulted in the development of a protective response mediated by anti-α-Gal IgM/IgG/IgA antibodies against pathogens containing this modification on membrane proteins. As an evolutionary trade-off, humans can develop the alpha-Gal syndrome (AGS), a recently diagnosed disease mediated by anti-α-Gal IgE antibodies and associated with allergic reactions to mammalian meat consumption and tick bites. However, the anti-α-Gal antibody response may be associated with other immune-mediated disorders such as those occurring in patients with COVID-19 and Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Here, we provide a dataset (209 entries) on the IgE/IgM/IgG/IgA anti-α-Gal antibody response in healthy individuals and patients diagnosed with AGS, tick-borne allergies, GBS and COVID-19. The data allows correlative analyses of the anti-α-Gal antibody response with factors such as patient and clinical characteristics, record of tick bites, blood group, age and sex. These analyses could provide insights into the role of anti-α-Gal antibody response in disease symptomatology and possible protective mechanisms.
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COVID-19 , Hipersensibilidad a los Alimentos , Animales , Formación de Anticuerpos , Humanos , Inmunoglobulina G , SARS-CoV-2RESUMEN
Chondroitin sulfate (CS) is a relevant family of polysaccharides that participates in a large variety of biological events that are related to neural processes by regulating various growth factors through the pattern and degree of sulfation of the polysaccharide. However, their own complexity makes their optimization for biomedical applications a difficult undertaking. Thus, a different perspective has to be taken. Herein, we show that the particular sulfate distribution within the disaccharide repeating-unit plays a key role in the binding of growth factors (GFs). In particular, this disposition modulates the surface charge of the helical structure that, interestingly, has a significant influence on the binding capacity of CSs with several GFs. This fact should be carefully considered in the design of new ligands with improved activity as GFs ligands.
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Sulfatos de Condroitina/química , Factores de Crecimiento de Fibroblastos/química , Animales , Sitios de Unión , Conformación de Carbohidratos , Diferenciación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Células Cultivadas , Condroitín Liasas/metabolismo , Sulfatos de Condroitina/síntesis química , Sulfatos de Condroitina/farmacología , Humanos , Ligandos , Tamaño de la Partícula , Ratas , Espectrometría de Fluorescencia , Propiedades de SuperficieRESUMEN
Despite the relevant biological functions of heparan sulfate (HS) glycosaminoglycans, their limited availability and the chemical heterogeneity from natural sources hamper their use for biomedical applications. Chitosan sulfates (ChS) exhibit structural similarity to HSs and may mimic their biological functions. We prepared a variety of ChS with different degree of sulfation to evaluate their ability to mimic HS in protein binding and to promote neural cell division and differentiation. The structure of the products was characterized using various spectroscopic and analytical methods. The study of their interaction with different growth factors showed that ChS bound to the proteins similarly or even better than heparin. In cell cultures, a transition effect on cell number was observed as a function of ChS concentration. Differences in promoting the expression of the differentiation markers were also found depending on the degree of sulfation and modification in the chitosan.
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Therapeutic options for spinal cord injuries are severely limited; current treatments only offer symptomatic relief and rehabilitation focused on educating the individual on how to adapt to their new situation to make best possible use of their remaining function. Thus, new approaches are needed, and interest in the development of effective strategies to promote the repair of neural tracts in the central nervous system inspired us to prepare functional and highly anisotropic polymer scaffolds. In this work, an initial assessment of the behavior of rat neural progenitor cells (NPCs) seeded on poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyhexanoate) fiber scaffolds using synchrotron-based infrared microspectroscopy (SIRMS) is described. Combined with a modified touch imprint cytology sample preparation method, this application of SIRMS enabled the biochemical profiles of NPCs on the coated polymer fibers to be determined. The results showed that changes in the lipid and amide I-II spectral regions are modulated by the type and coating of the substrate used and the culture time. SIRMS studies can provide valuable insight into the early-stage response of NPCs to the morphology and surface chemistry of a biomaterial, and could therefore be a useful tool in the preparation and optimization of cellular scaffolds. Graphical abstract Synchrotron IR microspectroscopy can provide insight into the response of neural progenitor cells to synthetic scaffolds.
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Ácido 3-Hidroxibutírico/química , Caproatos/química , Células Madre Embrionarias/química , Células Madre Embrionarias/citología , Poliésteres/química , Andamios del Tejido/química , Animales , Células Cultivadas , Nanofibras/química , Neurogénesis , Ratas , Ratas Wistar , Espectroscopía Infrarroja por Transformada de Fourier/métodosRESUMEN
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an autoimmune-mediated peripheral neuropathy of unknown cause. However, about a quarter of GBS patients have suffered a recent bacterial or viral infection, and axonal forms of the disease are especially common in these patients. Proteomics is a good methodological approach for the discovery of disease biomarkers. Until recently, most proteomics studies of GBS and other neurodegenerative diseases have focused on the analysis of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, serum represents an attractive alternative to CSF because it is easier to sample and has potential for biomarker discovery. The goal of this research was the identification of serum biomarkers associated with recovery from GBS. To address this objective, a quantitative proteomics approach was used to characterize differences in the serum proteome between a GBS patient and her healthy identical twin in order to lessen variations due to differences in genetic background, and with additional serum samples collected from unrelated GBS (N = 3) and Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) (N = 3) patients with similar medications. Proteomics results were then validated by ELISA using sera from additional GBS patients (N = 5) and healthy individuals (N = 3). All GBS and SCI patients were recovering from the acute phase of the disease. The results showed that Piccolo, a protein that is essential in the maintenance of active zone structure, constitutes a potential serological correlate of recovery from GBS. These results provided the first evidence for the Piccolo´s putative role in GBS, suggesting a candidate target for developing a serological marker of disease recovery.
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Biomarcadores , Proteínas del Citoesqueleto/sangre , Síndrome de Guillain-Barré/metabolismo , Síndrome de Guillain-Barré/rehabilitación , Neuropéptidos/sangre , Proteómica , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Proteínas Sanguíneas , Estudios de Casos y Controles , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Modelos Biológicos , Proteoma , Proteómica/métodos , Recuperación de la Función , Reproducibilidad de los Resultados , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
A combined approach in spinal cord injury (SCI) therapy is the modulation of the cellular and molecular processes involved in glial scarring. Aldaynoglial cells are neural cell precursors with a high capacity to differentiate into neurons, promote axonal growth, wrapping and myelination of resident neurons. These important characteristics of aldaynoglia can be combined with specific inhibition of the RhoGTPase activity in astroglia and microglia that cause reduction of glial proliferation, retraction of glial cell processes and myelin production by oligodendrocytes. Previously we used experimental central nervous system (CNS) injury models, like spinal cord contusion and striatal lacunar infarction and observed that administration of RhoGTPase glycolipid inhibitor or aldaynoglial cells, respectively, produced a significant gain of functional recovery in treated animals. The combined therapy with neuro-regenerative properties strategy is highly desirable to treat SCI for functional potentiation of neurons and oligodendrocytes, resulting in better locomotor recovery. Here we suggest that treatment of spinal lesions with aldaynoglia from neurospheres plus local administration of a RhoGTPase inhibitor could have an additive effect and promote recovery from SCI.
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Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is an immune-mediated peripheral neuropathy. The goal of this research was the identification of biomarkers associated with recovery from GBS. In this study, we compared the transcriptome of PBMCs from a GBS patient and her healthy twin to discover possible correlates of disease progression and recovery. The study was then extended using GBS and spinal cord injury unrelated patients with similar medications and healthy individuals. The early growth response gene-2 (EGR2) was upregulated in GBS patients during disease recovery. The results provided evidence for the implication of EGR2 in GBS and suggested a role for EGR2 in the regulation of IL-17, IL-22, IL-28A, and TNF-ß cytokines in GBS patients. These results identified biomarkers associated with GBS recovery and suggested that EGR2 overexpression has a pivotal role in the downregulation of cytokines implicated in the pathophysiology of this acute neuropathy.
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Biomarcadores/análisis , Proteína 2 de la Respuesta de Crecimiento Precoz/biosíntesis , Síndrome de Guillain-Barré/inmunología , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Citocinas/biosíntesis , Proteína 2 de la Respuesta de Crecimiento Precoz/inmunología , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Reacción en Cadena en Tiempo Real de la Polimerasa , Recuperación de la Función , Transcriptoma , Regulación hacia Arriba , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
PURPOSE: After spinal cord injury (SCI) a glial scar is generated in the area affected that forms a barrier for axon growth and myelination, preventing functional recovery. Recently, we have described a synthetic glycolipid (IG20) that inhibited proliferation of human glioma cells. We show now that IG20 inhibited the proliferation of astrocytes and microglial cells, the principal cellular components of the glial scar, and promoting axonal outgrowth and myelin production in vitro. METHODS: Glial cells were inhibited with IG20 (IC50≈10 µM) and studied by RT-PCR, Western Blotting, immunoprecipitation and fluorescence microscopy. Axonal outgrowth in dorsal root ganglia (DRG) and myelin production by oligodendrocytes were analyzed by immunocytochemistry. Adult rats were assayed in spinal cord contusion model and the recovery of treated animals (nâ=â6) and controls (nâ=â6) was followed. RESULTS: The IG20 was localized in the cytosol of glial cells, forming a complex with RhoGDIα, a regulator of RhoGTPases. Treatment of astroglial cultures with IG20 increase the expression of BDNF receptor genes (TrkBT1, TrkB Full). IG20 reduced the astroglial marker GFAP, while increasing production of myelin basic protein in oligodendrocytes and promoted axonal outgrowth from DRG neurons. Local injection of IG20, near a spinal cord contusion, promoted the recovery of lesioned animals analyzed by BBB test (Pâ< â0.05). CONCLUSIONS: We propose that inhibition of astrocytes and microglia by IG20 could be diminished the glial scar formation, inducing the re-growth and myelination of axons, these elements constitute a new approach for SCI therapy.
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Glucolípidos/farmacología , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/farmacología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/tratamiento farmacológico , Animales , Astrocitos/efectos de los fármacos , Astrocitos/patología , Astrocitos/fisiología , Axones/efectos de los fármacos , Axones/patología , Axones/fisiología , Proliferación Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Proliferación Celular/fisiología , Células Cultivadas , Cicatriz/tratamiento farmacológico , Cicatriz/patología , Cicatriz/fisiopatología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Relación Dosis-Respuesta a Droga , Evaluación Preclínica de Medicamentos , Femenino , Ganglios Espinales/efectos de los fármacos , Ganglios Espinales/patología , Ganglios Espinales/fisiopatología , Glucolípidos/síntesis química , Glucolípidos/química , Microglía/efectos de los fármacos , Microglía/patología , Microglía/fisiología , Estructura Molecular , Actividad Motora/efectos de los fármacos , Actividad Motora/fisiología , Vaina de Mielina/efectos de los fármacos , Vaina de Mielina/patología , Vaina de Mielina/fisiología , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/síntesis química , Fármacos Neuroprotectores/química , Ratas Wistar , Recuperación de la Función/efectos de los fármacos , Recuperación de la Función/fisiología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/patología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/fisiopatologíaRESUMEN
The studies of drugs that could constitute a palliative to spinal cord injury (SCI) are a continuous and increasing demand in biomedicine field from developed societies. Recently we described the chemical synthesis and antiglioma activity of synthetic glycosides. A synthetic sulfated glycolipid (here IG20) has shown chemical stability, solubility in polar solvents, and high inhibitory capacity over glioma growth. We have used mass spectrometry (MS) to monitor IG20 (m/z = 550.3) in cells and tissues of the central nervous system (CNS) that are involved in SCI recovery. IG20 was detected by MS in serum and homogenates from CNS tissue of rats, though in the latter a previous deproteinization step was required. The pharmacokinetic parameters of serum clearance at 24 h and half-life at 4 h were determined for synthetic glycoside in the adult rat using MS. A local administration of the drug near of spinal lesion site is proposed.
Asunto(s)
Glucolípidos/administración & dosificación , Espectrometría de Masas , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/sangre , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/tratamiento farmacológico , Animales , Sistema Nervioso Central/efectos de los fármacos , Sistema Nervioso Central/metabolismo , Sistema Nervioso Central/fisiopatología , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Glucolípidos/síntesis química , Glucolípidos/farmacocinética , Humanos , Masculino , Ratas , Ratas Sprague-Dawley , Médula Espinal/efectos de los fármacos , Médula Espinal/fisiopatología , Traumatismos de la Médula Espinal/patologíaRESUMEN
The study of factors that regulate the survival, proliferation, and differentiation of neural precursor cells (NPCs) is essential to understand neural development as well as brain regeneration. The Nuclear Factor of Activated T Cells (NFAT) is a family of transcription factors that can affect these processes besides playing key roles during development, such as stimulating axonal growth in neurons, maturation of immune system cells, heart valve formation, and differentiation of skeletal muscle and bone. Interestingly, NFAT signaling can also promote cell differentiation in adults, participating in tissue regeneration. The goal of the present study is to evaluate the expression of NFAT isoforms in NPCs, and to investigate its possible role in NPC survival, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Our findings indicate that NFAT proteins are active not only in neurogenic brain regions such as hippocampus and subventricular zone (SVZ), but also in cultured NPCs. The inhibition of NFAT activation with the peptide VIVIT reduced neurosphere size and cell density in NPC cultures by decreasing proliferation and increasing cell death. VIVIT also decreased NPC migration and differentiation of astrocytes and neurons from NPCs. In addition, we identified NFATc3 as a predominant NFAT isoform in NPC cultures, finding that a constitutively-active form of NFATc3 expressed by adenoviral infection reduces NPC proliferation, stimulates migration, and is a potent inducer of NPC differentiation into astrocytes and neurons. In summary, our work uncovers active roles for NFAT signaling in NPC survival, proliferation and differentiation, and highlights its therapeutic potential for tissue regeneration.