Natural products or plant derivatives could be used to prevent or treat neurodegenerative diseases (ND). Oxidative stress has been highly implicated in the progression of ND;thus, this leads to the study on the effects of orientin in regulating Nrf2/Keap-1 redox signalling, PI3K/Akt survival and MAPK/ERK apoptosis pathways in the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced oxidative damage in SH-SY5Y cells. The cells were treated with half maximum non-toxic dose (½ MNTD) or maximum non-toxic dose (MNTD) of orientin and subsequently with H2O2. Cells were then subjected to the measurement of nitric oxide (NO), intracellular calcium (Ca2+), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and annexin V/propidium iodide apoptosis assays. Regulation of the signalling pathways was analysed by Western blotting. Results showed that ½ MNTD of orientin reduced the NO levels. The intracellular Ca2+ level was also reduced by ½ MNTD and MNTD of orientin. The orientin treatment at ½ MNTD and MNTD restored the loss of MMP. Pre-treatment of orientin reduced the early and late apoptotic cells as well as necrotic cells. Orientin was found to up-regulate the Nrf2/Keap-1 and PI3K/Akt pathways whilst down-regulate the MAPK/ERK pathway. The findings from this study will be useful for the prevention of ND in the near future.
The progressive loss of structure and functions of neurons, including neuronal death, is one of the main factors leading to poor quality of life. Promotion of functional recovery of neuron after injury is a great challenge in neuroregenerative studies. Melatonin, a hormone is secreted by pineal gland and has antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties. Besides that, melatonin has high cell permeability and is able to cross the blood-brain barrier. Apart from that, there are no reported side effects associated with long-term usage of melatonin at both physiological and pharmacological doses. Thus, in this review article, we summarize the pharmacological effects of melatonin as neuroprotectant in central nervous system injury, ischemic-reperfusion injury, optic nerve injury, peripheral nerve injury, neurotmesis, axonotmesis, scar formation, cell degeneration, and apoptosis in rodent models.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive function deficits. There are two major pathological hallmarks that contribute to the pathogenesis of AD which are the presence of extracellular amyloid plaques composed of amyloid-β (Aβ) and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Despite extensive research that has been done on Aβ in the last two decades, therapies targeting Aβ were not very fruitful at treating AD as the efficacy of Aβ therapies observed in animal models is not reflected in human clinical trials. Hence, tau-directed therapies have received tremendous attention as the potential treatments for AD. Tauopathies are closely correlated with dementia and immunotherapy has been effective at reducing tau pathology and improving cognitive deficits in animal models. Thus, in this review article, we discussed the pathological mechanism of tau proteins, the key factors contributing to tauopathies, and therapeutic approaches for tauopathies in AD based on the recent progress in tau-based research.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been a worldwide concern for many years now. This is due to the fact that AD is an irreversible and progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects quality of life. Failure of some Phase II/III clinical trials in AD targeting accumulation of β-amyloid in the brain has led to an increase in interest in studying alternative treatments against tubulin-associated unit (Tau) pathology. These alternative treatments include active and passive immunisation. Based on numerous studies, Tau is reported as a potential immunotherapeutic target for tauopathy-related diseases including AD. Accumulation and aggregation of hyperphosphorylated Tau as neuropil threads and neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are pathological hallmarks of AD. Both active and passive immunisation targeting Tau protein have shown the capabilities to decrease or prevent Tau pathology and improve either motor or cognitive impairment in various animal models. In this review, we summarise recent advances in active and passive immunisation targeting pathological Tau protein, and will discuss with data obtained from both animal and human trials. Together, we give a brief overview about problems being encountered in these immunotherapies.
Fibrosis is a potentially debilitating disease with high morbidity rates. It is estimated that half of all deaths that occur in the USA are attributed to fibrotic disorders. Fibrotic disorders are characterized primarily by disruption in the extracellular matrix deposition and breakdown equilibrium, leading to the accumulation of excessive amounts of extracellular matrix. Given the potentially high prevalence of fibrosis and the paucity of agents currently available for the treatment of this disease, there is an urgent need for the identification of drugs that can be utilized to treat the disease. Pentoxifylline is a methylxanthine derivative that is currently approved for the treatment of vascular diseases, in particular, claudication. Pentoxifylline has three main properties: improving the rheological properties of blood, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative. Recently, the effectiveness of pentoxifylline in the treatment of fibrosis via attenuating and reversing fibrotic lesions has been demonstrated in several clinical trials and animal studies. As a result of the limited availability of antifibrotic agents in the long-term treatment of fibrosis that can attenuate and even reverse fibrotic lesions effectively, it would be of particular importance to consider the potential clinical utility of pentoxifylline in the treatment of fibrosis. Thus, this paper discusses the evolving roles of pentoxifylline in the treatment of different types of fibrosis.
Alzheimer's Disease (AD) is an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder, the most common type of dementia that is clinically characterized by the presence of beta-amyloid (Aβ) extracellularly and intraneuronal tau protein tangles that eventually leads to the onset of memory and cognition impairment, development of psychiatric symptoms and behavioral disorders that affect basic daily activities. Current treatment approved by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for AD is mainly focused on the symptoms but not on the pathogenesis of the disease. Recently, receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) has been identified as a key component in the pathogenesis of AD through necroptosis. Furthermore, genetic and pharmacological suppression of RIPK1 has been shown to revert the phenotype of AD and its mediating pathway is yet to be deciphered. This review is aimed to provide an overview of the pathogenesis and current treatment of AD with the involvement of autophagy as well as providing a novel insight into RIPK1 in reverting the progression of AD, probably through an autophagy machinery.
Leukaemia is a haematological malignancy originated from the bone marrow. Studies have shown that shift work could disrupt the melatonin secretion and eventually increase leukaemia incidence risk. Melatonin, a pineal hormone, has shown promising oncostatic properties on a wide range of cancers, including leukaemia. We first reviewed the relationship between shift work and the incidence rate of leukaemia and then discussed the role of melatonin receptors (MT1 and MT2) and their functions in leukaemia. Moreover, the connection between inflammation and leukaemia, and melatonin-induced anti-leukaemia mechanisms including anti-proliferation, apoptosis induction and immunomodulation are comprehensively discussed. Apart from that, the synergistic effects of melatonin with other anticancer compounds are also included. In short, this review article has compiled the evidence of anti-leukaemia properties displayed by melatonin and discuss its potential to act as adjunct for anti-leukaemia treatment. This review may serve as a reference for future studies or experimental research to explore the possibility of melatonin serving as a novel therapeutic agent for leukaemia.
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia, affecting millions of individuals each year and this number is expected to significantly increase. The complicated microorganisms residing in human gut are closely associated with our health. Emerging evidence has suggested possible involvement of human gut microbiome in AD. Symbiotic gut microbiomes are known to maintain brain health by modulating host's barriers integrity, metabolic system, immune system, nervous system and endocrine system. However, in the event of gut dysbiosis and barriers disruption, gut pathobionts disrupt homeostasis of the metabolic system, immune system, nervous system, and endocrine system, resulting in deterioration of neurological functions and subsequently promoting development of AD. Multiple therapeutic approaches, such as fecal microbiome transplant, antibiotics, prebiotics, probiotics, symbiotic, and diet are discussed as potential treatment options for AD by manipulating the gut microbiome to reverse pathological alteration in the systems above.
Alzheimer's disease (AD), the major cause of dementia, affects the elderly population worldwide. Previous studies have shown that depletion of receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) expression reverted the AD phenotype in murine AD models. Necroptosis, executed by mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) protein and activated by RIPK1 and RIPK3, has been shown to be involved in AD. However, the role of RIPK1 in beta-amyloid (Aβ)-induced necroptosis is not yet fully understood. In this study, we explored the role of RIPK1 in the SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells treated with Aβ 1-40 or Aβ 1-42. We showed that Aβ-induced neuronal cell death was independent of apoptosis and autophagy pathways. Further analyses depicted that activation of RIPK1/MLKL-dependant necroptosis pathway was observed in vitro. We demonstrated that inhibition of RIPK1 expression rescued the cells from Aβ-induced neuronal cell death and ectopic expression of RIPK1 was found to enhance the stability of the endogenous APP. In summary, our findings demonstrated that Aβ can potentially drive necroptosis in an RIPK1-MLKL-dependent manner, proposing that RIPK1 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AD.
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Protein misfolding and aggregation have been considered the common pathological hallmarks for a number of neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and Huntington's disease (HD). These abnormal proteins aggregates damage mitochondria and induce oxidative stress, resulting in neuronal cell death. Prolonged neuronal damage activates microglia and astrocytes, development of inflammation reaction and further promotes neurodegeneration. Thus, elimination of abnormal protein aggregates without eliciting any adverse effects are the main treatment strategies. To overcome this, recent studies have deployed single- chain fragment variable antibodies (scFvs) to target the pathological protein aggregates, such as amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides, α-synuclein (α-syn) and Huntingtin (Htt). To date scFv has been effective at inhibiting abnormal protein aggregates formation in both in vitro and in vivo model system of AD, PD and HD.
CONCLUSION: Currently active research is still ongoing to improve the scFv gene delivery technology, to further enhance brain penetration, intracellular stability, solubility and efficacy of scFv intrabody.
The behavior of an individual changes from neonate to elderly due to the development of the central nervous system (CNS). One of the important components of the CNS is the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), which bathes the brain and spinal cord. CSF has changing properties throughout life, including composition and volume imbalance. However, a specific age group that shows prevailing abnormality- corresponding behavior remains unclear. The objective of this article is to explore how such changes reflect on one's psychological as well as physical processing. Production of CSF could be affected by many factors, including its flow, absorption, volume, and composition. Prenatally, congenital malformations and infections hold the greatest risk of impacting the child's physical and mental growth. In adolescents, transmission of external substances like alcohol or drugs in the cerebrospinal fluid is known to impact severe mood changes that potentially result in suicide and depression. In the adult working population, the influence of stress levels on CSF composition causes anxiety and sleep disorders. Finally, the reduced production of CSF was found to be associated with memory deficits and Alzheimer's disease in the aging group. From the collected evidence, it can be observed that CSF played an important role in behavioral changes and may be associated with neurodegenerations. By linking the CSF abnormalities to the clinical symptoms at different stages of life, it may provide additional information in the diagnosis of diseases that are associated with neuropsychological changes.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a major health burden worldwide, with over 600 million confirmed cases and 6 million deaths by 15 December 2022. Although the acute phase of COVID-19 management has been established, the long-term clinical course and complications due to the relatively short outbreak is yet to be assessed. The current COVID-19 pandemic is causing significant morbidity and mortality around the world. Interestingly, epidemiological studies have shown that fatality rates vary considerably across different countries, and men and elderly patients are at higher risk of developing severe diseases. There is increasing evidence that COVID-19 infection causes neurological deficits in a substantial proportion to patients suffering from acute respiratory distress syndrome. Furthermore, lack of physical activity and smoking are associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) susceptibility. We should therefore explore why lack of physical activity, smoking, etc causing a population more susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection, and mechanism involved. Thus, in this review article, we summarize epidemiological evidence related to risk factors and lifestyle that affect COVID-19 severity and the mechanism involved. These risk factors or lifestyle interventions include smoking, cardiovascular health, obesity, exercise, environmental pollution, psychosocial social stress, and diet.
Increase evidence from epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between Parkinson's disease (PD) and lung cancer. PD and lung cancer are both geriatric diseases, where these two diseases are sharing some common genetic determinants. Several PD-associated genes including alpha synuclein (SNCA), PTEN-induced kinase 1 (PINK1), parkin, parkinsonism associated deglycase (DJ-1), leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2), F-box protein 7 (FBXO7) and ubiquitin C-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) were reported to have altered expressions in lung cancer patients. This indicates that certain PD-associated genes might be important in conferring anticancer effects. This review aims to depict the physiological functions of these genes, and discuss the putative roles of these PD-associated genes in lung cancer. The understanding of the roles of these genes in the lung cancer progression might be important in the identification of new treatment targets for lung cancer. Gene therapy that aims to alter the expressions of these genes could be developed for future anticancer therapy. As a result, studying the roles of these genes in lung cancer may also help to understand their involvements as well as their roles in the pathogenesis of PD.
The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays a crucial role in the central nervous system by tightly regulating the influx and efflux of biological substances between the brain parenchyma and peripheral circulation. Its restrictive nature acts as an obstacle to protect the brain from potentially noxious substances such as blood-borne toxins, immune cells, and pathogens. Thus, the maintenance of its structural and functional integrity is vital in the preservation of neuronal function and cellular homeostasis in the brain microenvironment. However, the barrier's foundation can become compromised during neurological or pathological conditions, which can result in dysregulated ionic homeostasis, impaired transport of nutrients, and accumulation of neurotoxins that eventually lead to irreversible neuronal loss. Initially, the BBB is thought to remain intact during neurodegenerative diseases, but accumulating evidence as of late has suggested the possible association of BBB dysfunction with Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. The neurodegeneration occurring in PD is believed to stem from a myriad of pathogenic mechanisms, including tight junction alterations, abnormal angiogenesis, and dysfunctional BBB transporter mechanism, which ultimately causes altered BBB permeability. In this review, the major elements of the neurovascular unit (NVU) comprising the BBB are discussed, along with their role in the maintenance of barrier integrity and PD pathogenesis. We also elaborated on how the neuroendocrine system can influence the regulation of BBB function and PD pathogenesis. Several novel therapeutic approaches targeting the NVU components are explored to provide a fresh outlook on treatment options for PD.
Medicinal plants continue to play an important role in modern medications and healthcare as consumers generally believe that most of them cause fewer or milder adverse effects than the conventional modern medicines. In order to use the plants as a source of medicinal agents, the bioactive compounds are usually extracted from plants. Therefore, the extraction of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants is a crucial step in producing plant-derived drugs. One of the bioactive compounds isolable from medicinal plants, orientin, is often used in various bioactivity studies due to its extensive beneficial properties. The extraction of orientin in different medicinal plants and its medicinal properties, which include antioxidant, antiaging, antiviral, antibacterial, anti-inflammation, vasodilatation and cardioprotective, radiation protective, neuroprotective, antidepressant-like, antiadipogenesis, and antinociceptive effects, are discussed in detail in this review.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic pulmonary disease that is characterized by formation of scar tissue in lungs. Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is considered an important cytokine in the pathogenesis of this disease. Hence, the antifibrotic effect of an inhibitor of the TGF-β type I receptor, namely, SB 431542, was investigated in our study. SB 431542 was used to treat TGF-β-treated IMR-90 cells; the expression of α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) was detected at the protein level by using an anti-α-SMA antibody, and at the gene level by reverse transcription-quantitative PCR. The effect of the inhibitor on cell proliferation was determined by a cell growth assay. The inhibitor was also administered into bleomycin-treated mice. Histopathological assessment and determination of total collagen levels were carried out to evaluate the severity of lung fibrosis in these mice. Our results demonstrated that treatment with SB 431542 inhibits TGF-β‑induced α-SMA expression in lung fibroblasts, at both the protein and the mRNA levels (P<0.05). However, the inhibitor did not significantly reduce lung fibroblast proliferation. In the bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis mouse model, bleomycin treatment caused important morphological changes, accompanied by an increase in the collagen level of the lungs. Early treatment with SB 431542 prevented the manifestation of histopathological alterations, whereas delayed treatment significantly decreased the collagen level (P<0.05). These results suggest that inhibition of TGF-β signaling, via inhibition of the activin receptor-like kinase-5 (ALK-5) by SB 431542, may attenuate pulmonary fibrosis.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder affecting the senile population with manifestation of motor disability and cognitive impairment. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) is implicated in the progression of oxidative stress-related apoptosis and cell death of the midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Its interplay with mitochondrial functionality constitutes an important aspect of neuronal survival in the perspective of PD. Edible bird's nest (EBN) is an animal-derived natural food product made of saliva secreted by swiftlets from the Aerodamus genus. It contains bioactive compounds which might confer neuroprotective effects to the neurons. Hence this study aims to investigate the neuroprotective effect of EBN extracts in the neurotoxin-induced in vitro PD model.
This study examined the anti-adipogenic effects of extracts of Ficus deltoidea var. deltoidia and var. angustifolia, a natural slimming aid, on 3T3-L1 adipocytes.
Neurodegenerative diseases remain a global issue which affects the ageing population. Efforts towards determining their aetiologies to understand their pathogenic mechanisms are underway in order to identify a pathway through which therapeutic measures can be applied. One such pathogenic mechanism, oxidative stress (OS), is widely considered to be involved in neurodegenerative disease. Antioxidants, most notably flavonoids, have promising potential for therapeutic use as shown in in vitro and in vivo studies. In view of the importance of flavonoids for combating OS, this study investigated the neuroprotective effects of orientin, which has been reported to be capable of crossing the blood‑brain barrier. The maximum non‑toxic dose (MNTD) of orientin against SH‑SY5Y neuroblastoma cells was determined using a 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The effects of the MNTD and the half MNTD (½MNTD) of orientin on cell cycle progression and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, as well as the activity of caspases 3/7, 8 and 9 after exposure to 150 µM of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) were also determined using flow cytometry, a 2',7'‑dichlorodihydrofluorescein‑diacetate (DCFH‑DA) assay and caspase assay kits, respectively. The results revealed that orientin at ≤20 µM was not cytotoxic to SH‑SY5Y cells. After treatment with orientin at the MNTD, the percentage of apoptotic cells was significantly reduced compared with that in cells treated with 150 µM H2O2 alone. The results also showed that, although orientin at the MNTD and ½MNTD did not reduce intracellular ROS levels, it significantly inhibited the activity of caspases 3/7. Caspase 9 was significantly inactivated with orientin at the MNTD. Findings from this study suggest that the neuroprotection conferred by orientin was the result of the intracellular mediation of caspase activity.
Various 6-methoxytetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives, namely BEN (6-methoxy-1-phenyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole), ANI (6-methoxy-1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole), ACE (6-methoxy-1-methyl-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole) and VAN (2-methoxy-4-(6-methoxy-2,3,4,9-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[3,4-b]indol-1-l)phenol), were prepared via the Maillard reaction using food flavours and 5-methoxytryptamine in aqueous medium and were investigated for their in vitro antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties. These derivatives were found to exhibit moderate antioxidant properties, based on a combination of DPPH, ABTS and FRAP assays. The results suggested that the Maillard reaction could be used to generate β-carboline antioxidants. It was beneficial that VAN showed the highest antioxidant activity but the least cytotoxic activities on non-tumourous cell lines of NIH/3T3, CCD18-Co and B98-5 using MTT assay. ACE, ANI and BEN showed mild toxicity at effective antioxidative concentrations derived from DPPH and ABTS assays. Furthermore, they are safer compared to 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin and betulinic acid on NIH/3T3, CCD18-Co and B98-5 cells. In conclusion, the antioxidant and cytotoxicity properties of 6-methoxytetrahydro-β-carbolines were demonstrated for the first time.