| 1. |
- Aso, Ester, et al.
(författare)
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Poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with histidine-maltose shell as novel type of nanoparticles for synapse and memory protection.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology, and Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1549-9642 .- 1549-9634. ; , s. 198-209
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Poly(propylene imine) dendrimers have been shown to be promising 3-dimensional polymers for the use in the pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Our aims of this study were first, to synthesize a novel type of dendrimer with poly(propylene imine) core and maltose-histidine shell (G4HisMal) assessing if maltose-histidine shell can improve the biocompatibility and the ability to cross the blood brain barrier, and second, to investigate the potential of G4HisMal to protect Alzheimer disease transgenic mice from memory impairment. Our data demonstrate that G4HisMal has significantly improved biocompatibility and ability to cross the blood brain barrier in vivo. Therefore, we suggest that a maltose-histidine shell can be used to improve biocompatibility and ability to cross the blood brain barrier of dendrimers. Moreover, G4HisMal demonstrated properties for synapse and memory protection when administered to Alzheimer disease transgenic mice. Therefore, G4HisMal can be considered as a promising drug candidate to prevent Alzheimer disease via synapse protection.
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| 2. |
- Augusto Silva, Iran, et al.
(författare)
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Formalin-free fixation and xylene-free tissue processing preserves cell-hydrogel interactions for histological evaluation of 3D calcium alginate tissue engineered constructs
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Biomaterials Science. - 2813-3749. ; 2-2023:1155919
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Histological evaluation of tissue-engineered products, including hydrogels for cellular encapsulation, is a critical and invaluable tool for assessing the product across multiple stages of its lifecycle from manufacture to implantation. However, many tissue-engineered products are comprised of polymers and hydrogels which are not optimized for use with conventional methods of tissue fixation and histological processing. Routine histology utilizes a combination of chemical fixatives, such as formaldehyde, and solvents such as xylene which have been optimized for use with native biological tissues due to their high protein and lipid content. Previous work has highlighted the challenges associated with processing hydrogels for routine histology due to their high water content and lack of diverse chemical moieties amenable for tissue fixation with traditional fixatives. Thus, hydrogel-based tissue engineering products are prone to histological artifacts during their validation which can lead to challenges in correctly interpreting results. In addition, chemicals used in conventional histological approaches are associated with significant health and environmental concerns due to their toxicity and there is thus an urgent need to identify suitable replacements. Here we use a multifactorial design of experiments approach to identify processing parameters capable of preserving cell-biomaterial interactions in a prototypical hydrogel system: ionically crosslinked calcium alginate. We identify a formalin free fixative which better retains cell-biomaterial interactions and calcium alginate hydrogel integrity as compared to the state-of-the-art formalin-based approaches. In addition, we demonstrate that this approach is compatible with a diversity of manufacturing techniques used to fabricate calcium alginate-based scaffolds for tissue engineering and cell therapy, including histological evaluation of cellular encapsulation in 3D tubes and thin tissue engineering scaffolds (∼50 μm). Furthermore, we show that formalin-free fixation can be used to retain cell-biomaterial interactions and hydrogel architecture in hybrid alginate-gelatin based scaffolds for use with histology and scanning electron microscopy. Taken together, these findings are a significant step forward towards improving histological evaluation of ionically crosslinked calcium alginate hydrogels and help make their validation less toxic, thus more environmentally friendly and sustainable.
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| 3. |
- Azevedo, Carla, et al.
(författare)
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Parkinsons disease and multiple system atrophy patient iPSC-derived oligodendrocytes exhibit alpha-synuclein-induced changes in maturation and immune reactive properties
- 2022
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. - : National Academy of Sciences. - 0027-8424 .- 1091-6490. ; 119:12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Limited evidence has shed light on how aSYN proteins affect the oligodendrocyte phenotype and pathogenesis in synucleinopathies that include Parkinsons disease (PD) and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Here, we investigated early transcriptomic changes within PD and MSA O4(+) oligodendrocyte lineage cells (OLCs) generated from patient-induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). We found impaired maturation of PD and MSA O4(+) OLCs compared to controls. This phenotype was associated with changes in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes, the immunoproteasome subunit PSMB9, and the complement component C4b for aSYN p.A53T and MSA O4(+) OLCs, but not in SNCA(trip) O4(+) OLCs despite high levels of aSYN assembly formation. Moreover, SNCA overexpression resulted in the development of O4(+) OLCs, whereas exogenous treatment with aSYN species led to significant toxicity. Notably, transcriptome profiling of genes encoding proteins forming Lewy bodies and glial cytoplasmic inclusions revealed clustering of PD aSYN p.A53T O4(+) OLCs with MSA O4(+) OLCs. Our work identifies early phenotypic and pathogenic changes within human PD and MSA O4(+) OLCs.
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| 4. |
- Benseny-Cases, Núria, et al.
(författare)
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In situ identification and G4-PPI-His-Mal-dendrimer-induced reduction of early-stage amyloid aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease transgenic mice using synchrotron-based infrared imaging
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Amyloid plaques composed of Aβ amyloid peptides and neurofibrillary tangles are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer Disease. In situ identification of early-stage amyloid aggregates in Alzheimer’s disease is relevant for their importance as potential targets for effective drugs. Synchrotron-based infrared imaging is here used to identify early-stage oligomeric/granular aggregated amyloid species in situ in the brain of APP/PS1 transgenic mice for the first time. Also, APP/PS1 mice show fibrillary aggregates at 6 and 12 months. A significant decreased burden of early-stage aggregates and fibrillary aggregates is obtained following treatment with poly(propylene imine) dendrimers with histidine-maltose shell (a neurodegenerative protector) in 6-month-old APP/PS1 mice, thus demonstrating their putative therapeutic properties of in AD models. Identification, localization, and characterization using infrared imaging of these non-fibrillary species in the cerebral cortex at early stages of AD progression in transgenic mice point to their relevance as putative pharmacological targets. No less important, early detection of these structures may be useful in the search for markers for non-invasive diagnostic techniques.
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| 5. |
- Cárdenes, Rubén, et al.
(författare)
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3D membrane segmentation and quantification of intact thick cells using cryo soft X-ray transmission microscopy : A pilot study
- 2017
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Ingår i: PLoS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 12:4
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Structural analysis of biological membranes is important for understanding cell and subcellular organelle function as well as their interaction with the surrounding environment. Imaging of whole cells in three dimension at high spatial resolution remains a significant challenge, particularly for thick cells. Cryo-transmission soft X-ray microscopy (cryo-TXM) has recently gained popularity to image, in 3D, intact thick cells (∼10μm) with details of subcellular architecture and organization in near-native state. This paper reports a new tool to segment and quantify structural changes of biological membranes in 3D from cryo-TXM images by tracking an initial 2D contour along the third axis of the microscope, through a multi-scale ridge detection followed by an active contours-based model, with a subsequent refinement along the other two axes. A quantitative metric that assesses the grayscale profiles perpendicular to the membrane surfaces is introduced and shown to be linearly related to the membrane thickness. Our methodology has been validated on synthetic phantoms using realistic microscope properties and structure dimensions, as well as on real cryo-TXM data. Results demonstrate the validity of our algorithms for cryo-TXM data analysis.
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| 6. |
- Espinosa-Oliva, Ana M., et al.
(författare)
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Inflammatory bowel disease induces pathological α-synuclein aggregation in the human gut and brain
- 2024
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Ingår i: Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology. - 0305-1846. ; 50:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims: According to Braak's hypothesis, it is plausible that Parkinson's disease (PD) originates in the enteric nervous system (ENS) and spreads to the brain through the vagus nerve. In this work, we studied whether inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) in humans can progress with the emergence of pathogenic α-synuclein (α-syn) in the gastrointestinal tract and midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Methods: We have analysed the gut and the ventral midbrain from subjects previously diagnosed with IBD and form a DSS-based rat model of gut inflammation in terms of α-syn pathology. Results: Our data support the existence of pathogenic α-syn in both the gut and the brain, thus reinforcing the potential role of the ENS as a contributing factor in PD aetiology. Additionally, we have analysed the effect of a DSS-based rat model of gut inflammation to demonstrate (i) the appearance of P-α-syn inclusions in both Auerbach's and Meissner's plexuses (gut), (ii) an increase in α-syn expression in the ventral mesencephalon (brain) and (iii) the degeneration of nigral dopaminergic neurons, which all are considered classical hallmarks in PD. Conclusion: These results strongly support the plausibility of Braak's hypothesis and emphasise the significance of peripheral inflammation and the gut-brain axis in initiating α-syn aggregation and transport to the substantia nigra, resulting in neurodegeneration.
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| 7. |
- García-Revilla, Juan, et al.
(författare)
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Galectin-3 shapes toxic alpha-synuclein strains in Parkinson’s disease
- 2023
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Ingår i: Acta Neuropathologica. - 0001-6322. ; 146:1, s. 51-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative and progressive disorder characterised by intracytoplasmic inclusions called Lewy bodies (LB) and degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra (SN). Aggregated α-synuclein (αSYN) is known to be the main component of the LB. It has also been reported to interact with several proteins and organelles. Galectin-3 (GAL3) is known to have a detrimental function in neurodegenerative diseases. It is a galactose-binding protein without known catalytic activity and is expressed mainly by activated microglial cells in the central nervous system (CNS). GAL3 has been previously found in the outer layer of the LB in post-mortem brains. However, the role of GAL3 in PD is yet to be elucidated. In post-mortem samples, we identified an association between GAL3 and LB in all the PD subjects studied. GAL3 was linked to less αSYN in the LB outer layer and other αSYN deposits, including pale bodies. GAL3 was also associated with disrupted lysosomes. In vitro studies demonstrate that exogenous recombinant Gal3 is internalised by neuronal cell lines and primary neurons where it interacts with endogenous αSyn fibrils. In addition, aggregation experiments show that Gal3 affects spatial propagation and the stability of pre-formed αSyn fibrils resulting in short, amorphous toxic strains. To further investigate these observations in vivo, we take advantage of WT and Gal3KO mice subjected to intranigral injection of adenovirus overexpressing human αSyn as a PD model. In line with our in vitro studies, under these conditions, genetic deletion of GAL3 leads to increased intracellular αSyn accumulation within dopaminergic neurons and remarkably preserved dopaminergic integrity and motor function. Overall, our data suggest a prominent role for GAL3 in the aggregation process of αSYN and LB formation, leading to the production of short species to the detriment of larger strains which triggers neuronal degeneration in a mouse model of PD.
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| 8. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(författare)
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Correlative optical photothermal infrared and X-ray fluorescence for chemical imaging of trace elements and relevant molecular structures directly in neurons
- 2021
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Ingår i: Light, science & applications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2047-7538. ; 10, s. 1-10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, costing about 1% of the global economy. Failures ofclinical trials targeting amyloid-βprotein (Aβ), a key trigger of AD, have been explained by drug inefficiency regardlessof the mechanisms of amyloid neurotoxicity, which are very difficult to address by available technologies. Here, wecombine two imaging modalities that stand at opposite ends of the electromagnetic spectrum, and therefore, can beused as complementary tools to assess structural and chemical information directly in a single neuron. Combininglabel-free super-resolution microspectroscopy for sub-cellular imaging based on novel optical photothermal infrared(O-PTIR) and synchrotron-based X-rayfluorescence (S-XRF) nano-imaging techniques, we capture elementaldistribution andfibrillary forms of amyloid-βproteins in the same neurons at an unprecedented resolution. Our resultsreveal that in primary AD-like neurons, iron clusters co-localize with elevated amyloidβ-sheet structures and oxidizedlipids. Overall, our O-PTIR/S-XRF results motivate using high-resolution multimodal microspectroscopic approaches tounderstand the role of molecular structures and trace elements within a single neuronal cell.
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| 9. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(författare)
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Generation of an induced pluripotent stem cell line (CSC-46) from a patient with Parkinson's disease carrying a novel p.R301C mutation in the GBA gene
- 2019
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Ingår i: Stem Cell Research. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-5061. ; 34
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mutations in the glucocerebrosidase (GBA) gene have been associated with the development of Parkinson's disease (PD). An induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line was generated from a 60-year old patient diagnosed with PD and carrying a new mutation variant p.R301C in GBA. Using non-integrating Sendai virus-based technology, we utilized OCT3/4, SOX2, c-MYC and KLF4 transcription factors to reprogram skin fibroblasts into iPSCs. The generated iPSC line retained the mutation, displayed expression of common pluripotency markers, differentiated into the three germ layers, and exhibited normal karyotype. The iPSC line can be further used for studying PD pathogenesis.
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| 10. |
- Gustavsson, Nadja, et al.
(författare)
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The intracellular milieu of Parkinson’s disease patient brain cells modulates alpha-synuclein protein aggregation
- 2021
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Ingår i: Acta Neuropathologica Communications. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2051-5960. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies suggest that brain cell type specific intracellular environments may play important roles in the generation of structurally different protein aggregates that define neurodegenerative diseases. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) and biochemical and vibrational spectroscopy techniques, we studied whether Parkinson’s disease (PD) patient genomes could modulate alpha-synuclein (aSYN) protein aggregates formation. We found increased β-sheets and aggregated aSYN in PD patient hiPSC-derived midbrain cells, compared to controls. Importantly, we discovered that aSYN protein aggregation is modulated by patient brain cells’ intracellular milieus at the primary nucleation phase. Additionally, we found changes in the formation of aSYN fibrils when employing cellular extracts from familial PD compared to idiopathic PD, in a Thioflavin T-based fluorescence assay. The data suggest that changes in cellular milieu induced by patient genomes trigger structural changes of aSYN potentially leading to the formation of strains having different structures, properties and seeding propensities.
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