| 1. |
- Aggarwal, Tanya, et al.
(författare)
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Boundary Cap Neural Crest Stem Cells Promote Survival of Mutant SOD1 Motor Neurons
- 2017
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Ingår i: Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1878-7479. ; 14:3, s. 773-783
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ALS is a devastating disease resulting in degeneration of motor neurons (MNs) in the brain and spinal cord. The survival of MNs strongly depends on surrounding glial cells and neurotrophic support from muscles. We previously demonstrated that boundary cap neural crest stem cells (bNCSCs) can give rise to neurons and glial cells in vitro and in vivo and have multiple beneficial effects on co-cultured and co-implanted cells, including neural cells. In this paper, we investigate if bNCSCs may improve survival of MNs harboring a mutant form of human SOD1 (SOD1(G93A)) in vitro under normal conditions and oxidative stress and in vivo after implantation to the spinal cord. We found that survival of SOD1(G93A) MNs in vitro was increased in the presence of bNCSCs under normal conditions as well as under oxidative stress. In addition, when SOD1(G93A) MN precursors were implanted to the spinal cord of adult mice, their survival was increased when they were co-implanted with bNCSCs. These findings show that bNCSCs support survival of SOD1(G93A) MNs in normal conditions and under oxidative stress in vitro and improve their survival in vivo, suggesting that bNCSCs have a potential for the development of novel stem cell-based therapeutic approaches in ALS models.
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| 2. |
- Francardo, Veronica, et al.
(författare)
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Pridopidine Induces Functional Neurorestoration Via the Sigma-1 Receptor in a Mouse Model of Parkinson’s Disease
- 2019
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Ingår i: Neurotherapeutics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1933-7213 .- 1878-7479. ; 16:2, s. 465-479
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pridopidine is a small molecule in clinical development for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. It was recently found to have high binding affinity to the sigma-1 receptor, a chaperone protein involved in cellular defense mechanisms and neuroplasticity. Here, we have evaluated the neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects of pridopidine in a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion model of parkinsonism in mice. By 5 weeks of daily administration, a low dose of pridopidine (0.3 mg/kg) had significantly improved deficits in forelimb use (cylinder test, stepping test) and abolished the ipsilateral rotational bias typical of hemiparkinsonian animals. A higher dose of pridopidine (1 mg/kg) significantly improved only the rotational bias, with a trend towards improvement in forelimb use. The behavioral recovery induced by pridopidine 0.3 mg/kg was accompanied by a significant protection of nigral dopamine cell bodies, an increased dopaminergic fiber density in the striatum, and striatal upregulation of GDNF, BDNF, and phosphorylated ERK1/2. The beneficial effects of pridopidine 0.3 mg/kg were absent in 6-OHDA-lesioned mice lacking the sigma-1 receptor. Pharmacokinetic data confirmed that the effective dose of pridopidine reached brain concentrations sufficient to bind S1R. Our results are the first to show that pridopidine promotes functional neurorestoration in the damaged nigrostriatal system acting via the sigma-1 receptor.
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| 3. |
- Gouras, Gunnar, et al.
(författare)
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β-amyloid Peptides and Amyloid Plaques in Alzheimer's Disease.
- 2015
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Ingår i: Neurotherapeutics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1878-7479 .- 1933-7213. ; 12:1, s. 3-11
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Many lines of evidence support that β-amyloid (Aβ) peptides play an important role in Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common cause of dementia. But despite much effort the molecular mechanisms of how Aβ contributes to AD remain unclear. While Aβ is generated from its precursor protein throughout life, the peptide is best known as the main component of amyloid plaques, the neuropathological hallmark of AD. Reduction in Aβ has been the major target of recent experimental therapies against AD. Unfortunately, human clinical trials targeting Aβ have not shown the hoped-for benefits. Thus, doubts have been growing about the role of Aβ as a therapeutic target. Here we review evidence supporting the involvement of Aβ in AD, highlight the importance of differentiating between various forms of Aβ, and suggest that a better understanding of Aβ's precise pathophysiological role in the disease is important for correctly targeting it for potential future therapy.
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| 4. |
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| 5. |
- Tokuda, Eiichi, et al.
(författare)
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Regulation of Intracellular Copper by Induction of Endogenous Metallothioneins Improves the Disease Course in a Mouse Model of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
- 2015
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Ingår i: Neurotherapeutics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1933-7213 .- 1878-7479. ; 12:2, s. 461-476
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mutations in SOD1 cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), an incurable motor neuron disease. The pathogenesis of the disease is poorly understood, but intracellular copper dyshomeostasis has been implicated as a key process in the disease. We recently observed that metallothioneins (MTs) are an excellent target for the modification of copper dyshomeostasis in a mouse model of ALS (SOD1(G93A)). Here, we offer a therapeutic strategy designed to increase the level of endogenous MTs. The upregulation of endogenous MTs by dexamethasone, a synthetic glucocorticoid, significantly improved the disease course and rescued motor neurons in SOD1(G93A) mice, even if the induction was initiated when peak body weight had decreased by 10 %. Neuroprotection was associated with the normalization of copper dyshomeostasis, as well as with decreased levels of SOD1(G93A) aggregates. Importantly, these benefits were clearly mediated in a MT-dependent manner, as dexamethasone did not provide any protection when endogenous MTs were abolished from SOD1(G93A) mice. In conclusion, the upregulation of endogenous MTs represents a promising strategy for the treatment of ALS linked to mutant SOD1.
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