The Inhibition of miR-873 Provides Therapeutic Benefit in a Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Neuroinflammatory Model of Parkinson's Disease

Thioketal-Based Electrochemical Sensor Reveals Biphasic Effects of l-DOPA on Neuroinflammation

Neuroinflammation is linked closely to neurodegenerative diseases, with reactive oxygen species (ROS) exacerbating neuronal damage. Traditional electrochemical sensors show promise in targeting cellular ROS to understand their role in neuropathogenesis and assess therapies. Nevertheless, these sensors face challenges in mitigating the ROS oxidation overpotential. We herein introduce an ROS oxidation-independent nucleic acid sensor for in situ ROS analysis and therapeutic assessment. The sensor comprises ionizable and thioketal (TK)-based lipids with methylene blue-tagged nucleic acids on a glass carbon electrode. ROS exposure triggers cleavage within the sensor's thioketal moiety, detaching the nucleic acid from the electrode and yielding quantifiable results via square-wave voltammetry. Importantly, the sensor's low potential window minimizes interference, ensuring precise ROS measurements with high selectivity. Using this sensor, we unveil levodopa's dose-dependent biphasic effect on neuroinflammation: low doses alleviate oxidative stress, while high doses exacerbate it. The TK-based sensor offers a promising methodology for investigating neuroinflammation's pathogenesis and screening potential treatments, advancing neurodegenerative disease research.

Experimental capture of miRNA targetomes: disease-specific 3'UTR library-based miRNA targetomics for Parkinson's disease

The identification of targetomes remains a challenge given the pleiotropic effect of miRNAs, the limited effects of miRNAs on individual targets, and the sheer number of estimated miRNA-target gene interactions (MTIs), which is around 44,571,700. Currently, targetome identification for single miRNAs relies on computational evidence and functional studies covering smaller numbers of targets. To ensure that the targetome analysis could be experimentally verified by functional assays, we employed a systematic approach and explored the targetomes of four miRNAs (miR-129-5p, miR-129-1-3p, miR-133b, and miR-873-5p) by analyzing 410 predicted target genes, both of which were previously associated with Parkinson's disease (PD). After performing 13,536 transfections, we validated 442 of the 705 putative MTIs (62,7%) through dual luciferase reporter assays. These analyses increased the number of validated MTIs by at least 2.1-fold for miR-133b and by a maximum of 24.3-fold for miR-873-5p. Our study contributes to the experimental capture of miRNA targetomes by addressing i) the ratio of experimentally verified MTIs to predicted MTIs, ii) the sizes of disease-related miRNA targetomes, and iii) the density of MTI networks. A web service to support the analyses on the MTI level is available online ( https://ccb-web.cs.uni-saarland.de/utr-seremato ), and all the data have been added to the miRATBase database ( https://ccb-web.cs.uni-saarland.de/miratbase ).

Promising biomarkers and therapeutic targets for the management of Parkinson's disease: recent advancements and contemporary research

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the progressive neurological diseases which affect around 10 million population worldwide. The clinical manifestation of motor symptoms in PD patients appears later when most dopaminergic neurons have degenerated. Thus, for better management of PD, the development of accurate biomarkers for the early prognosis of PD is imperative. The present work will discuss the potential biomarkers from various attributes covering biochemical, microRNA, and neuroimaging aspects (α-synuclein, DJ-1, UCH-L1, β-glucocerebrosidase, BDNF, etc.) for diagnosis, recent development in PD management, and major limitations with current and conventional anti-Parkinson therapy. This manuscript summarizes potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets, based on available preclinical and clinical evidence, for better management of PD.

CircRalgapa1 facilitates morphine tolerance via miR-873a-5p/A20 axis in mice

Morphine tolerance (MT) caused by long-term use of morphine is a major medical problem. The underlying molecular mechanisms of morphine tolerance remain unclear. Here, we establish the morphine tolerance model in mice and verify whether a novel circRNA, circRalgapa1 is involved in morphine tolerance and its specific molecular mechanism. We show that the expression of circRalgapa1 in the spinal cord is significantly down-expressed in the spinal cord of morphine-tolerant mice. CircRalgapa1 is mainly located in the neuronal cytoplasm and co-localizes with miR-873a-5p. Mechanically, circRalgapa1 acts as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs) to regulate the inhibitory of miR-873a-5p on A20 (also known as tumor necrosis factor α-induced protein 3, TNFAIP3). Functionally, overexpression of circRalgapa1 by intrathecal injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV- circRalgapa1) attenuated the formation of morphine tolerance and partially reversed the development of morphine tolerance. Moreover, overexpression of miR-873a-5p blocked the effect of AAV-circRalgapa1 on alleviating morphine tolerance in mice. In conclusion, chronic morphine administration-mediated down-regulation of circRalgapa1 in the spinal cord contributes to morphine tolerance via miR-873a-5p/A20 axis in mice. Overexpression of circRalgapa1 may be a promising RNA-based therapy for morphine tolerance.

Competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) networks in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a distinctive clinical syndrome with several causes and clinical manifestations. Aside from an infectious cause, PD is a rapidly developing neurological disorder with a global rise in frequency. Notably, improved knowledge of molecular pathways and the developing novel diagnostic methods may result in better therapy for PD patients. In this regard, the amount of research on ceRNA axes is rising, highlighting the importance of these axes in PD. CeRNAs are transcripts that cross-regulate one another via competition for shared microRNAs (miRNAs). These transcripts may be either coding RNAs (mRNAs) or non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs). This research used a systematic review to assess validated loops of ceRNA in PD. The Prisma guideline was used to conduct this systematic review, which entailed systematically examining the articles of seven databases. Out of 309 entries, forty articles met all criteria for inclusion and were summarized in the appropriate table. CeRNA axes have been described through one of the shared vital components of the axes, including lncRNAs such as NEAT1, SNHG family, HOTAIR, MALAT1, XIST, circRNAs, and lincRNAs. Understanding the multiple aspects of this regulatory structure may aid in elucidating the unknown causal causes of PD and providing innovative molecular therapeutic targets and medical fields.

Crosstalk between regulatory non-coding RNAs and oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease, which imposes an ever-increasing burden on society. Many studies have indicated that oxidative stress may play an important role in Parkinson’s disease through multiple processes related to dysfunction or loss of neurons. Besides, several subtypes of non-coding RNAs are found to be involved in this neurodegenerative disorder. However, the interplay between oxidative stress and regulatory non-coding RNAs in Parkinson’s disease remains to be clarified. In this article, we comprehensively survey and overview the role of regulatory ncRNAs in combination with oxidative stress in Parkinson’s disease. The interaction between them is also summarized. We aim to provide readers with a relatively novel insight into the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, which would contribute to the development of pre-clinical diagnosis and treatment.