Hypoplasia of dopaminergic neurons by hypoxia-induced neurotoxicity is associated with disrupted swimming development of larval zebrafish

Polystyrene Nanomicroplastics Aggravate Ammonia-Induced Neurotoxic Effects in Zebrafish Embryos

The highly hazardous chemical ammonia has been proven to be absorbed by nanoparticles, thereby exerting highly toxic effects on aquatic organisms. As a ubiquitous pollutant in aquatic environments, polystyrene nanomicroplastics (PSNPs) have shown strong adsorption capacity due to their large surface area. Therefore, the potential joint effects of ammonia and PSNPs need to be clarified. In this study, zebrafish embryos were exposed to a water solution with ammonia concentrations (0, 0.1, 1, and 10 mg/L) with or without PSNP (100 μg/L) treatment up to 120 hpf. The results showed that combined exposure increased the accumulation of ammonia and obviously reduced the locomotor speed of zebrafish larvae compared with exposure to ammonia alone. Further studies indicated that PSNPs can aggravate ammonia-induced neurotoxicity by altering the cholinergic system, dopaminergic neurons, and the retinal structure in zebrafish larvae. In addition, our results revealed that ammonia caused significant alterations in the expression of genes related to neurodevelopment and retinal development, and PSNPs exacerbated this adverse effect. In conclusion, PSNPs can aggravate ammonia-induced neurotoxicity in the early stage of zebrafish and their associated health risk to aquatic animals should not be underestimated. The main contribution of this article lies in revealing the synergistic neurotoxicity of ammonia and PSNPs in the early stage of zebrafish. Moreover; it emphasizes that the associated health risks to aquatic animals should not be underestimated.

Prenatal double-hit with aluminium and cadmium mediate testicular atrophy and hypothalamic hypoplasia: the role of oxido-nitrergic stress and endocrine perturbations

There is limited experimental evidence on the biochemical consequences of aluminium (Al) and cadmium (Cd) co-exposures during pregnancy and postnatal life.This study investigated the impacts of perinatal Al chloride (AlCl3) and Cd chloride (CdCl2) co-exposures on neuroendocrine functions in mice offspring during postnatal life. The study comprised of four pregnant experimental groups. Group 1 received AlCl3 (10 mg/kg), group 2 were administered CdCl2 (1.5 mg/kg), while group 3 received both AlCl3 (10 mg/kg) and CdCl2 (1.5 mg/kg) (AlCl3+CdCl2), and group 4 received saline (10 mL/kg) only and served as control group. All experimental animals were chemically exposed once daily from gestation days 7-20. Upon delivery, male pups were regrouped based on maternal chemical exposure on postnatal day 21 (PND 21) and allowed to grow to adulthood until PND 78, after which they were sacrificed for assessment of neuroendocrine markers and histological investigations. There was no statistical significance (p > 0.05) on follicle stimulating hormone, testosterone, estrogen and progesterone, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroxine (T4) in all treatment groups relative to controls|. However, AlCl3 and AlCl3-CdCl2 significantly (p < 0.05) reduced triiodothyronine (T3) levels, with a profound increase in T3:T4 ratio by AlCl3, and AlCl3+CdCl2 compared to control. Furthermore, pups from pregnant mice treated with CdCl2 and AlCl3+CdCl2 demonstrated increased testicular malondialdehyde concentration with increased catalase activity relative to controls, suggesting oxidative imbalance. In addition, AlCl3, CdCl2, and AlCl3+CdCl2 exposures induced testicular and hypothalamic architectural disruption compared to controls, with marked architectural derangement in the AlCl3+CdCl2 group. Our findings suggest that prenatal co-exposures to Alcl3 and CdCl2 induce testicular and hypothalamic alterations in offspring via a testicular oxidative stress and thyrotoxicosis-dependent mechanisms.

The mitochondria in schizophrenia with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome: From pathogenesis to therapeutic promise of targeted natural drugs

Schizophrenia is a complex multi-factor neurological disorder that caused an array of severe indelible consequences to the individuals and society. Additionally, anti-schizophrenic drugs are unsuitable for treating negative symptoms and have more significant side effects and drug resistance. For better treatment and prevention, we consider exploring the pathogenesis of schizophrenia from other perspectives. A growing body of evidence of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) suggested that the occurrence and progression of schizophrenia are related to mitochondrial dysfunction. So combing through the literature of 22q11DS published from 2000 to 2023, this paper reviews the mechanism of schizophrenia based on mitochondrial dysfunction, and it focuses on the natural drugs targeting mitochondria to enhance mitochondrial function, which are potential to improve the current treatment of schizophrenia.