The Tyrosine Phosphatase hPTPRβ Controls the Early Signals and Dopaminergic Cells Viability via the P2X7 Receptor

Comprehensive insights into potential roles of purinergic P2 receptors on diseases: Signaling pathways involved and potential therapeutics

BACKGROUND

Purinergic P2 receptors, which can be divided into ionotropic P2X receptors and metabotropic P2Y receptors, mediate cellular signal transduction of purine or pyrimidine nucleoside triphosphates and diphosphate. Based on the wide expression of purinergic P2 receptors in tissues and organs, their significance in homeostatic maintenance, metabolism, nociceptive transmission, and other physiological processes is becoming increasingly evident, suggesting that targeting purinergic P2 receptors to regulate biological functions and signal transmission holds significant promise for disease treatment.

AIM OF REVIEW

This review highlights the detailed mechanisms by which purinergic P2 receptors engage in physiological and pathological progress, as well as providing prospective strategies for discovering clinical drug candidates.

KEY SCIENTIFIC CONCEPTS OF REVIEW

The purinergic P2 receptors regulate complex signaling and molecular mechanisms in nervous system, digestive system, immune system and as a result, controlling physical health states and disease progression. There has been a significant rise in research and development focused on purinergic P2 receptors, contributing to an increased number of drug candidates in clinical trials. A few influential pioneers have laid the foundation for advancements in the evaluation, development, and of novel purinergic P2 receptors modulators, including agonists, antagonists, pharmaceutical compositions and combination strategies, despite the different scaffolds of these drug candidates. These advancements hold great potential for improving therapeutic outcomes by specifically targeting purinergic P2 receptors.

From lead to clinic: A review of the structural design of P2X7R antagonists

P2X7R, which is a member of the purinergic P2 receptor family, is widely expressed in many immune cells, such as macrophages, lymphocytes, monocytes, and neutrophils. P2X7R is upregulated in response to proinflammatory stimulation, which is closely related to a variety of inflammatory diseases. The inhibition of P2X7 receptors has resulted in the elimination or reduction of symptoms in animal models of arthritis, depression, neuropathic pain, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, the development of P2X7R antagonists is of great significance for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases. This review classifies the reported P2X7R antagonists according to their different cores, focuses on the structure-activity relationship (SAR) of the compounds, and analyzes some common substituents and strategies in the design of lead compounds, with the hope of providing valuable information for the development of new and efficient P2X7R antagonists.

Ketone Body β-Hydroxybutyric Acid Ameliorates Dopaminergic Neuron Injury Through Modulating Zinc Finger Protein 36/Acyl-CoA Synthetase Long-Chain Family Member Four Signaling Axis-Mediated Ferroptosis

β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) is one of main component of ketone body, which plays an important protective role in various tissues and organs. Whereas, its exact regulatory roles and mechanisms in Parkinson's disease (PD) have not been full elucidated. In this study, SN4741 cells and C57BL/6 mice were treated with 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium ion (MPP⁺)/1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) to establish the PD model in vitro and in vivo. Cell viability and damage to dopaminergic neurons were measured by cell counting kit 8, Calcein-AM/PI staining, terminal dexynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick end labeling and hematoxylin & eosin staining. Corresponding assay kits and BODIPY 581/591 C11 probe evaluated oxidative stress and intracellular iron levels. Western blot examined the ferroptosis-related proteins. MPTP/MPP⁺-treatment reduced cell viability but triggered oxidative stress and ferroptosis in SNA4741 cells and brain tissues of mice. However, these effects were dramatically reversed by BHB and Fer-1 treatment. Mechanistically, Zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) was a target of BHB, and its depletion could reverse the anti-oxidative stress and anti-ferroptosis roles of BHB. Moreover, ZFP36 could directly bound to acyl-CoA synthetase long-chain family member 4 (ACSL4) mRNA to decay its expression, thus negatively modulating ACSL4-mediated oxidative stress and ferroptosis. Summary, BHB alleviated oxidative stress and ferroptosis of dopaminergic neurons in PD via modulating ZFP36/ACSL4 axis, which provided some new understanding for PD prevention and treatment.