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Shippy DC, Oliai SF, Ulland TK. Zinc utilization by microglia in Alzheimer's disease. J Biol Chem 2024:107306. [PMID: 38648940 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2024] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/15/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia defined by two key pathological characteristics in the brain, amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) composed of hyperphosphorylated tau. Microglia, the primary innate immune cells of the central nervous system (CNS), provide neuroprotection through Aβ and tau clearance, but may also be neurotoxic by promoting neuroinflammation to exacerbate Aβ and tau pathogenesis in AD. Recent studies have demonstrated the importance of microglial utilization of nutrients and trace metals in controlling their activation and effector functions. Trace metals, such as zinc, have essential roles in brain health and immunity, and zinc dyshomeostasis has been implicated in AD pathogenesis. As a result of these advances, the mechanisms by which zinc homeostasis influences microglial-mediated neuroinflammation in AD is a topic of continuing interest since new strategies to treat AD are needed. Here, we review the roles of zinc in AD, including zinc activation of microglia, the associated neuroinflammatory response, and the application of these findings in new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C Shippy
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Sophia F Oliai
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Tyler K Ulland
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA; Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA.
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Cignarella A, Vegeto E, Bolego C, Trabace L, Conti L, Ortona E. Sex-oriented perspectives in immunopharmacology. Pharmacol Res 2023; 197:106956. [PMID: 37820857 DOI: 10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/08/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023]
Abstract
Several immunopharmacological agents are effective in the treatment of cancer and immune-mediated conditions, with a favorable impact on life expectancy and clinical outcomes for a large number of patients. Nevertheless, response variation and undesirable effects of these drugs represent major issues, and overall efficacy remains unpredictable. Males and females show a distinct difference in immune system responses, with females generally mounting stronger responses to a variety of stimuli. Therefore, exploring sex differences in the efficacy and safety of immunopharmacological agents would strengthen the practice of precision medicine. As a pharmacological target highlight, programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is the first functionally characterized ligand of the coinhibitory programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1). The PD-L1/PD-1 crosstalk plays an important role in the immune response and is relevant in cancer, infectious and autoimmune disease. Sex differences in the response to immune checkpoint inhibitors are well documented, with male patients responding better than female patients. Similarly, higher efficacy of and adherence to tumor necrosis factor inhibitors in chronic inflammatory conditions including rheumatoid arthritis and Crohn's disease have been reported in male patients. The pharmacological basis of sex-specific responses to immune system modulating drugs is actively investigated in other settings such as stroke and type 1 diabetes. Advances in therapeutics targeting the endothelium could soon be wielded against autoimmunity and metabolic disorders. Based on the established sexual dimorphism in immune-related pathophysiology and disease presentation, sex-specific immunopharmacological protocols should be integrated into clinical guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elisabetta Vegeto
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Bolego
- Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
| | - Luigia Trabace
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, Foggia, Italy
| | - Lucia Conti
- Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Elena Ortona
- Center for Gender-Specific Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
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Pauwels EK, Boer GJ. Friends and Foes in Alzheimer's Disease. Med Princ Pract 2023; 32:313-322. [PMID: 37788649 PMCID: PMC10727688 DOI: 10.1159/000534400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2023] [Accepted: 10/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a disabling neurodegenerative disease. The prognosis is poor, and currently there are no proven effective therapies. Most likely, the etiology is related to cerebral inflammatory processes that cause neuronal damage, resulting in dysfunction and apoptosis of nerve cells. Pathogens that evoke a neuroinflammatory response, collectively activate astrocytes and microglia, which contributes to the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines. This leads to the deposit of clustered fragments of beta-amyloid and misfolded tau proteins which do not elicit an adequate immune reaction. Apart from the function of astrocytes and microglia, molecular entities such as TREM2, SYK, C22, and C33 play a role in the physiopathology of AD. Furthermore, bacteria and viruses may trigger an overactive inflammatory response in the brain. Pathogens like Helicobacter pylori, Chlamydia pneumonia, and Porphyromonas gingivalis (known for low-grade infection in the oral cavity) can release gingipains, which are enzymes that can damage and destroy neurons. Chronic infection with Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) can co-localize with tau tangles and amyloid deposits. As for viral infections, herpes simplex virus 1, cytomegalovirus, and Epstein-Barr virus can play a role in the pathogenesis of AD. Present investigations have resulted in the development of antibodies that can clear the brain of beta-amyloid plaques. Trials with humanized aducanumab, lecanemab, and donanemab revealed limited success in AD patients. However, AD should be considered as a continuum in which the initial preclinical phase may take 10 or even 20 years. It is generally thought that this phase offers a window for efficacious treatment. Therefore, research is also focused on the identification of biomarkers for early AD detection. In this respect, the plasma measurement of neurofilament light chain in patients treated with hydromethylthionine mesylate may well open a new way to prevent the formation of tau tangles and represents the first treatment for AD at its roots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ernest K.J. Pauwels
- Leiden University and Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Gerard J. Boer
- Netherlands Institute for Brain Research, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Belardo C, Boccella S, Perrone M, Fusco A, Morace AM, Ricciardi F, Bonsale R, ELBini-Dhouib I, Guida F, Luongo L, Bagetta G, Scuteri D, Maione S. Scopolamine-Induced Memory Impairment in Mice: Effects of PEA-OXA on Memory Retrieval and Hippocampal LTP. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:14399. [PMID: 37762702 PMCID: PMC10532394 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241814399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Revised: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Transient global amnesia, both persistent and transient, is a very common neuropsychiatric syndrome. Among animal models for amnesia and testing new drugs, the scopolamine test is the most widely used for transient global amnesia (TGA). This study examined the scopolamine-induced deficits in working memory, discriminative memory, anxiety, and motor activity in the presence of intranasal PEA-OXA, a dual antagonist of presynaptic α2 and H3 receptors. Male C57BL/6 mice were treated with intraperitoneal scopolamine (1 mg/kg) with or without pre-treatment (15 min) or post-treatment (15 min) with intranasal PEA-OXA (10 mg/kg). It was seen that scopolamine induced deficits of discriminative and spatial memory and motor deficit. These changes were associated with a loss of synaptic plasticity in the hippocampal dentate gyrus: impaired LTP after lateral entorhinal cortex/perforant pathway tetanization. Furthermore, hippocampal Ach levels were increased while ChA-T expression was reduced following scopolamine administration. PEA-OXA either prevented or restored the scopolamine-induced cognitive deficits (discriminative and spatial memory). However, the same treatment did not affect the altered motor activity or anxiety-like behavior induced by scopolamine. Consistently, electrophysiological analysis showed LTP recovery in the DG of the hippocampus, while the Ach level and ChoA-T were normalized. This study confirms the neuroprotective and pro-cognitive activity of PEA-OXA (probably through an increase in the extracellular levels of biogenic amines) in improving transient memory disorders for which the available pharmacological tools are obsolete or inadequate and not directed on specific pathophysiological targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmela Belardo
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Serena Boccella
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Michela Perrone
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Antimo Fusco
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Andrea Maria Morace
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Federica Ricciardi
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Roozbe Bonsale
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Ines ELBini-Dhouib
- Laboratory of Biomolecules, Venoms and Theranostic Application, Institute Pasteur de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1002, Tunisia;
| | - Francesca Guida
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Livio Luongo
- Division of Pharmacology, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania “L. Vanvitelli”, 80138 Naples, Italy; (C.B.); (S.B.); (M.P.); (A.F.); (A.M.M.); (F.R.); (R.B.); (F.G.); (L.L.)
| | - Giacinto Bagetta
- Pharmacotechnology Documentation and Transfer Unit, Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Health Science and Nutrition, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy;
| | - Damiana Scuteri
- Pharmacotechnology Documentation and Transfer Unit, Preclinical and Translational Pharmacology, Department of Pharmacy, Health Science and Nutrition, University of Calabria, 87036 Rende, Italy;
| | - Sabatino Maione
- Laboratory of Biomolecules, Venoms and Theranostic Application, Institute Pasteur de Tunis, Université Tunis El Manar, Tunis 1002, Tunisia;
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Ennerfelt H, Holliday C, Shapiro D, Zengeler K, Bolte A, Ulland T, Lukens J. CARD9 attenuates Aβ pathology and modifies microglial responses in an Alzheimer's disease mouse model. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2303760120. [PMID: 37276426 PMCID: PMC10268238 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2303760120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances have highlighted the importance of several innate immune receptors expressed by microglia in Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, mounting evidence from AD patients and experimental models indicates pivotal roles for TREM2, CD33, and CD22 in neurodegenerative disease progression. While there is growing interest in targeting these microglial receptors to treat AD, we still lack knowledge of the downstream signaling molecules used by these receptors to orchestrate immune responses in AD. Notably, TREM2, CD33, and CD22 have been described to influence signaling associated with the intracellular adaptor molecule CARD9 to mount downstream immune responses outside of the brain. However, the role of CARD9 in AD remains poorly understood. Here, we show that genetic ablation of CARD9 in the 5xFAD mouse model of AD results in exacerbated amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition, increased neuronal loss, worsened cognitive deficits, and alterations in microglial responses. We further show that pharmacological activation of CARD9 promotes improved clearance of Aβ deposits from the brains of 5xFAD mice. These results help to establish CARD9 as a key intracellular innate immune signaling molecule that regulates Aβ-mediated disease and microglial responses. Moreover, these findings suggest that targeting CARD9 might offer a strategy to improve Aβ clearance in AD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Ennerfelt
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Training Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
| | - Coco Holliday
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
| | - Daniel A. Shapiro
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
| | - Kristine E. Zengeler
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Training Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
| | - Ashley C. Bolte
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
| | - Tyler K. Ulland
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI53705
| | - John R. Lukens
- Department of Neuroscience, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Training Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Cancer Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
- Medical Scientist Training Program, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22908
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