Acrylamide, Applied During Pregnancy and Postpartum Period in Offspring Rats, Significantly Disrupted Myelination by Decreasing the Levels of Myelin-Related Proteins: MBP, MAG, and MOG

Acrylamide (ACR) is a colorless, odorless, and water-soluble solid molecule. In addition to being an important industrial material, ACR is found in fried and baked carbohydrate-rich foods. ACR is regarded as a typical axonal neurotoxin that induces neuropathy. The brain is protected from oxidative damage by vitamin E, which is regarded as the most powerful fat-soluble antioxidant vitamin. This study aimed to reveal the toxic effect of ACR on the development of myelin in the brain at the molecular level and to examine whether Vitamin E has a neuroprotective effect on the harmful effect of ACR. The study was started by dividing 40 pregnant rats into 4 groups and after lactation, the study was continued with offspring rats (females and males offspring rats) from each group. Offspring rats were equally divided into Control, Vitamin E, ACR, ACR + Vitamin E groups. Following the ACR administration, the Water Maze test was applied to evaluate cognitive function. To evaluate the level of demyelination and remyelination, MBP, MAG, and MOG proteins and mRNA levels were performed. In addition, the degeneration of myelin and glial cells was examined by immunohistochemistry and electron microscopic analysis. Analysis results showed that ACR administration decreased gene and protein levels of myelin-related proteins MBP, MAG, and MOG. The findings were confirmed by histopathological, immunohistochemical, and microscopic examinations. The application of vitamin E improved this negative effect of ACR. It has been observed that ACR may play a role in the pathogenesis of myelin-related neurodegenerative diseases by causing demyelination during gestation, lactation, and post-lactation. In addition, it has been understood that vitamin E supports myelination as a strong neuroprotective vitamin against the toxicity caused by ACR. Our research results suggest that acrylamide may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis in humans since fast-food-type nutrition is very common today and people are chronically exposed to acrylamide.

Protective role of vitamin E against acrylamide-induced testicular toxicity from pregnancy to adulthood: insights into oxidative stress and aromatase regulation

Acrylamide (ACR) is a toxic chemical frequently encountered in daily life, posing health risks. This study aimed to elucidate the molecular-level mechanism of ACR's toxic effects on testicles and investigate whether Vitamin E can mitigate these effects. A total of 40 adult pregnant rats were utilized, divided into four groups: Control, ACR, Vitamin E, and ACR + Vitamin E. ACR and Vitamin E were administered to the mother rats during pregnancy and lactation, and to the male offspring until the 8th week post-birth. Serum hormone levels, oxidant-antioxidant parameters, histopathological examination of testicular tissue, and mRNA and protein levels of the testicular and liver aromatase gene were analyzed. Spermiogram analysis was conducted on the collected sperm samples from the male offspring. The results revealed that ACR exposure adversely affected hormone levels, oxidant-antioxidant parameters, histological findings, as well as aromatase gene and protein expressions. However, Vitamin E administration effectively prevented the toxic effects of ACR. These findings demonstrate that ACR application significantly impairs the reproductive performance of male offspring rats by increasing liver aromatase activity.

Investigating EGFR-VEGF-mediated apoptotic effect of cucurbitacin D and I combination with sorafenib via Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways

Sorafenib, which is a type of systemic multi-kinase inhibitor drug, is used for first-line therapy in treating hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). In this study, the anticarcinogenic effects of sorafenib-cucurbitacin D and sorafenib-cucurbitacin I combination on HepG2 cell line were investigated. Cell inhibition, migration, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), colony formation, and wound healing were investigated by applying cucurbitacin D and I alone or in combination with sorafenib to HepG2 cells. In addition, in order to reveal how cucurbitacins affect the signal pathways known to affect sorafenib; proteins and genes involved in VEGF, EGFR, MMP-2, caspase cascade, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways were assessed by western blot and qRT-PCR. It has been shown that cucurbitacin D and I have an antiproliferative effect at low concentrations and show a synergistic effect when combined with sorafenib. Combined administrations induced apoptosis by increasing caspase-9, Bax activity and inhibiting Bcl-xL activation, blocking the cell cycle in G2/M phase and causing loss of ΔΨm. The combinations also suppressed MMP-2 and VEGF, reduced cell migration. The combined cucurbitacin-sorafenib applications inhibited the expression of proteins and genes involved in EGFR and PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathways. Due to showing the synergetic effect of cucurbitacins with sorafenib and their targeting of similar signaling pathways reveal that their combination may increase the efficacy of sorafenib by suppressing angiogenic, metastatic and proliferative activity in HCC.

Neuroprotective effect of transient receptor potential Vanilloid 1 agonist capsaicin in Alzheimer’s disease model induced with okadaic acid

BACKGROUND

The presence of Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels was detected in many regions of the human and rat brain, including the cortex and hippocampus. TRPV1 channels have functions such as the modulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity and the regulation of cognitive functions. Previous studies conducted with TRPV1 agonists and antagonists show that this channel is associated with the neurodegenerative process. In the present study, the purpose was to investigate the effects of capsaicin, which is a TRPV1 agonist, and capsazepine, a TRPV1 antagonist, in the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) model that was induced by intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of okadaic acid (OKA).

METHODS

The AD-like experimental model was created with bilateral ICV OKA injection. Intraperitoneal capsaicin and capsazepine injections were administered to the treatment groups for 13 days and histological and immunohistochemical examinations were performed from the cortex and hippocampal CA3 regions of the brain. The Morris Water Maze Test was used for spatial memory measurement.

RESULTS

ICV OKA administration increased the levels of caspase-3, phosphorylated-tau-(ser396), Aβ, TNF-α, and IL1-β, from the cortex and hippocampal CA3 regions of the brain and decreased the phosphorylated-Glycogen synthase kinase-3 beta-(ser9) levels. In addition, the OKA administration corrupted the spatial memory. The TRPV1 agonist capsaicin reversed the pathological changes induced by ICV OKA administration, but not the TRPV1 antagonist capsazepine.

CONCLUSIONS

It was found in the study that the administration of the TRPV1 agonist capsaicin reduced neurodegeneration, neuroinflammation, and deterioration in spatial memory in the AD model induced by OKA.

Cucurbitacin I exhibits anticancer efficacy through induction of apoptosis and modulation of JAK/STAT3, MAPK/ERK, and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways in HepG2 cell line

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a common cancer type, especially among men. Although cucurbitacin I (CuI), widely found in plants belonging to the Ecballium elaterium (E. L) plant family, has been shown to have antitumorigenic properties in many cancer types, its anticancer effect, molecular mechanism, and apoptotic effect mediated by signal pathways on hepatocellular carcinoma have not been fully clarified. In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effect of CuI treated at different doses on the HepG2 cell line and the underlying mechanism in vitro. High-purity CuI was obtained from the E. elaterium plant with the aid of HPLC. The effects of this substance on the viability of cells were studied by the MTT assay. The effects of CuI on cell cycle progression and apoptosis were studied with flow cytometry. DNA breaks were analyzed by the Comet assay method. The proteins and genes involved in the JAK/STAT3, MAPK/ERK, and AKT/mTOR signaling pathways were investigated using Western blot and qRT-PCR, respectively. The results of this study demonstrated that CuI significantly reduced HepG2 cell growth in vitro, induced antiproliferation, and G2/M phase of the cell cycle was interrupted. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: CuI administration was shown to downregulate the levels of proteins in the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK, and JAK2/STAT3 cascades in HepG2 cells. CuI also reduced the expression of MAPK, STAT3, mTOR, JAK2, and Akt genes in different concentrations. DNA breaks are formed as a result of this effect. CuI, by reducing cell proliferation and promoting apoptosis, was found to have potential as a chemotherapeutic agent of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Cucurbitacin D inhibits the proliferation of HepG2 cells and induces apoptosis by modulating JAK/STAT3, PI3K/Akt/mTOR and MAPK signaling pathways

Background:

Cucurbitacin D (CuD) is a natural compound that can be isolated in various plant families, mainly from Ecballium Elaterium (L.) A. Rich. (E. Elaterium). It is a triterpenoid with a broad spectrum of biological activity, including anti-cancer properties. Hepatocellular carcinoma, the aggressive type of liver cancer, is an important public health problem worldwide.

Objective:

In the present study, we investigated the anticancer effect of CuD treated at different doses on the HepG2 cell line and the underlying mechanism in vitro.

Method:

CuD was isolated from the fruit juice of E. Elaterium plant and quantitative analysis was performed using high-performance liquid chromatography. The cell viability effect of purified CuD was determined by the MTT test also cell apoptosis and cell cycle arrest effects were determined by flow cytometry. DNA damage was evaluated with the comet test. Proteins and genes involved in PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK, and JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathways were evaluated by western blot and qRT-PCR.

Result:

CuD showed both antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects against the HepG2 cell line in a dose and time-dependent manner. It was observed that CuD induced apoptosis and blocked the cell cycle in HepG2 cells. It was observed that the expression of genes and some proteins that play a key role in PI3K/AKT/mTOR, MAPK, and JAK2/STAT3 cascades were dose-dependently down-regulated and activated the apoptotic pathway.

Conclusion:

All these results; show promise that CuD may have a therapeutic effect in liver cancer with HCC.

Association of BDNF / TrkB and NGF / TrkA Levels in Postmortem Brain with Major Depression and Suicide

BACKGROUND

Suicide Attempts are the main complications of Major Depressive Episodes and are difficult to predict. There is still a lack of knowledge about its neurochemical aspects. There is increasing evidence that Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and Nerve growth factor (NGF) play a role in the pathophysiology and treatment of depression by binding and activating cognate receptors Tyrosine Kinase B (TrkB) and Tyrosie Kinase A (TrkA), respectively. This study was conducted to examine whether BDNF and / or TrkB as well as NGF and / or TrkA expression profiles were changed in the hippocampus of postmortem brain of individuals with depression who committed suicide.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS

This study was conducted with the brain tissue of 61 victims who died as a result of suicide due to depression and 25 people who died due to traffic accidents. The psychiatric history of the cases was determined by the psychological autopsy method. Samples were taken from the hippocampus region of the brain at the forensic medicine institution. After storage under appropriate conditions, protein and mRNA levels of BDNF, TrkB, NGF and TrkA were determined in the genetics laboratory.

RESULTS

Average age of the suicide group was 30 and the average age of the control group was 24.5. The suicide group consisted of 70.5% male and 29.5% female cases. There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age (p=0.062) and gender (p=0.718). BDNF, NGF, TrkA and TrkB values were found to be lower in the suicide group compared to the control group and there was a significant difference between the groups (p≤0.001; p=0.001; p=0.001; p=0.011).

CONCLUSION

Given the importance of BDNF and NGF and their cognate receptors in mediating physiological functions, including cell survival and synaptic plasticity, our findings regarding decreased expression of BDNF, TrkB, NGF and TrkA in both protein and mRNA levels of postmortem brains of suicide victims suggests that it may play an important role in the pathophysiological aspects of its behavior. Further studies in this context may be useful both in understanding the molecular basis of suicide and in designing therapeutic models targeting these molecular pathways.