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Nikseresht S, Hilton JB, Kysenius K, Liddell JR, Crouch PJ. Copper-ATSM as a Treatment for ALS: Support from Mutant SOD1 Models and Beyond. Life (Basel) 2020; 10:E271. [PMID: 33158182 PMCID: PMC7694234 DOI: 10.3390/life10110271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The blood-brain barrier permeant, copper-containing compound, CuII(atsm), has successfully progressed from fundamental research outcomes in the laboratory through to phase 2/3 clinical assessment in patients with the highly aggressive and fatal neurodegenerative condition of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The most compelling outcomes to date to indicate potential for disease-modification have come from pre-clinical studies utilising mouse models that involve transgenic expression of mutated superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1). Mutant SOD1 mice provide a very robust mammalian model of ALS with high validity, but mutations in SOD1 account for only a small percentage of ALS cases in the clinic, with the preponderant amount of cases being sporadic and of unknown aetiology. As per other putative drugs for ALS developed and tested primarily in mutant SOD1 mice, this raises important questions about the pertinence of CuII(atsm) to broader clinical translation. This review highlights some of the challenges associated with the clinical translation of new treatment options for ALS. It then provides a brief account of pre-clinical outcomes for CuII(atsm) in SOD1 mouse models of ALS, followed by an outline of additional studies which report positive outcomes for CuII(atsm) when assessed in cell and mouse models of neurodegeneration which do not involve mutant SOD1. Clinical evidence for CuII(atsm) selectively targeting affected regions of the CNS in patients is also presented. Overall, this review summarises the existing evidence which indicates why clinical relevance of CuII(atsm) likely extends beyond the context of cases of ALS caused by mutant SOD1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Nikseresht
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (S.N.); (J.B.H.); (J.R.L.)
| | - James B.W. Hilton
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (S.N.); (J.B.H.); (J.R.L.)
| | - Kai Kysenius
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia;
| | - Jeffrey R. Liddell
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia; (S.N.); (J.B.H.); (J.R.L.)
| | - Peter J. Crouch
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics and Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia;
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Keenan RJ, Chan J, Donnelly PS, Barnham KJ, Jacobson LH. The social defeat/overcrowding murine psychosocial stress model results in a pharmacologically reversible body weight gain but not depression - related behaviours. Neurobiol Stress 2018; 9:176-187. [PMID: 30450383 PMCID: PMC6234278 DOI: 10.1016/j.ynstr.2018.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Revised: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Depression is a highly prevalent psychiatric disorder, yet its etiology is not well understood. The validation of animal models is therefore a critical step towards advancing knowledge about the neurobiology of depression. Psychosocial stress has been promoted as a prospective animal model of depression, however, different protocols exist with variable responses, and further investigations are therefore required. We aimed to characterise the behavioural and body weight responses to the social defeat/overcrowding (SD/OC) model and to explore the effects of the antidepressant fluoxetine and the peroxynitrite scavenger, CuII(atsm), therein. Male C57BL/6JArc mice were exposed to a 19 day SD/OC protocol at two levels of aggression, determined by terminating SD bouts after one, or approximately five social defeat postures. This was followed by a battery of behavioural tests including social interaction test (SIT), locomotor activity (LMA), light-dark box test (LDB), saccharin preference test (SPT) and the forced swim test (FST). Mice were dosed daily with vehicle, fluoxetine (20 mg/kg) or CuII(atsm) (30 mg/kg) throughout the protocol. SD/OC increased body weight compared to controls, which was abolished by fluoxetine and attenuated by CuII(atsm). Weight gain specifically peaked during OC sessions but was not affected by either drug treatment. Fluoxetine reduced the number of defeat postures during fight bouts on some days. SD/OC otherwise failed to elicit depression- or anxiety-like behaviour in the tests measured. These data raise questions over the SD/OC model as an etiological model of depression-related behaviours but highlight the potential of this model for investigations into mechanisms regulating binge eating and weight gain under conditions of chronic social stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan J Keenan
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Jacky Chan
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Paul S Donnelly
- School of Chemistry, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.,Bio21 Molecular Science & Biotechnology Institute, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Kevin J Barnham
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
| | - Laura H Jacobson
- Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia.,Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Parkville, Victoria, 3010, Australia
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Liddell JR. Are Astrocytes the Predominant Cell Type for Activation of Nrf2 in Aging and Neurodegeneration? Antioxidants (Basel) 2017; 6:E65. [PMID: 28820437 DOI: 10.3390/antiox6030065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 111] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2017] [Revised: 08/11/2017] [Accepted: 08/16/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates hundreds of antioxidant genes, and is activated in response to oxidative stress. Given that many neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Huntington’s disease and multiple sclerosis are characterised by oxidative stress, Nrf2 is commonly activated in these diseases. Evidence demonstrates that Nrf2 activity is repressed in neurons in vitro, and only cultured astrocytes respond strongly to Nrf2 inducers, leading to the interpretation that Nrf2 signalling is largely restricted to astrocytes. However, Nrf2 activity can be observed in neurons in post-mortem brain tissue and animal models of disease. Thus this interpretation may be false, and a detailed analysis of the cell type expression of Nrf2 in neurodegenerative diseases is required. This review describes the evidence for Nrf2 activation in each cell type in prominent neurodegenerative diseases and normal aging in human brain and animal models of neurodegeneration, the response to pharmacological and genetic modulation of Nrf2, and clinical trials involving Nrf2-modifying drugs.
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Huuskonen MT, Tuo QZ, Loppi S, Dhungana H, Korhonen P, McInnes LE, Donnelly PS, Grubman A, Wojciechowski S, Lejavova K, Pomeshchik Y, Periviita L, Kosonen L, Giordano M, Walker FR, Liu R, Bush AI, Koistinaho J, Malm T, White AR, Lei P, Kanninen KM. The Copper bis(thiosemicarbazone) Complex Cu II(atsm) Is Protective Against Cerebral Ischemia Through Modulation of the Inflammatory Milieu. Neurotherapeutics 2017; 14:519-532. [PMID: 28050710 PMCID: PMC5398983 DOI: 10.1007/s13311-016-0504-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [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] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Developing new therapies for stroke is urgently needed, as this disease is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide, and the existing treatment is only available for a small subset of patients. The interruption of blood flow to the brain during ischemic stroke launches multiple immune responses, characterized by infiltration of peripheral immune cells, the activation of brain microglial cells, and the accumulation of immune mediators. Copper is an essential trace element that is required for many critical processes in the brain. Copper homeostasis is disturbed in chronic neurodegenerative diseases and altered in stroke patients, and targeted copper delivery has been shown to be protective against chronic neurodegeneration. This study was undertaken to assess whether the copper bis(thiosemicarbazone) complex, CuII(atsm), is beneficial in acute brain injury, in preclinical mouse models of ischemic stroke. We demonstrate that the copper complex CuII(atsm) protects neurons from excitotoxicity and N2a cells from OGD in vitro, and is protective in permanent and transient ischemia models in mice as measured by functional outcome and lesion size. Copper delivery in the ischemic brains modulates the inflammatory response, specifically affecting the myeloid cells. It reduces CD45 and Iba1 immunoreactivity, and alters the morphology of Iba1 positive cells in the ischemic brain. CuII(atsm) also protects endogenous microglia against ischemic insult and reduces the proportion of invading monocytes. These results demonstrate that the copper complex CuII(atsm) is an inflammation-modulating compound with high therapeutic potential in stroke and is a strong candidate for the development of therapies for acute brain injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikko T. Huuskonen
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Qing-zhang Tuo
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China for Neurological Disorders, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Sanna Loppi
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Hiramani Dhungana
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Paula Korhonen
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lachlan E. McInnes
- School of Chemistry and Bio21 Institute for Molecular Science and Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Paul S. Donnelly
- School of Chemistry and Bio21 Institute for Molecular Science and Biotechnology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Alexandra Grubman
- Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Sara Wojciechowski
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Katarina Lejavova
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Yuriy Pomeshchik
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Laura Periviita
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Lotta Kosonen
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Martina Giordano
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Frederick R. Walker
- School of Biomedical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW Australia
| | - Rong Liu
- Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China for Neurological Disorders, Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ashley I. Bush
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
| | - Jari Koistinaho
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Tarja Malm
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Anthony R. White
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
- Department of Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
- Present Address: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland Australia
- Cell and Molecular Biology, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Royal Brisbane Hospital, Locked Bag 2000, Herston, QLD 4029 Australia
| | - Peng Lei
- Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria Australia
- Department of Neurology, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan China
- Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, Sichuan China
| | - Katja M. Kanninen
- Department of Neurobiology, A.I.Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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