Mechanistic study of the anti-excitatory amino acid toxicity of Bushen Zhichan decoction for Parkinson's disease based on the transcriptional regulation of EAAT1 by YY1

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Bushen Zhichan decoction (BSZCF) is derived from Liuwei Dihuang Pill, a famous Chinese herbal formula recorded in the book Key to Therapeutics of Children's Diseases. It has been widely used as a basic prescription for nourishing and tonifying the liver and kidneys to treat Parkinson's disease (PD), but its mechanism remains to be explored.

AIM OF THE STUDY

BSZCF, a Chinese herbal formula comprising five herbs: Rehmannia glutinosa (Gaertn.) DC., Dioscorea oppositifolia L., Cornus officinalis Siebold & Zucc., Fallopia multiflora (Thunb.) Haraldson and Cistanche tubulosa (Schenk) Wight, is used clinically to treat PD. In vivo and in vitro experiments were designed to elucidate the mechanism of BSZCF in the protection of dopamine (DA) neurons and the treatment of PD. The toxicity of excitatory amino acids (EAA) may be attenuated by inhibiting the transcription factor Yin Yang 1 (YY1) and up-regulating the expression of excitatory amino acid transporter 1 (EAAT1).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

IN VIVO: After 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) was intraperitoneally injected into specific pathogen free (SPF) C57BL/6J mice, model mice were intragastrically given adamantane hydrochloride tablets (AHT) or different doses of BSZCF for 14 days. Both open field and pole-climbing tests were conducted to assess behavioral changes. In vitro: 1-Methyl-4-phe-nylpyridiniumiodide (MPP+)-injured human neuroblastoma cells (SH-SY5Y) were utilized to construct PD cell models. Primary astrocytes were transfected with EAAT1 and YY1 lentiviruses for EAAT1 gene knockout and YY1 gene knockout astrocytes, respectively. The high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis of BSZCF was performed to control the quality of blood drugs. The optimal concentration and time of PD cell models treated by BSZCF were determined by the use of Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK8). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used for measuring glutamate (Glu) in the peripheral blood and cells of each group. Western blotting (WB) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) were used to detect tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), dopamine transporters (DAT), EAAT1 and YY1 protein and mRNA. After the blockade of EAAT1, immunofluorescence (IF) assay was used to detect the TH protein in each group.

RESULTS

In vivo research showed that BSZCF improved the behavioral symptoms of PD mice, and reduced the death of DA neurons and the level of Glu. The mechanism may be related to the decrease of YY1 expression and the increase of EAAT1 levels. In vitro experiments showed that the anti-excitatory amino acid toxicity of BSZCF was achieved by inhibiting YY1 expression and regulating EAAT1.

CONCLUSIONS

By inhibiting YY1 to increase the expression of EAAT1 and attenuating the toxicity of Glu, BSZCF exerts the effect of protecting DA neurons and treating PD-like symptoms in mice.

High-frequency spinal cord stimulation treatment attenuates the increase in spinal glutamate release and spinal miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents in rats with spared nerve injury-induced neuropathic pain

High-frequency spinal cord stimulation (HFSCS) at 10 kHz provides paresthesia-free treatment for chronic pain. However, the underlying mechanisms of its action have not been fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of HFSCS treatment on spinal glutamate release and uptake in spared nerve injury (SNI) rats. HFSCS was applied to the T10/T11 spinal cord 3 days after SNI. The concentration of spinal glutamate, glutamate transporter activity and miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents (mEPSCs) from neurons in lamina II were evaluated. HFSCS treatment alleviated SNI pain induced by mechanical and cold allodynia. HFSCS treatment also partially restored altered spinal glutamate uptake activity, the levels of spinal glutamate, and the frequency of mEPSCs following SNI. In conclusion, HFSCS treatment attenuated SNI-induced neuropathic pain and partially restored the altered glutamate uptake after SNI.

Tyrosine phosphorylation of glutamate receptors by non-receptor tyrosine kinases: roles in depression-like behavior

Several key members of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase (nRTK) family are abundantly present within excitatory synapses in the mammalian brain. These neuron-enriched nRTKs interact with glutamate receptors and phosphorylate the receptors at tyrosine sites. The N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor is a direct substrate of nRTKs and has been extensively investigated in its phosphorylation responses to nRTKs. The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid receptor is the other glutamate receptor subtype that is subject to nRTK-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation. Recently, group I metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluR1/5) were found to be sensitive to nRTKs. Robust tyrosine phosphorylation may occur in C-terminal tails of mGluR5. Tyrosine phosphorylation of glutamate receptors is either constitutive or induced activity-dependently by changing cellular and/or synaptic input. Through inducing tyrosine phosphorylation, nRTKs regulate trafficking, subcellular distribution, and function of modified receptors. Available data show that nRTK-glutamate receptor interactions and tyrosine phosphorylation of the receptors undergo drastic adaptations in mood disorders such as major depressive disorder. The remodeling of the nRTK-glutamate receptor interplay contributes to the long-lasting pathophysiology and symptomology of depression. This review summarizes the recent progress in tyrosine phosphorylation of glutamate receptors and analyzes the role of nRTKs in regulating glutamate receptors and depression-like behavior.

The possible mechanism of Parkinson's disease progressive damage and the preventive effect of GM1 in the rat model induced by 6-hydroxydopamine

The progressive pathogenesis and prevention of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unknown at present. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the possible progressive pathogenesis and prevention of PD. Our study investigated the content of glutamate, mitochondria calcium, calmodulin, malonaldehyde and trace elements in striatum, cerebral cortex and hippocampus tissues; and the expression of bcl-2, bax and neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) in substantia nigra and striatum; and the change of apomorphine induced rotation behavior; and the treatmental effect of monosialotetrahexosylganglioside (GM1) intraperitoneal administration for 14 days in a PD rat model induced by 6-hydroxydopamine. The results revealed that the content of glutamate significantly decreased, and that of mitochondria calcium, calmodulin, malonaldehyde and ferrum significantly increased in striatum, cerebral cortex and hippocampus tissues; the content of magnesium significantly decreased, and that of cuprum and zinc significantly increased in cerebral cortex; the expression of bcl-2 significantly decreased, and that of bax and nNOS significantly increased in substantia nigra and striatum in PD rat. GM1 can partially improve the apomorphine induced rotation behavior and changes of glutamate, mitochondria calcium, calmodulin content in striatum of PD rat. Data suggested that dysfunction of excitatory amino acids neurotransmitter, calcium homeostasis disorder, abnormal metabolism of oxygen free radicals, abnormal trace elements distribution and/or deposition and excessive apoptosis participated in the progressive process of PD, and that GM1 could partially prevent the progressive damage.

Novel di-aryl-substituted isoxazoles act as noncompetitive inhibitors of the system Xc(-) cystine/glutamate exchanger

The system xc(-) antiporter is a plasma membrane transporter that mediates the exchange of extracellular l-cystine with intracellular l-glutamate. This exchange is significant within the context of the CNS because the import of l-cystine is required for the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione, while the efflux of l-glutamate has the potential to contribute to either excitatory signaling or excitotoxic pathology. Changes in the activity of the transport system have been linked to the underlying pathological mechanisms of a variety of CNS disorders, one of the most prominent of which is its highly enriched expression in glial brain tumors. In an effort to produce more potent system xc(-) blockers, we have been using amino-3-carboxy-5-methylisoxazole propionic acid (ACPA) as a scaffold for inhibitor development. We previously demonstrated that the addition of lipophilic aryl groups to either the #4 or #5 position on the isoxazole ring markedly increased the inhibitory activity at system xc(-). In the present work a novel series of analogues has been prepared in which aryl groups have been introduced at both the #4 and #5 positions. In contrast to the competitive action of the mono-substituted analogues, kinetic analyses indicate that the di-substituted isoxazoles block system xc(-)-mediated uptake of (3)H-l-glutamate into SNB-19 cells by a noncompetitive mechanism. These new analogues appear to be the first noncompetitive inhibitors identified for this transport system, as well as being among the most potent blockers identified to date. These diaryl-isoxazoles should be of value in assessing the physiological roles and molecular pharmacology of system xc(-).

Roles of subunit phosphorylation in regulating glutamate receptor function

Protein phosphorylation is an important mechanism for regulating ionotropic glutamate receptors (iGluRs). Early studies have established that major iGluR subtypes, including α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) receptors and N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptors, are subject to phosphorylation. Multiple serine, threonine, and tyrosine residues predominantly within the C-terminal regions of AMPA receptor and NMDA receptor subunits have been identified as sensitive phosphorylation sites. These distinct sites undergo either constitutive phosphorylation or activity-dependent phosphorylation induced by changing cellular and synaptic inputs. An increasing number of synapse-enriched protein kinases have been found to phosphorylate iGluRs The common kinases include protein kinase A, protein kinase C, Ca(2+)/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II, Src/Fyn non-receptor tyrosine kinases, and cyclin dependent kinase-5. Regulated phosphorylation plays a well-documented role in modulating the biochemical, biophysical, and functional properties of the receptor. In the future, identifying the precise mechanisms how phosphorylation regulates iGluR activities and finding the link between iGluR phosphorylation and the pathogenesis of various brain diseases, including psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain, stroke, Alzheimer's disease and substance addiction, will be hot topics and could contribute to the development of novel pharmacotherapies, by targeting the defined phosphorylation process, for suppressing iGluR-related disorders.

Rapid and sustained GluA1 S845 phosphorylation in synaptic and extrasynaptic locations in the rat forebrain following amphetamine administration

The α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor is a major ionotropic glutamate receptor subtype in the mammalian brain. Like other glutamate receptors, the AMPA receptor is regulated by phosphorylation. By phosphorylating specific serine resides in AMPA receptor subunits (GluA1 and GluA2), various protein kinases regulate subcellular/subsynaptic expression and function of the receptor. In this study, we conducted a time course study to evaluate the temporal property of responses of phosphorylation at those sites to dopamine stimulation with the psychostimulant amphetamine in the adult rat striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in vivo. We focused on biochemically-enriched AMPA receptors from synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments. We found that acute injection of amphetamine induced a rapid and relatively sustained increase in GluA1 S845 phosphorylation at both synaptic and extrasynaptic sites in the striatum. Similar results were observed in the mPFC. In contrast to S845, amphetamine did not induce a significant change in GluA1 S831 phosphorylation in synaptic and extrasynaptic pools in the striatum and mPFC. GluA2 S880 phosphorylation in synaptic and extrasynaptic fractions in the two brain regions also remained stable in response to amphetamine. These results support S845 to be a principal site on AMPA receptors sensitive to acute stimulant exposure. Its phosphorylation levels are rapidly upregulated by amphetamine in the two defined subsynaptic microdomains (synaptic versus extrasynaptic locations) in striatal and cortical neurons.

Regulation of phosphorylation of synaptic and extrasynaptic GluA1 AMPA receptors in the rat forebrain by amphetamine

The AMPA receptor is regulated by phosphorylation. Two major phosphorylation sites (S831 and S845) are located in the intracellular C-terminal tail of GluA1 subunits. The phosphorylation on these sites controls receptor expression and function and is subject to the regulation by psychostimulants. In this study, we further characterized the regulation of S831 and S845 phosphorylation by amphetamine (AMPH) in the adult rat striatum and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) in vivo. We focused on the specific fraction of GluA1/AMPA receptors enriched from synaptic and extrasynaptic membranes, using a pre-validated biochemical fractionation procedure. We found that acute AMPH administration elevated GluA1 S845 phosphorylation in the defined synaptic membrane from the striatum in a dose-dependent manner. AMPH also induced a comparable increase in S845 phosphorylation in the extrasynaptic fraction of striatal GluA1. Similar increases in S845 phosphorylation in both synaptic and extrasynaptic pools were observed in the mPFC. In contrast, S831 phosphorylation was not altered in synaptic and extrasynaptic GluA1 in striatal neurons and synaptic GluA1 in mPFC neurons in response to AMPH, although a moderate increase in S831 phosphorylation was seen in extrasynaptic GluA1 in the mPFC after an AMPH injection at a high dose. Total synaptic and extrasynaptic GluA1 expression remained stable in the two regions after AMPH administration. Our data demonstrate the differential sensitivity of S845 and S831 phosphorylation to dopamine stimulation. S845 is a primary site where phosphorylation of GluA1 is upregulated by AMPH in striatal and mPFC neurons at both synaptic and extrasynaptic compartments.