Publications by authors named "Adriana Merlicco"

Recent studies suggest that the oligomers of short amyloid beta (Abeta) peptides such as Abeta(25-35) as well as full-length Abeta peptides (i.e. Abeta(1-40) and Abeta(1-42) peptides) are responsible for synaptic dysfunction and/or neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

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The total GSH depletion observed in the substantia nigra (SN) appears to be responsible for subsequent oxidative stress (OS), mitochondrial dysfunction, and dopaminergic cell loss in patients with Parkinson's disease. A strategy to prevent the OS of dopaminergic cells in the SN may be the use of chemopreventive agents as inducers of endogenous GSH, antioxidant and phase 2 enzymes. In this study, we demonstrated that treatment of the dopaminergic-like neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line with sulforaphane (SF), a cruciferous vegetables inducer, resulted in significant increases of total GSH level, NAD(P)H : quinone oxidoreductase-1, GSH-transferase and -reductase, but not GSH-peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase activities.

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The amyloid-beta (A beta) peptide (1-42) aggregation into oligomeric and fibrillar species affects neuronal viability, having a causal role in the development of Alzheimer's disease. Among dietary anthocyanins, cyanidin 3-O-glucoside (Cy-3G) and its metabolites, such as protocatechuic acid (PA), have gained attention as potential neuroprotective agents. In this in-vitro study, we demonstrated that Cy-3G, but not PA, can inhibit A beta1-42 spontaneous aggregation using thioflavin T fluorescence assay and transmission electron microscopy.

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