Effectiveness of anthracycline against experimental prion disease in Syrian hamsters.

Prion diseases are transmissible neurodegenerative conditions characterized by the accumulation of protease-resistant forms of the prion protein (PrP), termed PrPres, in the brain. Insoluble PrPres tends to aggregate into amyloid fibrils. The anthracycline 4'-iodo-4'-deoxy-doxorubicin (IDX) binds to amyloid fibrils and induces amyloid resorption in patients with systemic amyloidosis.

High sensitivity of glutamate uptake to extracellular free arachidonic acid levels in rat cortical synaptosomes and astrocytes.

By using both synaptosomes and cultured astrocytes from rat cerebral cortex, we have investigated the inhibitory action of arachidonic acid on the high-affinity glutamate uptake systems, focusing on the possible physiological significance of this mechanism. Application of arachidonic acid (1-100 microM) to either preparation leads to fast (within 30 s) and largely reversible reduction in the uptake rate. When either melittin (0.

A role for the arachidonic acid cascade in fast synaptic modulation: ion channels and transmitter uptake systems as target proteins.

Recent evidence indicates that arachidonic acid (AA) and its metabolites play a fast messenger role in synaptic modulation in the CNS. 12-Lipoxygenase derivatives are released by Aplysia sensory neurons in response to inhibitory transmitters and directly target a class of K+ channels, increasing the probability of their opening. In this way, hyperpolarization is achieved and action potentials are shortened, leading to synaptic depression.