Effects of Cannabidiol Isolated or in Association With Risperidone in an Animal Model of Autism.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in communication, social interaction, and repetitive and stereotyped behaviors, with no specific drug therapy available. Studies have found that cannabidiol (CBD) can improve hyperactive and cognitive symptoms in children with ASD. However, little is known about the effect of CBD in combination with other medications, such as risperidone (RISP).

Animal Model of Autism Induced by Valproic Acid Combined with Maternal Deprivation: Sex-Specific Effects on Inflammation and Oxidative Stress.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) etiology probably involves a complex interplay of both genetic and environmental risk factors, which includes pre- and perinatal exposure to environmental stressors. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA) combined with maternal deprivation (MD) on behavior, oxidative stress parameters, and inflammatory state at a central and systemic level in male and female rats. Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to VPA during gestation, and the offspring were submitted to MD.

IL-33 in Ischemic Stroke: Brain vs. Periphery.

Cerebrovascular disease is the second-leading cause of death and disability worldwide, with stroke being the most common cause. In ischemic stroke, several processes combine to produce immunosuppression, leaving the post-stroke body susceptible to infection, which in turn affects neuroinflammation. Interleukin-33 (IL-33), a member of the interleukin-1 family (IL-1), functions as a modulator of immune responses and inflammation, playing a crucial role in the establishment of immunologic responses.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG)-Induced Protection in Brain Disorders.

The Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine is one of the most widely used vaccines in the world for the prevention of tuberculosis. Its immunological capacity also includes epigenetic reprogramming, activation of T cells and inflammatory responses. Although the main usage of the vaccine is the prevention of tuberculosis, different works have shown that the effect of BCG can go beyond the peripheral immune response and be linked to the central nervous system by modulating the immune system at the level of the brain.

Critical period of exposure to mercury and the diagnostic of autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive behaviors and deficits in social interaction. Its etiology is not completely clear, but both genetic and environmental factors contribute to and influence its development and course. The increased number of autism cases in recent years has been strongly associated with increased exposure to heavy metals.

Cannabidiol effect on long-term brain alterations in septic rats: Involvement of PPARγ activation.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition induced by a deregulated host response to infection. Post-sepsis injury includes long-term cognitive impairment, whose neurobiological mechanisms and effective treatment remain unknown. The present study was designed to determine the potential effects of cannabidiol (CBD) in a sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) model and explore if peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is the putative mechanism underpinning the beneficial effects.

L-carnitine and Acetyl-L Carnitine: A Possibility for Treating Alterations Induced by Obesity in the Central Nervous System.

Excessive consumption of nutrients, as well as obesity, leads to an inflammatory process, especially in adipose tissue. This inflammation reaches the systemic level and, subsequently, the central nervous system (CNS), which can lead to oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction, resulting in brain damage. Thus, adequate treatment for obesity is necessary, including lifestyle changes (diet adequation and physical activity) and pharmacotherapy.

Cholesterol metabolism pathway in autism spectrum disorder: From animal models to clinical observations.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a persistent impairment of social skills, including aspects of perception, interpretation, and response, combined with restricted and repetitive behavior. ASD is a complex and multifactorial condition, and its etiology could be attributed to genetic and environmental factors. Despite numerous clinical and experimental studies, no etiological factor, biomarker, and specific model of transmission have been consistently associated with ASD.

Neuroprotective effects of combined therapy with memantine, donepezil, and vitamin D in ovariectomized female mice subjected to dementia model.

Women older than 60 have a higher risk of dementia, aging-related cognitive decline, and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) than the rest of the population. The main reason is hormonal senescence after menopause, a period characterized by a decline in estrogen levels. Since the effectiveness of drugs currently approved for the treatment of AD is limited, it is necessary to seek the development of new therapeutic strategies.

Ketamine treatment protects against oxidative damage and the immunological response induced by electroconvulsive therapy.

Background: Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is often recommended for major depressive disorder (MDD) for those who do not respond to the first and second antidepressant trials. A combination of two therapies could improve antidepressant efficacy. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the synergistic effects of ECT combined to antidepressants with a different mechanism of action.

Autism associated with 12q (12q24.31-q24.33) deletion: further report of an exceedingly rare disorder.

Chromosomal abnormalities are responsible for several congenital malformations in the world, some of these are associated to telomeric/subtelomeric deletions. The abnormalities involving the telomere of chromosome 12 are rare, with few reports of deletions involving 12q24.31 region in the literature, and, to our knowledge, only four of them in the 12q24.

Early Postnatal Exposure to Paraquat and Maneb in Mice Increases Nigrostriatal Dopaminergic Susceptibility to a Re-challenge with the Same Pesticides at Adulthood: Implications for Parkinson's Disease.

Exposure to environmental contaminants represents an important etiological factor in sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD). It has been reported that PD could arise from events that occur early in development and that lead to delayed adverse consequences in the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system at adult life. We investigated the occurrence of late nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurotoxicity induced by exposures to the pesticides paraquat (PQ) and maneb (MB) during the early postnatal period in mice, as well as whether the exposure to pesticides during development could enhance mice vulnerability to subsequent challenges.

Post-translational modifications in MeHg-induced neurotoxicity.

Mercury (Hg) exposure remains a major public health concern due to its widespread distribution in the environment. Organic mercurials, such as MeHg, have been extensively investigated especially because of their congenital effects. In this context, studies on the molecular mechanism of MeHg-induced neurotoxicity are pivotal to the understanding of its toxic effects and the development of preventive measures.

Effects of perinatal exposure to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and methylmercury on cerebellar and behavioral parameters in mice.

Fish and shellfish, which represent important sources of nutrients (i.e., n-3 fatty acids), can contain significant amounts of methylmercury (MeHg), a neurotoxic compound.

Methylmercury Affects the Expression of Hypothalamic Neuropeptides That Control Body Weight in C57BL/6J Mice.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is an environmental pollutant that affects primarily the central nervous system (CNS), causing neurological alterations. An early symptom of MeHg poisoning is the loss of body weight and appetite. Moreover, the CNS has an important role in controlling energy homeostasis.

Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Striatal Nitrosative Stress and Impaired Social Recognition Memory Are Not Magnified by Paraquat Coexposure.

Systemic inflammation triggered by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration disrupts blood-brain barrier (BBB) homeostasis in animal models. This event leads to increased susceptibility of several encephalic structures to potential neurotoxicants present in the bloodstream. In this study, we investigated the effects of alternate intraperitoneal injections of LPS on BBB permeability, social recognition memory and biochemical parameters in the striatum 24 h and 60 days after treatments.

Neurotoxicity of fragrance compounds: A review.

Fragrance compounds are chemicals belonging to one of several families, which are used frequently and globally in cosmetics, household products, foods and beverages. A complete list of such compounds is rarely found on the ingredients-list of such products, as "fragrance mixtures" are defined as "trade secrets" and thus protected by law. While some information regarding the general toxicity of some of these compounds is available, their neurotoxicity is known to a lesser extent.

Doxorubicin caused severe hyperglycaemia and insulin resistance, mediated by inhibition in AMPk signalling in skeletal muscle.

Background: Cancer is considered the second leading cause of death in the world, and for the treatment of this disease, pharmacological intervention strategies are frequently based on chemotherapy. Doxorubicin (DOX) is one of the most widely used chemotherapeutic agents in clinical practice for treating a number of solid tumours. The treatment with DOX mimics some effects of cancer cachexia, such as anorexia, asthenia, decreases in fat and skeletal muscle mass and fatigue.

Decreased forelimb ability in mice intracerebroventricularly injected with low dose 6-hydroxidopamine: A model on the dissociation of bradykinesia from hypokinesia.

Bradykinesia and hypokinesia represent well-known motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). While bradykinesia (slow execution of movements) is present in less affected PD patients and aggravates as the disease severity increases, hypokinesia (reduction of movement) seems to emerge prominently only in the more affected patients. Here we developed a model based on the central infusion of low dose (40μg) 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) in mice in an attempt to discriminate bradykinesia (accessed through forelimb inability) from hypokinesia (accessed through locomotor and exploratory activities).

Evaluation of the In Vivo and In Vitro Effects of Fructose on Respiratory Chain Complexes in Tissues of Young Rats.

Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI) is an autosomal-recessive disorder characterized by fructose and fructose-1-phosphate accumulation in tissues and biological fluids of patients. This disease results from a deficiency of aldolase B, which metabolizes fructose in the liver, kidney, and small intestine. We here investigated the effect of acute fructose administration on the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes, succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) in cerebral cortex, liver, kidney, and skeletal muscle of male 30-day-old Wistar rats.

Hypothalamic energy metabolism is impaired by doxorubicin independently of inflammation in non-tumour-bearing rats.

We sought to explore the effects of doxorubicin on inflammatory profiles and energy metabolism in the hypothalamus of rats. To investigate these effects, we formed two groups: a control (C) group and a Doxorubicin (DOXO) group. Sixteen rats were randomly assigned to either the control (C) or DOXO groups.

Effects of acute administration of mazindol on brain energy metabolism in adult mice.

Objectives: Mazindol is a sympathomimetic amine, widely used as an anorectic agent in the treatment of obesity. This drug causes psychostimulant effects because of its pharmacological profile similar to amphetamine, acting like a monoamine reuptake inhibitor. However, the mechanisms underlying the action of mazindol are still not clearly understood.

Impairment of electron transfer chain induced by acute carnosine administration in skeletal muscle of young rats.

Serum carnosinase deficiency is an inherited disorder that leads to an accumulation of carnosine in the brain tissue, cerebrospinal fluid, skeletal muscle, and other tissues of affected patients. Considering that high levels of carnosine are associated with neurological dysfunction and that the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in serum carnosinase deficiency remain poorly understood, we investigated the in vivo effects of carnosine on bioenergetics parameters, namely, respiratory chain complexes (I-III, II, and II-III), malate dehydrogenase, succinate dehydrogenase, and creatine kinase activities and the expression of mitochondrial-specific transcription factors (NRF-1, PGC-1α , and TFAM) in skeletal muscle of young Wistar rats. We observed a significant decrease of complexes I-III and II activities in animals receiving carnosine acutely, as compared to control group.

In vitro effects of silver nanoparticles on the mitochondrial respiratory chain.

Silver has been used for years in medicine; it has known antimicrobial properties. Additionally, silver has been used in water and air filtration to eliminate microorganisms, and, more recently, as a biocide to prevent infections in burns. In contact with the human body, nanoparticles can elicit a spectrum of tissue responses such as the generation of reactive oxygen species, decreased function of mitochondria and even cell death.