QbD-steered development of mixed nanomicelles of galantamine: Demonstration of enhanced brain uptake, prolonged systemic retention and improved biopharmaceutical attributes.

Purpose: Numerous oral treatment options have been reported for neurological disorders, especially Alzheimer's disease (AD). Galantamine (GAL) is one of such drugs duly approved for management of AD. However, it exhibits poor brain penetration, low intestinal permeation and requires frequent dosing in AD treatment.

Neuroprotective potential of azilsartan against cerebral ischemic injury: Possible involvement of mitochondrial mechanisms.

Aims: Mitochondrial dysfunction is a major player in initiating the cellular cascades which lead to neuronal damage post cerebral ischemia. Angiotensin II Type 1 (AT1) receptor blockers are one of the most commonly employed antihypertensive drugs due to their good safety and efficacy profiles. This study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective potential of a newer AT1 receptor blocker azilsartan against global cerebral ischemia induced brain injury in Wistar rats and the possible involvement of mitochondrial restorative mechanism in its effect.

Tramadol ameliorates behavioural, biochemical, mitochondrial and histological alterations in ICV-STZ-induced sporadic dementia of Alzheimer's type in rats.

Alzheimer disease represents a major public health issue with limited therapeutic interventions. We explored the possibility of therapeutic approach by repurposing of tramadol in a sporadic animal model of Alzheimer's type. Streptozocin (STZ 3 mg/kg; bilaterally) was injected to male SD rats through intracerebroventricular (ICV) route.

Potential drug targets and treatment of schizophrenia.

Schizophrenia is one of the most prevalent chronic psychiatric disorders that affect 1% of the world's population. Despite its societal burden, pathophysiology of schizophrenia remains poorly understood. Currently available drugs predominantly control positive symptoms, and often have no or poor control on negative and related cognitive symptoms, which strongly affect functional outcome in schizophrenia.

Role of Glutathione-S-transferases in neurological problems.

Role of Glutathione-S-transferases (GSTs) has been well explored in the cellular detoxification process, regulation of redox homeostasis and S-glutothionylation of target proteins like JNK, ASK1 etc. However, altered levels or functions of this enzyme or their subtypes have emerged in the development of several pathologies diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, cancer and related conditions. Oxidative stress is one of the possible pathological events that contributes significantly to activation of degenerating cascades inside neuronal cells.

Astroglia acquires a toxic neuroinflammatory role in response to the cerebrospinal fluid from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients.

Background: Non-cell autonomous toxicity is one of the potential mechanisms implicated in the etiopathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, the exact role of glial cells in ALS pathology is yet to be fully understood. In a cellular model recapitulating the pathology of sporadic ALS, we have studied the inflammatory response of astroglia following exposure to the cerebrospinal fluid from ALS patients (ALS-CSF).

Possible role of P-glycoprotein in the neuroprotective mechanism of berberine in intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-induced cognitive dysfunction.

Rationale: The therapeutic potential of berberine has been well documented in various neurological problems. However, the neurological mechanism of berberine remains untapped in the light of its P-glycoprotein (P-gp)-mediated gut efflux properties responsible for reduced bioavailability. Verapamil, a well known L-type calcium channel blocker, has additional inhibitory activity against P-gp efflux pump.

Therapeutic potential of mGluR5 targeting in Alzheimer's disease.

Decades of research dedicated toward Alzheimer's disease (AD) has culminated in much of the current understanding of the neurodegeneration associated with disease. However, delineating the pathophysiology and finding a possible cure for the disease is still wanting. This is in part due to the lack of knowledge pertaining to the connecting link between neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory pathways.

Current knowledge and pharmacological profile of berberine: An update.

Berberine, a benzylisoquinoline alkaloid, occurs as an active constituent in numerous medicinal plants and has an array of pharmacological properties. It has been used in Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for its antimicrobial, antiprotozoal, antidiarrheal and antitrachoma activity. Moreover, several clinical and preclinical studies demonstrate ameliorative effect of berberine against several disorders including metabolic, neurological and cardiological problems.

Neurobehavioral toxicity in progeny of rat mothers exposed to methylmercury during gestation.

Introduction: Methylmercury (MeHg) is recognized as one of the most hazardous environmental pollutants. This may be a concern to long-term consumption of contaminated fish and seafood for health risk to pregnant women and their children.

Aim: An animal study was conducted to assess the effect of MeHg exposure on rodent offspring following in utero exposure.

Influence of gestational exposure on the effects of prenatal exposure to methyl mercury on postnatal development in rats.

Fish and other aquatic organisms are important source of dietary proteins for the human population. Fish meat, however, is contaminated with methyl mercury (MeHg), a potent neurotoxin. The well known Minamata and Niigata epidemic outcomes in Japan have raised the awareness of the health risk resulting from consumption of fish (and shellfish) from water basins polluted with industrial wastes containing mercury.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-α activation attenuates 3-nitropropionic acid induced behavioral and biochemical alterations in rats: possible neuroprotective mechanisms.

Peroxisome proliferators activated receptor is regarded as potential therapeutic targets to control various neurodegenerative disorders. However, none of the study has elucidated its effect in the treatment of Huntington's disease. We explored whether peroxisome proliferators activated receptor-α agonist may attenuate various behavioral and biochemical alterations induced by systemic administration of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), an accepted experimental animal model of Huntington's disease phenotype.

Differential role of cyclooxygenase isozymes on neuronal density in hippocampus CA1 region of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin treated rat brain.

Intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of streptozotocin (STZ) causes degeneration of hippocampal neurons through unknown mechanisms that further lead to dementia. On assumption that enzyme cyclooxygenase (COX), which catalyzes the production of pro-inflammatory prostaglandins, may be involved in ICV-STZ induced neurodegeneration, the present study was designed to investigate the effects of chronic treatment with selective inhibitor of COX-1, COX-2 or COX-3 on hippocampal neuronal density in ICV-STZ treated rats. Drugs were administered daily for 21 days, intraperitoneally, in sham control as well as ICV-STZ treated rats.

Neuroprotective effect of cyclooxygenase inhibitors in ICV-STZ induced sporadic Alzheimer's disease in rats.

Sporadic Alzheimer's disease is an age-related neurological and psychiatric disorder characterized by impaired energy metabolism. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation have been implicated in pathophysiology of sporadic type of dementia. The central streptozotocin administration induces behavioral and biochemical alterations resembling those in sporadic type of Alzheimer's patients.