Neural Regen Res
November 2022
Alzheimer's disease, the most common type of dementia among older adults, currently cannot be prevented or effectively treated. Only a very small percentage of Alzheimer's disease cases have an established genetic cause. The majority of Alzheimer's disease cases lack a clear causative event, but several modifiable factors have been associated with an increased risk of this disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCNS Neurol Disord Drug Targets
November 2021
Glial cells, including microglia and astrocytes, facilitate the survival and health of all cells within the Central Nervous System (CNS) by secreting a range of growth factors and contributing to tissue and synaptic remodeling. Microglia and astrocytes can also secrete cytotoxins in response to specific stimuli, such as exogenous Pathogen-Associated Molecular Patterns (PAMPs), or endogenous Damage-Associated Molecular Patterns (DAMPs). Excessive cytotoxic secretions can induce the death of neurons and contribute to the progression of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease (AD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj
November 2019
Background: Chronic activation of glial cells contributes to neurodegenerative diseases. Cytochrome c (CytC) is a soluble mitochondrial protein that can act as a damage-associated molecular pattern (DAMP) when released into the extracellular space from damaged cells. CytC causes immune activation of microglia in a toll-like receptor (TLR) 4-dependent manner.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMediators Inflamm
September 2019
Mitochondrial dysfunction has been established as a common feature of neurodegenerative disorders that contributes to disease pathology by causing impaired cellular energy production. Mitochondrial molecules released into the extracellular space following neuronal damage or death may also play a role in these diseases by acting as signaling molecules called damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). Mitochondrial DAMPs have been shown to initiate proinflammatory immune responses from nonneuronal glial cells, including microglia and astrocytes; thereby, they have the potential to contribute to the chronic neuroinflammation present in these disorders accelerating the degeneration of neurons.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochim Biophys Acta Gen Subj
September 2017
Background: Cytochrome c is well known to be released from mitochondria into the cytosol where it can initiate apoptosis. Recent studies indicate that cytochrome c is also released into the extracellular space by both healthy and damaged cells, where its function is not well understood. We hypothesized that extracellular cytochrome c could function as an intercellular signaling molecule of the brain, which is recognized by brain microglia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and Parkinson's Disease (PD) are among the most common causes of dementia, which increasingly contribute to morbidity and mortality worldwide. A common hallmark in the pathogenesis of these two diseases is neuroinflammation, which is initially triggered by the presence of pathological structures associated with these disorders. Chronic neuroinflammation is sustained by persistent and aberrant microglial activation in the brain, which results in damage and death of neighboring cells, including neurons and glial cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeuroinflammation contributes to the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Anti-inflammatory treatments could potentially be used to slow down the progression of these diseases. We studied the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of gold compounds which have been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.
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