Saffron and retinal neurodegenerative diseases: Relevance of chemical composition.

Saffron is an ancient spice largely used in traditional medicine. It has been found to be effective in treatment of retinal neurodegenerative diseases like age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt. In the present manuscript, it is shown that saffron's neuroprotective power is strongly related to the bioactivity of all its chemical components.

Time-dependent expression of ryanodine receptors in sea urchin eggs, zygotes and early embryos.

In this work, the presence of calcium-dependent calcium channels and their receptors (RyR) has been investigated in Paracentrotus lividus eggs and early embryos, from unfertilized egg to four-blastomere stages. Electrophysiological recordings of RyR single-channel current fluctuations showed that RyRs are functional during the first developmental events with a maximum at zygote stage, c. 40 min after fertilization, corresponding to the first cleavage.

Saffron reduces ATP-induced retinal cytotoxicity by targeting P2X7 receptors.

P2X7-type purinergic receptors are distributed throughout the nervous system where they contribute to physiological and pathological functions. In the retina, this receptor is found in both inner and outer cells including microglia modulating signaling and health of retinal cells. It is involved in retinal neurodegenerative disorders such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Interaction of the scorpion toxin discrepin with Kv4.3 channels and A-type K(+) channels in cerebellum granular cells.

Background: The peptide discrepin from the α-KTx15 subfamily of scorpion toxins preferentially affects transient A-type potassium currents, which regulate many aspects of neuronal function in the central nervous system. However, the specific Kv channel targeted by discrepin and the molecular mechanism of interaction are still unknown.

Methods: Different variant peptides of discrepin were chemically synthesized and their effects were studied using patch clamp technique on rat cerebellum granular cells (CGC) and HEK cells transiently expressing Kv4.

Solution structure of native and recombinant expressed toxin CssII from the venom of the scorpion Centruroides suffusus suffusus, and their effects on Nav1.5 sodium channels.

The three-dimensional structures of the long-chain mammalian scorpion β-toxin CssII from Centruroides suffusus suffusus and of its recombinant form, HisrCssII, were determined by NMR. The neurotoxin CssII (nCssII) is a 66 amino acid long peptide with four disulfide bridges; it is the most abundant and deadly toxin from the venom of this scorpion. Both native and recombinant CssII structures were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance using a total of 828 sequential distance constraints derived from the volume integration of the cross peaks observed in 2D NOESY spectra.