Lycorine, a natural alkaloid, promotes the degradation of alpha-synuclein via PKA-mediated UPS activation in transgenic Parkinson's disease models.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative motor disorders, and is characterized by the presence of Lewy bodies containing misfolded α-synuclein (α-syn) and by selective degeneration of midbrain dopamine neurons. Studies have shown that upregulation of ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) activity promotes the clearance of aggregation-prone proteins such as α-syn and Tau, so as to alleviate the neuropathology of neurodegenerative diseases.

Purpose: To identify and investigate lycorine as a UPS enhancer able to decrease α-syn in transgenic PD models.

Elevated GTP Cyclohydrolase I Pathway in Endothelial Progenitor Cells of Overweight Premenopausal Women.

/. Sexual differences exist in endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), and various cardiovascular risk factors are associated with the preservation of endothelial function in premenopausal women. However, it is unclear whether differences in endothelial function and circulating EPCs exist between overweight premenopausal women and age-matched men.

Pharmacological enhancement of TFEB-mediated autophagy alleviated neuronal death in oxidative stress-induced Parkinson's disease models.

Autophagy, a conserved cellular degradation and recycling process, can be enhanced by nutrient depletion, oxidative stress or other harmful conditions to maintain cell survival. 6-Hydroxydopamine/ascorbic acid (6-OHDA/AA) is commonly used to induce experimental Parkinson's disease (PD) lesions by causing oxidative damage to dopaminergic neurons. Activation of autophagy has been observed in the 6-OHDA-induced PD models.

Neuroprotective effects of berberine in animal models of Alzheimer's disease: a systematic review of pre-clinical studies.

Background: Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid extracted from various Berberis species which is widely used in East Asia for a wide range of symptoms. Recently, neuroprotective effects of berberine in Alzheimer's disease (AD) animal models are being extensively reported. So far, no clinical trial has been carried out on the neuroprotective effects of berberine.

Natural alkaloid harmine promotes degradation of alpha-synuclein via PKA-mediated ubiquitin-proteasome system activation.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is an age-dependent progressive movement disorder characterized by a profound and selective loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Accumulation of -synuclein (-syn) positive protein aggregates in the substantia nigra is a pathological hallmark of PD, indicating that protein turnover defect is implicated in PD pathogenesis.

Purpose: This study aims to identify neuroprotective compounds which can alleviate the accumulation of -syn in neuronal cells and dissect the underlying mechanisms.

Canthin-6-One Accelerates Alpha-Synuclein Degradation by Enhancing UPS Activity: Drug Target Identification by CRISPR-Cas9 Whole Genome-Wide Screening Technology.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the accumulation of protein aggregates (namely Lewy bodies) in dopaminergic neurons in the region of the brain. Alpha-synuclein (α-syn) is the major component of Lewy bodies in PD patients, and impairment of the ubiquitin-proteasome system has been linked to its accumulation. In this work, we developed a tetracycline-inducible expression system, with simultaneous induced expression of α-syn-EGFP and a bright red fluorescent protein marker (mCherry) to screen for potential compounds for degrading α-syn.

Trace determination of carbamate pesticides in medicinal plants by a fluorescent technique.

The safety issue of using carbamate pesticides in medicinal plants (MPs) has been a global concern and hence attracted attention of many researchers to develop analytical tools for trace pesticides detection. Derived from the fluorescence-based techniques, a rapid, convenient and efficient method for the detection of three carbamate pesticides, including carbofuran, aldicarb and methomyl has been developed by using core-shell QDs. By optimizing experimental parameters, the system demonstrated high detection sensitivities for the investigated carbamates, with the lowest detectable concentrations less than 0.

Online comprehensive two-dimensional hydrophilic interaction chromatography×reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled with hybrid linear ion trap Orbitrap mass spectrometry for the analysis of phenolic acids in Salvia miltiorrhiza.

In the present study, a system was developed for the analysis of phenolic acids in Salvia miltiorrhiza using online comprehensive two-dimensional hydrophilic interaction chromatography and reversed-phase liquid chromatography coupled to a DAD detector and hybrid linear ion trap-Orbitrap mass spectrometry (HILIC×RP-DAD-ESI/HRMS/MS). The system was configured based on the combination of an XBridge Amide column (150mm×4.6mm, 3.

Reactivated astrocytes as a possible source of oligodendrocyte precursors for remyelination in remitting phase of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis rats.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is ademyelinating disease in the central nervous system (CNS). Majority of the MS patients show relapsing-remitting disease course. Evidences show that oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), which remain relatively quiescent in normal adult CNS, play a key role in the remitting phase by proliferation and remyelination.

Application of two-dimensional chromatography in the analysis of Chinese herbal medicines.

For the purpose of better understanding the complex Chinese herbal medicines (CHMs) and controlling their quality, powerful analytical techniques are essential. Although conventional one-dimensional (1D) chromatographic approaches have been widely used for the analysis of multiple components in CHMs, the complexity of CHM samples often exceeds the maximal capacity of any single separation mode. Therefore, in past decades, many researchers have attempted to explore the coupling of independent separation techniques to improve the resolving power for complex CHM samples.

Xyloketal B exhibits its antioxidant activity through induction of HO-1 in vascular endothelial cells and zebrafish.

We previously reported that a novel marine compound, xyloketal B, has strong antioxidative actions in different models of cardiovascular diseases. Induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), an important endogenous antioxidant enzyme, has been considered as a potential therapeutic strategy for cardiovascular diseases. We here investigated whether xyloketal B exhibits its antioxidant activity through induction of HO-1.

Elevated blood pressure aggravates intracerebral hemorrhage-induced brain injury.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) is commonly seen in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and is independently associated with poor functional outcomes. Little is known about how elevated BP influences ICH-related brain injury. In the present study, we investigated the physiological and brain histological changes, as well as functional recovery following ICH in renovascular hypertensive rats.

Early detection of neurodegeneration in brain ischemia by manganese-enhanced MRI.

This study aims to employ in vivo manganese-enhanced MRI (MEMRI) to detect neurodegenerative changes in two models of brain ischemia, photothrombotic cortical injury (PCI) and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rodents. After systemic Mn(2+) injection to both ischemic models, a close pattern of T1-weighted hyperintensity was observed throughout different brain regions in comparison to the distribution of GFAP, MnSOD and GS immunoreactivities, whereby conventional MRI could hardly detect such. In addition, the infarct volumes in the posterior parts of the brain had significantly reduced after Mn(2+) injection to the MCAO model.