Extracellular vesicles from the microalga Tetraselmis chuii are biocompatible and exhibit unique bone tropism along with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed bio-nanoparticles secreted by cells and naturally evolved to transport various bioactive molecules between cells and even organisms. These cellular objects are considered one of the most promising bio-nanovehicles for the delivery of native and exogenous molecular cargo. However, many challenges with state-of-the-art EV-based candidates as drug carriers still exist, including issues with scalability, batch-to-batch reproducibility, and cost-sustainability of the final therapeutic formulation.

(AFA) Extract Prevents Neurodegeneration in the HFD Mouse Model by Modulating Astrocytes and Microglia Activation.

Obesity and related metabolic dysfunctions are associated with neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease. (AFA) is a cyanobacterium considered a suitable supplement for its nutritional profile and beneficial properties. The potential neuroprotective effect of an AFA extract, commercialized as KlamExtra, including the two AFA extracts Klamin and AphaMax, in High-Fat Diet (HFD)-fed mice was explored.

Inflammation and the Potential Implication of Macrophage-Microglia Polarization in Human ASD: An Overview.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous collection of neurodevelopmental disorders, difficult to diagnose and currently lacking treatment options. The possibility of finding reliable biomarkers useful for early identification would offer the opportunity to intervene with treatment strategies to improve the life quality of ASD patients. To date, there are many recognized risk factors for the development of ASD, both genetic and non-genetic.

Gene Expression Analysis of the Stress Response to Lithium, Nickel, and Zinc in Embryos.

Many anthropogenic pollutants such as metals are discharged into the marine environment through modern sources. Among these, lithium (Li), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) can interfere with biological processes in many organisms when their concentration rises. These metals are toxic to sea urchin embryos, affecting their development.

Neurotoxicity in Marine Invertebrates: An Update.

Invertebrates represent about 95% of existing species, and most of them belong to aquatic ecosystems. Marine invertebrates are found at intermediate levels of the food chain and, therefore, they play a central role in the biodiversity of ecosystems. Furthermore, these organisms have a short life cycle, easy laboratory manipulation, and high sensitivity to marine pollution and, therefore, they are considered to be optimal bioindicators for assessing detrimental chemical agents that are related to the marine environment and with potential toxicity to human health, including neurotoxicity.

The estrogenic retina: The potential contribution to healthy aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases of the retina.

These last two decades have seen an explosion of clinical and epidemiological research, and basic research devoted to envisage the influence of gender and hormonal fluctuations in the retina/ocular diseases. Particular attention has been paid to age-related disorders because of the overlap of endocrine and neuronal dysfunction with aging. Hormonal withdrawal has been considered among risk factors for diseases such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and age-related macular disease (AMD), as well as, for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or other neurodegenerative disorders.

Identifying protein partners of CLN8, an ER-resident protein involved in neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a genetically heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by cognitive and motor decline, epilepsy, visual loss and by lysosomal autofluorescent inclusions. Two distinct clinical phenotypes, the progressive epilepsy with mental retardation (EPMR) and a late-infantile variant of NCLs (CLN8-vLINCL) are associated with mutations in the CLN8 gene that encodes a transmembrane protein predominantly located to the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). To gain insight into the function of CLN8 protein, we employed the split-ubiquitin membrane-based yeast two-hybrid (MYTH) system, which detects protein-protein interactions in a membrane environment, using the full-length human CLN8 as bait and a human brain cDNA library as prey.

A retinal proteomics-based study identifies αA-crystallin as a sex steroid-regulated protein.

Sex steroids influence the structural and functional organization of ocular tissues, promote survival in several pathological conditions including retinal neurodegeneration and have a prominent role in age-related eye diseases as well as neurodegenerative diseases. However, their underlying mechanisms are still elusive. We explored proteomic profiling of rat retinas following intravitreal injection of the bioactive 17β-estradiol or androgen dihydrotestosterone.

Different early ER-stress responses in the CLN8(mnd) mouse model of neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis.

Neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs) are a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders characterized by epilepsy, progressive motor and cognitive decline, blindness, and by the accumulation of autofluorescent lipopigment. Late-infantile onset forms (LINCL) include those linked to mutations in CLN8 gene, encoding a transmembrane protein at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In the motor neuron degeneration (mnd) mouse model of the CLN8-LINCL (CLN8(mnd)), we carried out an analysis of ER stress-related molecules in CNS structures that exhibit a variable rate of disease progression (early retinal degeneration and delayed brain and motoneuron dysfunction).