Aims: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that currently lacks effective curative treatments. There is a need to find effective therapies, especially to reverse the progressive demyelination and neuronal damage. Oligodendrocytes form the myelin sheath around axons in the central nervous system (CNS) and oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) undergo mechanisms that enable spontaneously the partial repair of damaged lesions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe hydrolysis of plant glucosinolates by myrosinases (thioglucosidases) originates metabolites with chemopreventive properties. In this study, the ability to hydrolyze the glucosinolate sinigrin by cultures or protein extracts of WCFS1 was assayed. This strain possesses myrosinase-like activity as sinigrin was partly hydrolyzed by induced cultures but not by protein extracts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEndothelial adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a critical role in the regulation of vascular tone through stimulating nitric oxide (NO) release in endothelial cells. Since obesity leads to endothelial dysfunction and AMPK dysregulation, AMPK activation might be an important strategy to restore vascular function in cardiometabolic alterations. Here, we report the identification of a novel AMPK modulator, the indolic derivative IND6, which shows affinity for AMPKα1β1γ1, the primary AMPK isoform in human EA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAggregation of mutant huntingtin, because of an expanded polyglutamine track, underlies the cause of neurodegeneration in Huntington disease (HD). However, it remains unclear how some alterations at the cellular level lead to specific structural changes in HD brains. In this context, the neuroprotective effect of the activation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) appears to be a determinant factor in several neurodegenerative diseases, including HD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn previous studies, we have identified several families of 5-nitroindazole derivatives as promising antichagasic prototypes. Among them, 1-(2-aminoethyl)-2-benzyl-5-nitro-1,2-dihydro-3H-indazol-3-one, (hydrochloride) and 1-(2-acetoxyethyl)-2-benzyl-5-nitro-1,2-dihydro-3H-indazol-3-one (compounds 16 and 24, respectively) have recently shown outstanding activity in vitro over the drug-sensitive Trypanosoma cruzi CL strain (DTU TcVI). Here, we explored the activity of these derivatives against the moderately drug-resistant Y strain (DTU TcII), in vitro and in vivo.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF