Neurodegenerative diseases, characterized by neuron loss, are a group of neurological disorders that adversely affect the lives of millions of people worldwide. Although several medicines have been approved for managing neurodegenerative diseases, new therapies allowing for a significant slowdown in the progression of neurodegenerative syndromes are constantly being sought. Magnesium (Mg), a crucial mineral necessary for the functioning of organisms, is important to normal central nervous system (CNS) activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZebrafish larvae have emerged as a valuable model for studying heart physiology and pathophysiology, as well as for drug discovery, in part thanks to its transparency, which simplifies microscopy. However, in fluorescence-based optical mapping, the beating of the heart results in motion artifacts. Two approaches have been employed to eliminate heart motion during calcium or voltage mapping in zebrafish larvae: the knockdown of cardiac troponin T2A and the use of myosin inhibitors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis Special Issue (SI), "Emerging Topics in Metal Complexes: Pharmacological Activity", includes reports updating our knowledge on metals with multidirectional biological properties and metal-containing compounds/complexes for their potential therapeutic applications, with a focus on strategies improving their pharmacological features [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
December 2023
is an edible flower deeply rooted in traditional Mexican culture. It holds a central role in the most popular and iconic Mexican celebration, "the Day of the Dead". Furthermore, it is currently receiving interest as a potential therapeutic agent, motivated mainly by its polyphenol content.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: Bradyarrhythmias result from inhibition of automaticity, prolonged repolarization, or slow conduction in the heart. The ERG channels mediate the repolarizing current I in the cardiac action potential, whereas T-type calcium channels (TTCC) are involved in the sinoatrial pacemaker and atrioventricular conduction in mammals. Zebrafish have become a valuable research model for human cardiac electrophysiology and disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlive (Olea europaea) is a native species from the Mediterranean region and widely cultivated for its edible fruit, known as olives. Olives are a rich source of monounsaturated fatty acids, vitamin E, and polyphenols, and have been shown to have various health benefits. They are commonly used for cooking and are also employed in cosmetics and the pharmaceutical industry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the present Special Issue on "Metals and Metal Complexes in Diseases with a Focus on COVID-19: Facts and Opinions", an attempt has been made to include reports updating our knowledge of elements considered to be potential candidates for therapeutic applications and certain metal-containing species, which are extensively being examined towards their potential biomedical use due to their specific physicochemical properties [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVanadium (V) is a trace mineral whose biological activity, role as a micronutrient, and pharmacotherapeutic applications remain unknown. Over the last years, interest in V has increased due to its potential use as an antidiabetic agent mediated by its ability to improve glycemic metabolism. However, some toxicological aspects limit its potential therapeutic application.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurodegenerative disorders, which are currently incurable diseases of the nervous system, are a constantly growing social concern. They are progressive and lead to gradual degeneration and/or death of nerve cells, resulting in cognitive deterioration or impaired motor functions. New therapies that would ensure better treatment results and contribute to a significant slowdown in the progression of neurodegenerative syndromes are constantly being sought.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrace elements are micronutrients that are required in very small quantities through diet but are crucial for the prevention of acute and chronic diseases. Despite the fact that initial studies demonstrated inverse associations between some of the most important essential trace elements (Zn, Cu, Se, and Mn) and cardiovascular disease, several recent studies have reported a direct association with cardiovascular risk factors due to the fact that these elements can act as both antioxidants and pro-oxidants, depending on several factors. This study aims to investigate the association between plasma and urine concentrations of trace elements and cardiovascular risk factors in a general population from the Mediterranean region, including 484 men and women aged 18−80 years and considering trace elements individually and as joint exposure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phospholamban mutation Arg 9 to Cys (R9C) has been found to cause a dilated cardiomyopathy in humans and in transgenic mice, with ventricular dilation and premature death. Emerging evidence suggests that phospholamban R9C is a loss-of-function mutation with dominant negative effect on SERCA2a activity. We imaged calcium and cardiac contraction simultaneously in 3 and 9 days-post-fertilization (dpf) zebrafish larvae expressing plnb in the heart to unveil the early pathological pathway that triggers the disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimer's is a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system considered the leading cause of dementia in the world. It is characterized by two etiopathological events related to oxidative stress: the aggregation of β-amyloid peptide and the formation of neurofibrillary tangles of hyperphosphorylated Tau protein in the brain. The incidence of this disease increases with age and has been associated with inadequate lifestyles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe association of obesity with changes in bone mass is not clear. Obese individuals tend to have an increased bone mineral density, but other studies have shown that obesity is a major risk factor for fractures. The mechanisms of bone response during a weight loss therapy as well as the possible osteoprotective effect of exercise should be analyzed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe introduce how to image calcium ion levels in the heart of zebrafish embryos and larvae up to 5 days post-fertilization with the photoprotein green fluorescent protein (GFP)-aequorin (GA) in the transgenic line Tg(myl7:GA). Incubation of the embryos with CTZ to obtain the functional photoprotein yields few emission counts, suggesting that, when the heart is beating, the rate of aequorin consumption is faster than that of the reconstitution with CTZ. In this chapter, we present an improved aequorin reconstitution protocol.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOur aim was to examine whether vanadium (IV) corrects alterations in zinc, copper and manganese homeostasis, observed in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic rats, and whether such changes are related to divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1) mRNA expression, and antioxidant and proinflammatory parameters. Four groups of Wistar rats were examined: control; hyperglycemic (H); hyperglycemic treated with 1 mg V/day (HV); and hyperglycemic treated with 3 mg V/day (HVH). Vanadium was supplied in drinking water as bis(maltolato)oxovanadium(IV) for five weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFmodels of cardiac function maintain the complex relationship of cardiomyocytes with other heart cells, as well as the paracrine and mechanoelectrical feedback mechanisms. We aimed at imaging calcium transients simultaneously with heart contraction in zebrafish larvae. To image calcium in beating hearts, we generated a zebrafish transgenic line expressing the FRET-based ratiometric biosensor Twitch-4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTraditionally, edible flowers have been used as foods and for therapeutic purposes, today they have gained importance due to their bioactive compounds such as flavonols, anthocyanins or other phenolic compounds, which give them potential for biomedical applications. This work evaluated a methanolic extract of Tulbaghia violacea. Eleven individual phenolic compounds were found and quantified by mass spectrometry in the extract.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMelatonin improves metabolic alterations associated with obesity and its diabetes (diabesity). We intend to determine whether this improvement is exerted by changing Zn and/or Cu tissue levels in liver, muscle, pancreas, and brain, and in internal (perirenal, perigonadal, and omentum) and subcutaneous lumbar white adipose tissues (IWAT and SWAT, respectively). Male Zücker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats and lean littermates (ZL) were orally supplemented either with melatonin (10 mg/kg body weight/day) or vehicle for 6 weeks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZebrafish embryos and larvae have emerged as an excellent model in cardiovascular research and are amenable to live imaging with genetically encoded biosensors to study cardiac cell behaviours, including calcium dynamics. To monitor calcium ion levels in three to five days post-fertilization larvae, we have used bioluminescence. We generated a transgenic line expressing GFP-aequorin in the heart, , and optimized a reconstitution protocol to boost aequorin luminescence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFood Chem
March 2022
Bioactive compounds from strawberries have been associated with multiple healthy benefits. The present study aimed to assess chemical characterization of a methanolic extract of the Romina strawberry variety in terms of antioxidant capacity, polyphenols profile and chemical elements content. Additionally, potential toxicity, the effect on amyloid-β production and oxidative stress of the extract was in vivo evaluated in the experimental model Caenorhabditis elegans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious investigations have used global graph theory measures in order to disentangle the complexity of the neural reorganizations occurring in cocaine use disorder (CUD). However, how these global topological alterations map into individual brain network areas remains unknown. In this study, we used resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data to investigate node-level topological dysfunctions in CUD.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiabetes is a disease with an inflammatory component that courses with an anemic state. Vanadium (V) is an antidiabetic agent that acts by stimulating insulin signaling. Hepcidin blocks the intestinal absorption of iron and the release of iron from its deposits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEdible flowers are being used as a new ingredient in modern gastronomy. Recently, these products have also gained interest as an important source of phenolic compounds with potential for biomedical applications. The present work studied a methanolic extract of Rosa x hybrida in which 35 individual phenolic compounds were identified.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSince deregulation of intracellular Ca can lead to intracellular trypsin activation, and stromal interaction molecule-1 (STIM1) protein is the main regulator of Ca homeostasis in pancreatic acinar cells, we explored the Ca signaling in 37 STIM1 variants found in three pancreatitis patient cohorts. Extensive functional analysis of one particular variant, p.E152K, identified in three patients, provided a plausible link between dysregulated Ca signaling within pancreatic acinar cells and chronic pancreatitis susceptibility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe application of metallic nanoparticles (materials with size at least in one dimension ranging from 1 to 100 nm) as a new therapeutic tool will improve the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. The mitochondria could be a therapeutic target to treat pathologies whose origin lies in mitochondrial dysfunctions or whose progression is dependent on mitochondrial function. We aimed to study the subcellular distribution of 2-4 nm iron nanoparticles and its effect on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), mitochondrial function, and autophagy in colorectal cell lines (HT-29).
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