The Role of Cannabinoids in CNS Development: Focus on Proliferation and Cell Death.

The active principles of Cannabis sativa are potential treatments for several diseases, such as pain, seizures and anorexia. With the increase in the use of cannabis for medicinal purposes, a more careful assessment of the possible impacts on embryonic development becomes necessary. Surveys indicate that approximately 3.

Early Effects of Extracellular Vesicles Secreted by Adipose Tissue Mesenchymal Cells in Renal Ischemia Followed by Reperfusion: Mechanisms Rely on a Decrease in Mitochondrial Anion Superoxide Production.

Acute kidney injury (AKI) caused by ischemia followed by reperfusion (I/R) is characterized by intense anion superoxide (O) production and oxidative damage. We investigated whether extracellular vesicles secreted by adipose tissue mesenchymal cells (EVs) administered during reperfusion can suppress the exacerbated mitochondrial O formation after I/R. We used Wistar rats subjected to bilateral renal arterial clamping (30 min) followed by 24 h of reperfusion.

A ferric reductase of Trypanosoma cruzi (TcFR) is involved in iron metabolism in the parasite.

Trypanosoma cruzi is a parasitic protozoan that infects various species of domestic and wild animals, triatomine bugs and humans. It is the etiological agent of American trypanosomiasis, also known as Chagas Disease, which affects about 17 million people in Latin America and is emerging elsewhere in the world. Iron (Fe) is a crucial micronutrient for almost all cells, acting as a cofactor for several metabolic enzymes.

Regulation of the Serotonergic System by Kainate in the Avian Retina.

Serotonin (5-HT) has been recognized as a neurotransmitter in the vertebrate retina, restricted mainly to amacrine and bipolar cells. It is involved with synaptic processing and possibly as a mitogenic factor. We confirm that chick retina amacrine and bipolar cells are, respectively, heavily and faintly immunolabeled for 5-HT.

L-Tyr-Induced Phosphorylation of Tyrosine Hydroxylase at Ser40: An Alternative Route for Dopamine Synthesis and Modulation of Na+/K+-ATPase in Kidney Cells.

Background/aims: Dopamine (DA) is a natriuretic hormone that inhibits renal sodium reabsorption, being Angiotensin II (Ang II) its powerful counterpart. These two systems work together to maintain sodium homeostasis and consequently, the blood pressure (BP) within normal limits. We hypothesized that L-tyrosine (L-tyr) or L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa) could inhibit the Na+/K+-ATPase activity.

Beta-adrenergic receptor activation increases GABA uptake in adolescent mice frontal cortex: Modulation by cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN55,212-2.

GABA transporters regulate synaptic GABA levels and dysfunctions in this system might result in psychiatric disorders. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is the main circuit breaker in the nervous system and may alter noradrenaline (NA) communication, which in turn modulates the release of GABA. However, a close relationship between these systems has not been recognized.

Cannabinoid Receptor Type 1 Expression in the Developing Avian Retina: Morphological and Functional Correlation With the Dopaminergic System.

The avian retina has been used as a model to study signaling by different neuro- and gliotransmitters. It is unclear how dopaminergic and cannabinoid systems are related in the retina. Here we studied the expression of type 1 and 2 cannabinoid receptors (CB and CB), as well as monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the enzyme that degrades 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), during retina development.

Early double-negative thymocyte export in Trypanosoma cruzi infection is restricted by sphingosine receptors and associated with human chagas disease.

The protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is able to target the thymus and induce alterations of the thymic microenvironmental and lymphoid compartments. Acute infection results in severe atrophy of the organ and early release of immature thymocytes into the periphery. To date, the pathophysiological effects of thymic changes promoted by parasite-inducing premature release of thymocytes to the periphery has remained elusive.

α-Cyclodextrin enhances myoblast fusion and muscle differentiation by the release of IL-4.

Muscle fibers are formed during embryonic development by the fusion of mononucleated myoblasts. The spatial structure and molecular composition of the sarcolemma are crucial for the myoblast recognition and fusion steps. Cyclodextrins are a group of substances that have the ability to solubilize lipids through the formation of molecular inclusion complexes.

Membrane cholesterol depletion by methyl-beta-cyclodextrin enhances the expression of cardiac differentiation markers.

Cholesterol is a sterol lipid that plays pleiotropic roles in the plasma membrane; it is involved in maintaining membrane fluidity and permeability and the structure of lipid microdomains. Despite its importance, the consequences of membrane cholesterol depletion during cardiac differentiation have not been described. Therefore, we investigated the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with cholesterol depletion in cultures of chick cardiac cells.