Background: Environmental exposures to non-biodegradable and biodegradable plastics are unavoidable. Microplastics (MPs) and nanoplastics (NPs) from the manufacturing of plastics (primary sources) and the degradation of plastic waste (secondary sources) can enter the food chain directly or indirectly and, passing biological barriers, could target both the brain and the gonads. Hence, the worldwide diffusion of environmental plastic contamination (PLASTAMINATION) in daily life may represent a possible and potentially serious risk to human health.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
February 2023
Introduction: Few studies have focused on the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health. The objective of our work was to evaluate the changes in emotional and behavioral symptoms in patients with neuropsychiatric disorders and the impact on parenting stress 1 year after the first national lockdown.
Methods: We enrolled 369 patients aged 1.
Cent Nerv Syst Agents Med Chem
December 2022
Glyphosate is widely used worldwide as a potent herbicide. Due to its ubiquitous use, it is detectable in air, water and foodstuffs and can accumulate in human biological fluids and tissues representing a severe human health risk. In plants, glyphosate acts as an inhibitor of the shikimate pathway, which is absent in vertebrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBisphenol A (BPA) is largely used as a monomer in some types of plastics. It accumulates in tissues and fluids and is able to bypass the placental barrier, affecting various organs and systems. Due to huge developmental processes, children, foetuses, and neonates could be more sensitive to BPA-induced toxicity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSelenoprotein N (SEPN1) is a broadly expressed resident protein of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) whose loss-of-function inexplicably leads to human muscle disease. We found that SEPN1 levels parallel those of endoplamic reticulum oxidoreductin 1 (ERO1), an ER protein thiol oxidase, and that SEPN1's redox activity defends the ER from ERO1-generated peroxides. Moreover, we have defined the redox-regulated interactome of SEPN1 and identified the ER calcium import SERCA2 pump as a redox-partner of SEPN1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a disease of variable severity in terms of speed of progression of the disease course. We found a similar variability in disease onset and progression of 2 familial ALS mouse strains, despite the fact that they carry the same transgene copy number and express the same amount of mutant SOD1G93A messenger RNA and protein in the central nervous system. Comparative analysis of 2 SOD1G93A mouse strains highlights differences associated with the disease severity that are unrelated to the degree of motor neuron loss but that appear to promote early dysfunction of these cells linked to protein aggregation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis is heterogeneous with high variability in the speed of progression even in cases with a defined genetic cause such as superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) mutations. We reported that SOD1(G93A) mice on distinct genetic backgrounds (C57 and 129Sv) show consistent phenotypic differences in speed of disease progression and life-span that are not explained by differences in human SOD1 transgene copy number or the burden of mutant SOD1 protein within the nervous system. We aimed to compare the gene expression profiles of motor neurons from these two SOD1(G93A) mouse strains to discover the molecular mechanisms contributing to the distinct phenotypes and to identify factors underlying fast and slow disease progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress and mitochondrial impairment are the main pathogenic mechanisms of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a severe neurodegenerative disease still lacking of effective therapy. Recently, the coenzyme-Q (CoQ) complex, a key component of mitochondrial function and redox-state modulator, has raised interest for ALS treatment. However, while the oxidized form ubiquinone10 was ineffective in ALS patients and modestly effective in mouse models of ALS, no evidence was reported on the effect of the reduced form ubiquinol10, which has better bioavailability and antioxidant properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive fatal neurodegenerative disease characterised by loss of motor neurons that currently has no cure. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), have many health benefits including neuroprotective and myoprotective potential. We tested the hypothesis that a high level of dietary EPA could exert beneficial effects in ALS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) is the major intracellular proteolytic mechanism controlling the degradation of misfolded/abnormal proteins. A common hallmark in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in other neurodegenerative disorders is the accumulation of misfolded/abnormal proteins into the damaged neurons, leading to the formation of cellular inclusions that are mostly ubiquitin-positive. Although proteolysis is a complex mechanism requiring the participation of different pathways, the abundant accumulation of ubiquitinated proteins strongly suggests an important contribution of UPS to these neuropathological features.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are characterized by the presence of misfolded proteins, thought to trigger neurotoxicity. Some familial forms of ALS (fALS), clinically indistinguishable from sporadic ALS (sALS), are linked to superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutations. It has been shown that the mutant SOD1 misfolds, forms insoluble aggregates and impairs the proteasome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive and fatal motor neuron disease, and protein aggregation has been proposed as a possible pathogenetic mechanism. However, the aggregate protein constituents are poorly characterized so knowledge on the role of aggregation in pathogenesis is limited.
Methodology/principal Findings: We carried out a proteomic analysis of the protein composition of the insoluble fraction, as a model of protein aggregates, from familial ALS (fALS) mouse model at different disease stages.
In familial and sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and in rodent models of the disease, alterations in the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) may be responsible for the accumulation of potentially harmful ubiquitinated proteins, leading to motor neuron death. In the spinal cord of transgenic mice expressing the familial ALS superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) gene mutation G93A (SOD1G93A), we found a decrease in constitutive proteasome subunits during disease progression, as assessed by real-time PCR and immunohistochemistry. In parallel, an increased immunoproteasome expression was observed, which correlated with a local inflammatory response due to glial activation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF