Publications by authors named "Milagros Lerma"

Exosomes/microvesicles originate from multivesicular bodies that allow the secretion of endolysosome components out of the cell. In the present work, we investigated the effects of rottlerin, a polyphenol, on exosome/microvesicle secretion in a model of intracellular lipid trafficking impairment, and elucidated the mechanism of action. In a model of lipid trafficking impairment in C6 glia cells, rottlerin increased ceramide levels, while decreasing hexosylceramide content.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Atypical or second-generation antipsychotics are used in the treatment of psychosis and behavioral problems in older persons with dementia. However, these pharmaceutical drugs are associated with an increased risk of stroke in such patients. In this study, we evaluated the effects of risperidone treatment on phospholipid and sphingolipid composition and lipid raft function in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of older patients (mean age >88 years).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Curcumin, a hydrophobic polyphenol found in the rhizome of Curcuma longa, has been shown to reduce intracellular lipid accumulation in mouse models of lysosomal storage diseases such as Niemann-Pick type C. Exosomes are small extracellular vesicles secreted by cells in response to changes in intracellular ceramide composition. Curcumin can induce exosome/microvesicle release in cellular models of lipid deposition; however, the mechanism by which curcumin stimulates this release is unknown.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the most common model for multiple sclerosis, is characterized by inflammatory cell infiltration into the central nervous system and demyelination. Previous studies have demonstrated that administration of some polyphenols may reduce the neurological alterations of EAE. In this work, we show that ellagic acid, a polyphenolic compound, is beneficial in EAE, most likely through stimulation of ceramide biosynthesis within the brain.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

First- and second-generation antipsychotics (FGAs and SGAs, respectively), have the ability to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and also to interrupt the intracellular cholesterol trafficking, interfering with low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol egress from late endosomes/lysosomes. In the present work, we examined the effects of FGA haloperidol on the functionality of late endosomes/lysosomes in vitro. In HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells incubated in the presence of 1,1'-dioctadecyl-3,3,3,3'-tetramethylindocarbocyanineperchlorate (DiI)-LDL, treatment with haloperidol caused the enlargement of organelles positive for late endosome markers lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP-2) and LBPA (lysobisphosphatidic acid), which also showed increased content of both free-cholesterol and DiI derived from LDL.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: First- and second-generation antipsychotics (FGAs and SGAs, respectively), both inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis and impair the intracellular cholesterol trafficking, leading to lipid accumulation in the late endosome/lysosome compartment. In this study we examined if curcumin, a plant polyphenol that stimulates exosome release, can alleviate antipsychotic-induced intracellular lipid accumulation.

Methods: HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells were treated with antipsychotics or placebo and DiI-labelled LDL for 18 h and then exposed to curcumin for the last 2 h.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Scope: Exosomes/microvesicles are originated from multivesicular bodies that allow the secretion of endolysosome components out of the cell. In the present work, we investigated the effects of curcumin, a polyphenol, on exosomes/microvesicles secretion in different cells lines, using U18666A as a model of intracellular cholesterol trafficking impairment.

Methods And Results: In both HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells and THP-1 differentiated macrophages, treatment with curcumin affected the size and the localization of endosome/lysosomes accumulated by U18666A, and reduced the cholesterol cell content.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Haloperidol, a typical antipsychotic, has been shown to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis by affecting Δ(7)-reductase, Δ(8,7)-isomerase, and Δ(14)-reductase activities, which results in the accumulation of different sterol intermediates. In the present work, we investigated the effects of atypical or second-generation antipsychotics (SGA), such as clozapine, risperidone, and ziprasidone, on intracellular lipid metabolism in different cell lines. All the SGAs tested inhibited cholesterol biosynthesis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF