Methylglyoxal, the dark side of glycolysis.

Glucose is the main energy substrate for the brain. There is now extensive evidence indicating that the metabolic profile of neural cells with regard to glucose utilization and glycolysis rate is not homogenous, with a marked propensity for glycolytic glucose processing in astrocytes compared to neurons. Methylglyoxal, a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound, is inevitably formed as a by-product of glycolysis.

Lipopolysaccharide precipitates hepatic encephalopathy and increases blood-brain barrier permeability in mice with acute liver failure.

Background & Aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) is frequently complicated by infection leading to precipitation of central nervous system complications such as hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and increased mortality. There is evidence to suggest that when infection occurs in ALF patients, the resulting pro-inflammatory mechanisms may be amplified that could, in turn, have a major impact on blood-brain barrier (BBB) function. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of endotoxemia on the progression of encephalopathy in relation to BBB permeability during ALF.

Inflammatory cascades driven by tumor necrosis factor-alpha play a major role in the progression of acute liver failure and its neurological complications.

Background/aims: Acute liver failure (ALF) due to ischemic or toxic liver injury is a clinical condition that results from massive loss of hepatocytes and may lead to hepatic encephalopathy (HE), a serious neuropsychiatric complication. Although increased expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) in liver, plasma and brain has been observed, conflicting results exist concerning its roles in drug-induced liver injury and on the progression of HE. The present study aimed to investigate the therapeutic value of etanercept, a TNF-α neutralizing molecule, on the progression of liver injury and HE in mice with ALF resulting from azoxymethane (AOM) hepatotoxicity.

Role of the glyoxalase system in astrocyte-mediated neuroprotection.

The glyoxalase system is the most important pathway for the detoxification of methylglyoxal (MG), a highly reactive dicarbonyl compound mainly formed as a by-product of glycolysis. MG is a major precursor of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), which are associated with several neurodegenerative disorders. Although the neurotoxic effects of MG and AGEs are well characterized, little is known about the glyoxalase system in the brain, in particular with regards to its activity in different neural cell types.

Brain energy metabolism: focus on astrocyte-neuron metabolic cooperation.

The energy requirements of the brain are very high, and tight regulatory mechanisms operate to ensure adequate spatial and temporal delivery of energy substrates in register with neuronal activity. Astrocytes-a type of glial cell-have emerged as active players in brain energy delivery, production, utilization, and storage. Our understanding of neuroenergetics is rapidly evolving from a "neurocentric" view to a more integrated picture involving an intense cooperativity between astrocytes and neurons.

Astrocyte-neuron metabolic relationships: for better and for worse.

In recent years, previously unsuspected roles of astrocytes have been revealed, largely owing to the development of new tools enabling their selective study in situ. These exciting findings add to the large body of evidence demonstrating that astrocytes play a central role in brain homeostasis, in particular via the numerous cooperative metabolic processes they establish with neurons, such as the supply of energy metabolites and neurotransmitter recycling functions. Furthermore, impairments in astrocytic function are increasingly being recognized as an important contributor to neuronal dysfunction and, in particular, neurodegenerative processes.

Differential effects of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines alone or in combinations on the metabolic profile of astrocytes.

We have previously reported that the pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) induce profound modifications of the metabolic profile of astrocytes. The present study was undertaken to further characterize the effects of cytokines in astrocytes and to determine whether similar effects could also be observed in neurons. To do so, selected pro-inflammatory (IL-6 and interferon-γ, in addition to the above-mentioned TNFα and IL-1β) and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4, IL-10, transforming growth factor-β1 and interferon-β) were applied to primary neuronal and astrocytic cultures, and key metabolic parameters were assessed.

Amyloid-beta aggregates cause alterations of astrocytic metabolic phenotype: impact on neuronal viability.

Amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides play a key role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and exert various toxic effects on neurons; however, relatively little is known about their influence on glial cells. Astrocytes play a pivotal role in brain homeostasis, contributing to the regulation of local energy metabolism and oxidative stress defense, two aspects of importance for neuronal viability and function. In the present study, we explored the effects of Abeta peptides on glucose metabolism in cultured astrocytes.

The role of astroglia in neuroprotection.

Astrocytes are the main neural cell type responsible for the maintenance of brain homeostasis. They form highly organized anatomical domains that are interconnected into extensive networks. These features, along with the expression of a wide array of receptors, transporters, and ion channels, ideally position them to sense and dynamically modulate neuronal activity.

Association of reduced extracellular brain ammonia, lactate, and intracranial pressure in pigs with acute liver failure.

Unlabelled: We previously demonstrated in pigs with acute liver failure (ALF) that albumin dialysis using the molecular adsorbents recirculating system (MARS) attenuated a rise in intracranial pressure (ICP). This was independent of changes in arterial ammonia, cerebral blood flow and inflammation, allowing alternative hypotheses to be tested. The aims of the present study were to determine whether changes in cerebral extracellular ammonia, lactate, glutamine, glutamate, and energy metabolites were associated with the beneficial effects of MARS on ICP.

Mild hypothermia attenuates liver injury and improves survival in mice with acetaminophen toxicity.

Background & Aims: Body temperature may critically affect mechanisms of liver injury in acetaminophen (APAP) hepatotoxicity. In addition, mild hypothermia is used to treat intracranial hypertension in human liver failure without detailed information on its effects on the injured liver itself. Therefore, we investigated the effects of body temperature on the progression of APAP-induced liver injury in mice.

Hyperammonemia induces transport of taurine and creatine and suppresses claudin-12 gene expression in brain capillary endothelial cells in vitro.

Ammonia is a key neurotoxin involved in the neurological complications of acute liver failure. The present study was undertaken to study the effects of exposure to pathophysiologically relevant concentrations of ammonium chloride on cultured brain capillary endothelial cells in order to identify mechanisms by which ammonia may alter blood-brain barrier function. Conditionally immortalized mouse brain capillary endothelial cells (TM-BBB) were used as an in vitro model of the blood-brain barrier.

Neurobiological characterization of an azoxymethane mouse model of acute liver failure.

Molecular biological approaches continue to lead to the identification of alterations in expression of genes coding for key central nervous system proteins involved in water homeostasis, energy metabolism and neurotransmitter regulation in acute liver failure (ALF). However, studies aimed at elucidating the pathophysiological consequences of these changes in gene expression are impeded by the lack of a suitable mouse model of ALF. A previous report described hepatic pathology characteristic of ALF resulting from the administration of azoxymethane (AOM) in mice [Matkowskyj, K.

Acute liver failure: a critical appraisal of available animal models.

The availability of adequate experimental models of acute liver failure (ALF) is of prime importance to provide a better understanding of this condition and allow the development and testing of new therapeutic approaches for patients with ALF. However, the numerous etiologies and complications of ALF contribute to the complexity of this condition and render the development of an ideal experimental model of ALF more difficult than expected. Instead, a number of different models that may be used for the study of specific aspects of ALF have been developed.