Disrupted lipid homeostasis and neuroinflammation often co-exist in neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the intrinsic connection and causal relationship between these deficits remain elusive. Our previous studies show that the loss of sulfatide (ST), a class of myelin-enriched lipids, causes AD-like neuroinflammatory responses, cognitive impairment, bladder enlargement, as well as lipid dyshomeostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInnate immune activation plays a vital role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related dementias (ADRD). Among which, the DNA sensing cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)- STING pathway has been implicated in diverse aspects of AD progression. In the current study, we showed that the cGAS-STING signaling was up-regulated in AD and this elevation was mainly contributed by the microglial population other than non-microglial cell types in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress and inflammation are the key players in the toxic manifestation of sporadic Parkinson's disease and zinc (Zn)-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration. A synthetic superoxide dismutase (SOD) mimetic, tempol, and a naturally occurring antioxidant, silymarin protect against oxidative stress-mediated damage. The study intended to explore the effects of tempol and silymarin against Zn-induced dopaminergic neurodegeneration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMitochondrial dysfunction and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH oxidase) are the major sources of augmentation in free radical generation leading to neurodegeneration. Although NADPH oxidase involvement is reported in zinc (Zn)-induced neurodegeneration, contribution of the mitochondrial dysfunction and its association with NADPH oxidase are not known. Therefore, the study was aimed to decipher the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and its link with NADPH oxidase in Zn-induced Parkinsonism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEpidemiological evidences have shown an association of exposure to pesticides or heavy metals with increased incidences of Parkinson's disease (PD) in humans. Exposure to pesticides or metals during the decisive period of the brain development increases the susceptibility of dopaminergic neurons upon re-exposure in adult rodents. However, the effect of early life exposure to pesticide on the heavy metal-induced neurodegeneration or heavy metal on pesticide-induced neurodegeneration is not yet explored.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOxidative stress is recognized as one of the major wrongdoers in Parkinson's disease (PD) while glutathione S-transferase (GST), an endogenous antioxidant, protects from oxidative stress-induced neurodegeneration. Despite GST-pi (GST-π) encounters the toxic manifestations in PD, its role in zinc (Zn)-induced nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration remains elusive. The study aimed to explore the role of GST-π in Zn-induced Parkinsonism and its underlying molecular mechanism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlpha-synuclein (α-synuclein) aggregation and impairment of the Ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) are implicated in Parkinson's disease (PD) pathogenesis. While zinc (Zn) induces dopaminergic neurodegeneration resulting in PD phenotype, its effect on protein aggregation and UPS has not yet been deciphered. The current study investigated the role of α-synuclein aggregation and UPS in Zn-induced Parkinsonism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInflammation is decisive in zinc (Zn)-induced nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration; however, the contribution of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is not yet known. The present study aimed to explore the role of COX-2 in Zn-induced Parkinsonism and its association with the microglial activation. Male Wistar rats were treated intraperitoneally (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClinical evidences showing zinc (Zn) accumulation in the post-mortem brain of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients and experimental studies on rodents chronically exposed to Zn suggested its role in PD. While oxidative stress is implicated in Zn-induced neurodegeneration, roles of inflammation and apoptosis in degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons have yet been elusive. The present study investigated the contribution of the nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1β (IL-1β), and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2) family proteins in Zn-induced Parkinsonism.
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