UHT Cow's Milk Supplementation Affects Cell Niches and Functions of the Gut-Brain Axis in BALB/c Mice.

Background/objectives: Cow's milk is a bioactive cocktail with essential nutritional factors that is widely consumed during early childhood development. However, it has been associated with allergic responses and immune cell activation. Here, we investigate whether cow's milk consumption regulates gut-brain axis functions and affects patterns of behaviors in BALB/c mice, previously described by present low sociability, significant stereotypes, and restricted interest features.

Contribution of Müller Cells in the Diabetic Retinopathy Development: Focus on Oxidative Stress and Inflammation.

Diabetic retinopathy is a neurovascular complication of diabetes and the main cause of vision loss in adults. Glial cells have a key role in maintenance of central nervous system homeostasis. In the retina, the predominant element is the Müller cell, a specialized cell with radial morphology that spans all retinal layers and influences the function of the entire retinal circuitry.

Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress act in concert to promote neurodegeneration in the diabetic retina and optic nerve: galectin-3 participation.

Diabetes is a lifelong disease characterized by glucose metabolic imbalance, in which low insulin levels or impaired insulin signaling lead to hyperglycemic state. Within 20 years of diabetes progression, 95% of patients will have diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of visual defects in working-age people worldwide. Although diabetes is considered a microvascular disease, recent studies have shown that neurodegeneration precedes vascular changes within the diabetic visual system, albeit its mechanisms are still under investigation.

The Role of Astrocytes in the Development of the Cerebellum.

Astrocytes, initially described as merely support cells, are now known as a heterogeneous population of cells actively involved in a variety of biological functions such as: neuronal migration and differentiation; regulation of cerebral blood flow; metabolic control of extracellular potassium concentration; and modulation of synapse formation and elimination; among others. Cerebellar glial cells have been shown to play a significant role in proliferation, differentiation, migration, and synaptogenesis. However, less evidence is available about the role of neuron-astrocyte interactions during cerebellar development and their impact on diseases of the cerebellum.

Alterations in System x Expression in the Retina of Type 1 Diabetic Rats and the Role of Nrf2.

Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2), a transcription factor that controls expression of several proteins that are related to cellular antioxidant capacity, such as the subunit xCT of the system x, is dysregulated in diabetes. Recently, it was described that system x is decreased in the retina after 3 weeks of diabetes. So, in the present work, the temporal relationship between xCT and Nrf2 in the retina of diabetic animals was investigated.

Early changes in system [Formula: see text] and glutathione in the retina of diabetic rats.

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), the main cause of blindness among diabetic patients, affects both neuronal and vascular cells of the retina. Studies show that neuronal cell death begins after 4 weeks of diabetes and could be related with an increase in oxidative stress. System [Formula: see text] is a glutamate/cystine exchanger, formed by a catalytic subunit called xCT and a regulatory subunit 4F2hc, whose activity is crucial to the synthesis of glutathione, which is a key antioxidant molecule for cells.

IL-4 Induces Cholinergic Differentiation of Retinal Cells In Vitro.

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a pleiotropic cytokine that regulates several phenomena, among them survival and differentiation of neuronal and glial cells. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of IL-4 on the cholinergic differentiation of neonatal rat retinal cells in vitro, evaluating its effect on the levels of cholinergic markers (CHT1-high-affinity choline transporter; VAChT-vesicular acetylcholine transporter, ChAT-choline acetyltransferase, AChE-acetylcholinesterase), muscarinic receptors, and on the signaling pathways involved. Lister Hooded rat pups were used in postnatal days 0-2 (P0-P2).

The (Na(+)/K (+))-ATPase activity in the developing rat retina: the role of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I).

In this work, the (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase activity was evaluated during the early stages of the postnatal development of rat retina and showed an almost three-time increase from P0 to P14. Expression of the three catalytic subunit isoforms (α1, α2, and α3) of the (Na(+)/K(+))-ATPase was also evaluated by immunoblot in the same period, but no correlation to the catalytic activity increment was observed. On the other hand, immunolocalization of these three α-catalytic isoforms in the developing retina showed an age-related pattern.

Regulation of GABA content by glucose in the chick retina.

Some visual information is processed in the retina by γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) signaling. Once retinal degeneration and visual impairment caused by diabetic retinopathy (DR) are affecting an increasing number of people worldwide, and the disease is characterized by hyper- and hypoglycemic events, the authors aimed to investigate how retinal GABA cell content is affected by variations in glucose availability. Using the ex vivo chick retinas exposed to different glucose concentrations, we observed that amacrine cells from both inner nuclear layer (INL) and ganglion cell layer (GCL) as well as their processes in the inner plexiform layer (IPL) released GABA through GABA transporter-1 (GAT-1) after 30 min of glucose deprivation.