[MAP kinase signal pathway in hyperglycemia-induced congenital neural tube defects].

Yi Chuan

Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an 710 033, China.

Published: September 2004

AI Article Synopsis

  • The study investigated how hyperglycemia causes congenital neural tube defects in rats, focusing on the molecular mechanisms and potential rescue treatments with supplements like arachidonic acid and vitamin E.
  • Six groups of rats were used: a normal control group and various groups of diabetic rats with and without congenital defects, some receiving different supplements.
  • Results indicated that the MAPK signaling pathway is crucial in these defects; diabetic rats showed decreased ERK1/2 and RAF-1 activity, while supplementation improved these signals and reduced JNK1/2 activity, suggesting a rescue effect.

Article Abstract

The aim of the present study was to determine molecular mechanism in hyperglycemia-induced congenital neural tube defects and the its potential pharmacologic rescuing agents. In order to explore these questions, six study groups of Sprague-Dawley rats were employed: Group 1 was normal control rats with normal diet; group 2 represented streptozotocin (STZ) -induced diabetic rats with congenital neural tube defects in offspring; group 3 included STZ-induced diabetic rats with normal offspring; groups 4,5 and 6 included rats exposed to the same STZ-induced diabetic condition, but receiving daily oral supplementation of 80 microg/mL of the sodium salt of arachidonic acid (AA), 400mg of vitamin E and a cocktail of a polyunsaturated fatty acid (safflower oil) plus an antioxidant ( vitamin E) respectively. Yolk sac cells were harvested at gestational day 12 from each rat group. Changes in MAPK signaling pathways were detected by western blot analysis using special antibodies directed against phosphorylated forms of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK), Jun N-terminal/stress-activated protein kinase (JNK/SAPK). Furthermore, activity of RAF-1, an upstream kinase in ERK1/2 signaling cascade, was evaluated by immunoprecipitation assay. The results showed that in yolk sac cells in embryopathic offspring from experimentally-induced diabetic rats, activities of ERK1/2 were dramatically decreased (group 2). Consisted with these observation, reduction in RAF-1 kinase activity could be discerned in these diabetic yolk sac cells. In contrast, activities of JNK1/2 were significantly increased in yolk sac cells of group 2. Under rescuing circumstance,activations of ERK1/2 and RAF-1 were increased, and JNK1/2 were decreased. MAP kinase signal pathway plays a very important role in hyperglycemia induced neural tube defects. The supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acid arachidonic acid, and antioxidant vitamin E rescued conceptuses from diabetic embryopathy by triggering a restoration of normal membrane signaling pathways.

Download full-text PDF

Source

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

neural tube
16
yolk sac
16
sac cells
16
congenital neural
12
tube defects
12
diabetic rats
12
kinase signal
8
signal pathway
8
hyperglycemia-induced congenital
8
rats normal
8

Similar Publications

Association between preconception and early pregnancy exposure to fine particulate matter and nervous system anomalies: a nested case-control study.

Eur J Epidemiol

January 2025

Department of Occupational Safety and Health, College of Public Health, China Medical University, No. 100, Section 1, Economic and Trade Road, Beitun District, Taichung, 406040, Taiwan, Republic of China.

Although several environmental factors may increase the risk of nervous system anomalies, the association between exposure to particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of ≤ 2.5 μm (PM) and nervous system anomalies is not completely understood. This study aimed to examine the association between expoure to PM and nervous system anomalies, including specific phenotypes during preconception and early pregnancy and determine the crucial time windows.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Tissue development relies on the coordinated differentiation of stem cells in dynamically changing environments. The formation of the vertebrate neural tube from stem cells in the caudal lateral epiblast (CLE) is a well characterized example. Despite an understanding of the signalling pathways involved, the gene regulatory mechanisms remain poorly defined.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

It is rare to find free floating fat droplets in the cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) spaces of the brain. When fat droplets are seen in the CSF spaces, the most common cause is the rupture of a dermoid cyst. Dermoid cysts are congenital inclusion cysts that form during the neural tube closure between the third and fifth weeks of embryogenesis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Giant encephalocele in newborns: prenatal diagnosis, management and outcome.

Childs Nerv Syst

January 2025

Department of Global Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main St W, Hamilton, ON, L8S 4L8, Canada.

Background: A giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation is a rare congenital anomaly from a cephalad neural tube defect. Early prenatal diagnosis and parental counseling are essential; as early surgical intervention can improve outcomes.

Methods: Between 2010 and 2023, twenty-seven newborns out of 43,815 delivered at our institution were diagnosed with encephaloceles, including seven cases of giant encephalocele associated with Chiari malformation type III.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Neural tube defects (NTDs) are malformations of the central nervous system that represent the second most common cause of congenital morbidity and mortality, following cardiovascular abnormalities. Maternal nutrition, particularly folic acid, a B vitamin, is crucial in the etiology of NTDs. FA plays a key role in DNA methylation, synthesis, and repair, acting as a cofactor in one-carbon transfer reactions essential for neural tube development.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!