93 results match your criteria: "Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry[Affiliation]"

Corticospinal motor neurons (CSMN), located in the motor cortex of the brain, are one of the key components of the motor neuron circuitry. They are in part responsible for the initiation and modulation of voluntary movement, and their degeneration is the hallmark for numerous diseases, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), hereditary spastic paraplegia, and primary lateral sclerosis. Cortical hyperexcitation followed by in-excitability suggests the early involvement of cortical dysfunction in ALS pathology.

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This study aimed to investigate the effects of linden honey in maintaining the stability of peripheral serotonergic system in the psychosocially stressed rats. In this experiment we examined concentration of serotonin (5-HT) in Serbian linden honey, as well as concentrations of 5-HT and MAO A activity in the blood of chronically stressed rats treated with linden honey. The investigated parameters were quantified using HPLC method with electrochemical detector, HPLC method with a fluorescent detector, and assay of enzyme activities.

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analysis of the impact of toxic metals on COVID-19 complications: molecular insights.

Arh Hig Rada Toksikol

June 2024

University of Belgrade, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology "Akademik Danilo Soldatović", Belgrade, Serbia.

COVID-19 can cause a range of complications, including cardiovascular, renal, and/or respiratory insufficiencies, yet little is known of its potential effects in persons exposed to toxic metals. The aim of this study was to answer this question with toxicogenomic methods that can provide molecular insights into COVID-19 complications owed to exposure to arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury, nickel, and chromium. For this purpose we relied on the Comparative Toxicogenomic Database (CTD), GeneMANIA, and ToppGene Suite portal and identified a set of five common genes () for the six metals and COVID-19, all of which code for pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines.

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Palmitoylethanolamide (PEA) is an endocannabinoid-like bioactive lipid mediator belonging to the family of N-acylethanolamines, most abundantly found in peanuts and egg yolk. When the gastrointestinal (GI) effects of PEA are discussed, it must be pointed out that it affects intestinal motility but also modulates gut microbiota. This is due to anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, antimicrobial, and immunomodulatory features.

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The Role of Tenascin-C on the Structural Plasticity of Perineuronal Nets and Synaptic Expression in the Hippocampus of Male Mice.

Biomolecules

April 2024

Center for Laser Microscopy, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry "Jean Giaja", Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

Neuronal plasticity is a crucial mechanism for an adapting nervous system to change. It is shown to be regulated by perineuronal nets (PNNs), the condensed forms of the extracellular matrix (ECM) around neuronal bodies. By assessing the changes in the number, intensity, and structure of PNNs, the ultrastructure of the PNN mesh, and the expression of inhibitory and excitatory synaptic inputs on these neurons, we aimed to clarify the role of an ECM glycoprotein, tenascin-C (TnC), in the dorsal hippocampus.

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Extracellular Purine Metabolism-Potential Target in Multiple Sclerosis.

Mol Neurobiol

October 2024

Institute for Biological Research, Sinisa Stankovic" - National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bulevar despota Stefana 142, Belgrade, Republic of Serbia.

The purinergic signaling system comprises a complex network of extracellular purines and purine-metabolizing ectoenzymes, nucleotide and nucleoside receptors, ATP release channels, and nucleoside transporters. Because of its immunomodulatory function, this system is critically involved in the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS) and its best-characterized animal model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE). MS is a chronic neuroinflammatory demyelinating and neurodegenerative disease with autoimmune etiology and great heterogeneity, mostly affecting young adults and leading to permanent disability.

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Walnut supplementation increases levels of UCP1 and CD36 in brown adipose tissue independently of diet type.

Mol Cell Biochem

July 2024

Department for Comparative Physiology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry "Ivan Djaja", Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, 11000, Serbia.

Dietary interventions that modulate the brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenic activity could represent a promising therapy for metabolic disorders. In order to examine if dietary walnuts intake regulates the expression of BAT thermogenic markers levels in healthy and metabolically challenged (fructose fed) animals, rats were initially divided into the control and fructose-fed groups. After nine weeks, these groups were subdivided into the one kept on the original regimens and the other supplemented with walnuts.

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Dietary restriction alters insulin signaling pathway in the brain.

Biofactors

June 2024

Department for Neurobiology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic", National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

Insulin is known to be a key hormone in the regulation of peripheral glucose homeostasis, but beyond that, its effects on the brain are now undisputed. Impairments in insulin signaling in the brain, including changes in insulin levels, are thought to contribute significantly to declines in cognitive performance, especially during aging. As one of the most widely studied experimental interventions, dietary restriction (DR) is considered to delay the neurodegenerative processes associated with aging.

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Rat brown adipose tissue thermogenic markers are modulated by estrous cycle phases and short-term fasting.

Biofactors

February 2024

Department for Comparative Physiology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry, University of Belgrade-Faculty for Biology, Belgrade, Serbia.

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) converts chemical energy into heat to maintain body temperature. Although fatty acids (FAs) represent a primary substrate for uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1)-dependent thermogenesis, BAT also utilizes glucose for the same purpose. Considering that estrous cycle effects on BAT are not greatly explored, we examined those of 6-h fasting on interscapular BAT (iBAT) thermogenic markers in proestrus and diestrus.

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The Expression of Insulin in the Central Nervous System: What Have We Learned So Far?

Int J Mol Sci

April 2023

Department for Comparative Physiology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry Ivan Djaja, Faculty of Biology, University of Belgrade, Studentski Trg 16, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

After being discovered over a century ago, insulin was long considered to be a hormone exclusively produced by the pancreas. Insulin presence was later discovered in the brain, which was originally accounted for by its transport across the blood-brain barrier. Considering that both insulin mRNA and insulin were detected in the central nervous system (CNS), it is now known that this hormone is also synthesized in several brain regions, including the hypothalamus, hippocampus, cerebral and cerebellar cortex, and olfactory bulb.

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Editorial: Lysosomal peptidases in tumor immunity.

Front Immunol

April 2023

Division of Oral Biology and Medicine, The Jane and Jerry Weintraub Center for Reconstructive Biotechnology, University of California School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA, United States.

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Early life stress negatively impacts brain development and affects structure and function of parvalbumin immunopositive (PV+) inhibitory neurons. Main regulators of PV+ interneurons activity and plasticity are perineuronal nets (PNNs), an extracellular matrix formation that enwraps PV+ interneurons mainly in the neocortex and hippocampus. To experimentally address the impact of early life stress on the PNNs and PV+ interneurons in the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus in rats, we employed a 24 h maternal deprivation protocol.

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Hypothalamic insulin expression remains unaltered after short-term fasting in female rats.

Endocrine

December 2022

Department for Comparative Physiology and Ecophysiology, Institute for Physiology and Biochemistry Ivan Djaja, University of Belgrade-Faculty of Biology, Studentski trg 16, 11000, Belgrade, Serbia.

Purpose: Our previous study showed that 6-h fasting increased insulin expression in the hypothalamus of male rats. We, therefore, wanted to examine if this phenomenon occurs in female rats and whether it depended on the estrus cycle phase.

Methods: Female rats in proestrus or diestrus were either exposed to 6-h fasting or had ad libitum access to food.

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Reply to Yan et al.

Am J Clin Nutr

October 2022

The Department of Molecular Biosciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.

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Appetite regulation in the hypothalamus is dependent on hormonal signals from the periphery, such as insulin and leptin, and can be modulated by both sugar-rich diet and stress. Our aim was to explore the effects of 9-week feeding with 20% fructose solution combined with 4-week chronic unpredictable stress, on appetite-regulating neuropeptides and modulatory role of leptin and insulin signalling in the hypothalamus of male Wistar rats. Energy intake, body mass and adiposity, as well as circulatory leptin and insulin concentrations were assessed.

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This protocol demonstrates how to prepare primary cultures of glial cells, astrocytes, and microglia from the cortices of Sprague Dawley rats and how to use these cells for the purpose of studying the pathophysiology of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in the rat hSOD1 model. First, the protocol shows how to isolate and culture astrocytes and microglia from postnatal rat cortices, and then how to characterize and test these cultures for purity by immunocytochemistry using the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) marker of astrocytes and the ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1 (Iba1) microglial marker. In the next stage, methods are described for dye-loading (calcium-sensitive Fluo 4-AM) of cultured cells and the recordings of Ca changes in video imaging experiments on live cells.

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Our previous studies showed more severe experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in male compared with female adult rats, and moderating effect of propranolol-induced β-adrenoceptor blockade on EAE in females, the effect associated with transcriptional stimulation of Nrf2/HO-1 axis in spinal cord microglia. This study examined putative sexual dimorphism in propranolol action on EAE severity. Propranolol treatment beginning from the onset of clinical EAE mitigated EAE severity in rats of both sexes, but to a greater extent in males exhibiting higher noradrenaline levels and myeloid cell β-adrenoceptor expression in spinal cord.

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The Less We Eat, the Longer We Live: Can Caloric Restriction Help Us Become Centenarians?

Int J Mol Sci

June 2022

Department of Neurobiology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic"-National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bul.D. Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.

Striving for longevity is neither a recent human desire nor a novel scientific field. The first article on this topic was published in 1838, when the average human life expectancy was approximately 40 years. Although nowadays people on average live almost as twice as long, we still (and perhaps more than ever) look for new ways to extend our lifespan.

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Increased hepatic lipid content and decreased insulin sensitivity have critical roles in the development of cardiometabolic diseases. Therefore, our objective was to investigate the dose-response effects of consuming high fructose corn syrup (HFCS)-sweetened beverages for two weeks on hepatic lipid content and insulin sensitivity in young (18-40 years) adults (BMI 18-35 kg/m). In a parallel, double-blinded study, participants consumed three beverages/day providing 0% (aspartame: = 23), 10% ( = 18), 17.

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Antioxidant defense system in the prefrontal cortex of chronically stressed rats treated with lithium.

PeerJ

January 2023

Department of Molecular Biology and Endocrinology, "Vinča" Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the effects of lithium treatment on gene expression and activity of the prefrontal antioxidant enzymes: copper, zinc superoxide dismutase (SOD1), manganes superoxide dismutase (SOD2), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) in animals exposed to chronic restraint stress (CRS).

Methods: The investigated parameters were quantified using real-time RT-PCR, Western blot analyses, and assays of enzyme activities.

Results: We found that lithium treatment decreased gene expression of SOD2, as well as the activities of SOD1 and SOD2 in chronically stressed rats to the levels found in unstressed animals.

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Calorie restriction changes the anxiety-like behaviour of ageing male Wistar rats in an onset- and duration-dependent manner.

Mech Ageing Dev

June 2022

Department of Neurobiology, Institute for Biological Research "Sinisa Stankovic "- National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Bul.D. Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia. Electronic address:

Although initially recognized as a universally beneficial approach for the prevention of age-related impairments, the outcome of calorie restriction (CR) is now known to depend on several factors, most notably the age of the subject at the CR commencement, and CR duration. We aimed to examine if and how CR affects anxiety-like behaviour when it is introduced at middle age and late middle age. In addition, as the dopaminergic system is one of the main neurotransmitter systems involved in controlling anxiety, we examined the expression of dopamine receptors (DR, DR) in the cortex, striatum, and mesencephalon of male Wistar rats of varying ages.

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Physiological synaptic activity and recognition memory require astroglial glutamine.

Nat Commun

February 2022

Neuroglial Interactions in Cerebral Physiology and Pathologies, Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Biology (CIRB), Collège de France, CNRS, INSERM, Labex Memolife, Université PSL, Paris, France.

Presynaptic glutamate replenishment is fundamental to brain function. In high activity regimes, such as epileptic episodes, this process is thought to rely on the glutamate-glutamine cycle between neurons and astrocytes. However the presence of an astroglial glutamine supply, as well as its functional relevance in vivo in the healthy brain remain controversial, partly due to a lack of tools that can directly examine glutamine transfer.

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Microglia are resident macrophages in the central nervous system that are involved in immune responses driven by Toll-like receptors (TLRs). Microglia-mediated inflammation can lead to central nervous system disorders, and more than one TLR might be involved in these pathological processes. The cysteine peptidase cathepsin X has been recognized as a pathogenic factor for inflammation-induced neurodegeneration.

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Late-Onset Calorie Restriction Worsens Cognitive Performances and Increases Frailty Level in Female Wistar Rats.

J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci

May 2022

Department for Neurobiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", National Institute of Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia.

The current study aims to determine the potential benefits of calorie restriction (CR), one of the most promising paradigms for life span and healthspan extension, on cognitive performances in female Wistar rats during aging. As a measure of a healthspan, we evaluated the effects of different onset and duration of CR on frailty level. Female Wistar rats were exposed to either ad libitum (AL) or CR (60% of AL daily intake) food intake during aging.

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