In FUS[1-359]-tg mice O,S-dibenzoyl thiamine reduces muscle atrophy, decreases glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta, and normalizes the metabolome.

Mutations in the gene encoding the RNA/DNA-binding protein Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) have been detected in familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. FUS has been found to be a critical component of the oxidative damage repair complex that might explain its role in neurodegeneration. Here, we examined what impact antioxidant treatment with thiamine (vitamine B1), or its more bioavailable derivative O,S-dibenzoylthiamine (DBT), would have on the hallmarks of pathology in the FUS[1-359]-transgenic mouse model of ALS.

Dynamics of Dopamine and Other Monoamines Content in Rat Brain after Single Low-Dose Carbon Nuclei Irradiation.

Space radiation, presented primarily by high-charge and -energy particles (HZEs), has a substantial impact on the central nervous system (CNS) of astronauts. This impact, surprisingly, has not only negative but also positive effects on CNS functions. Despite the fact that the mechanisms of this effect have not yet been elucidated, several studies indicate a key role for monoaminergic networks underlying these effects.

Sex-Related Differences in Voluntary Alcohol Intake and mRNA Coding for Synucleins in the Brain of Adult Rats Prenatally Exposed to Alcohol.

Maternal alcohol consumption is one of the strong predictive factors of alcohol use and consequent abuse; however, investigations of sex differences in response to prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) are limited. Here we compared the effects of PAE throughout gestation on alcohol preference, state anxiety and mRNA expression of presynaptic proteins α-, β- and γ-synucleins in the brain of adult (PND60) male and female Wistar rats. Total RNA was isolated from the hippocampus, midbrain and hypothalamus and mRNA levels were assessed with quantitative RT-PCR.

In Vivo Targeted Metabolomic Profiling of Prostanit, a Novel Anti-PAD NO-Donating Alprostadil-Based Drug.

Prostanit is a novel drug developed for the treatment of peripheral arterial diseases. It consists of a prostaglandin E (PGE) moiety with two nitric oxide (NO) donor fragments, which provide a combined vasodilation effect on smooth muscles and vascular spastic reaction. Prostanit pharmacokinetics, however, remains poorly investigated.

Crown- and phosphoryl-containing metal phthalocyanines in solutions of poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone): Supramolecular organization, accumulation in cells, photo-induced generation of reactive oxygen species, and cytotoxicity.

Nowadays, the study of well-known sensitizers for photodynamic therapy and search for new ones are intensively conducted. In the present work supramolecular organization of crown-ether and phosphoryl-containing phthalocyanines ({MgcrPc, I, and М[RPc] (M = Zn, R = -OPhP(O)(OH)(OCH), II; M = 2H, R = -OPhP(O)(OH)(OCH), III; M = 2H, -OPhP(O)(OH)), IIIa}, respectively) was studied in microheterogeneous media. The role of a metal ion of a macrocycle in monomerization of phosphoryl-containing Pc in the presence of water-soluble poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) was revealed.

Rabbit plasma metabolomic analysis of Nitroproston®: a multi target natural prostaglandin based-drug.

Introduction: Nitroproston® is a novel multi-target drug bearing natural prostaglandin E (PGE) and nitric oxide (NO)-donating fragments for treatment of inflammatory and obstructive diseases (i.e., asthma and obstructive bronchitis).

An investigation of the single and combined effects of hypogravity and ionizing radiation on brain monoamine metabolism and rats' behavior.

Background: Ionizing radiation and hypogravity can cause central nervous system (CNS) dysfunctions. This is a key limiting factor for deep space missions. Up until now, the mechanisms through which they affect the neural tissue are not completely understood.

Psycho-emotional status but not cognition is changed under the combined effect of ionizing radiations at doses related to deep space missions.

Human spaceflight launch is the big challenge that the humanity work on. The astronauts' task performance vulnerability to ionizing radiations is one of the major factors limiting deep space missions. In this work, we study the effect of ionizing radiations (γ-quanta and C in combination) on cognitive abilities and psycho-emotional status of Wistar rats.

ALS-linked FUS mutations confer loss and gain of function in the nucleus by promoting excessive formation of dysfunctional paraspeckles.

Mutations in the FUS gene cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS-FUS). Mutant FUS is known to confer cytoplasmic gain of function but its effects in the nucleus are less understood. FUS is an essential component of paraspeckles, subnuclear bodies assembled on a lncRNA NEAT1.

Functional Status of Neuronal Calcium Sensor-1 Is Modulated by Zinc Binding.

Neuronal calcium sensor-1 (NCS-1) protein is abundantly expressed in the central nervous system and retinal neurons, where it regulates many vital processes such as synaptic transmission. It coordinates three calcium ions by EF-hands 2-4, thereby transducing Ca signals to a wide range of protein targets, including G protein-coupled receptors and their kinases. Here, we demonstrate that NCS-1 also has Zn-binding sites, which affect its structural and functional properties upon filling.

[The association of gamma-synuclein autoantibodies with the polymorphism in exon 4 of the coding gene].

Aim: To analyze the polymorphism in exon 4 of the gamma-synuclein gene (SNCG) in patients with autoantibodies against the gamma-synuclein protein.

Material And Methods: To identify autoantibodies against gamma-synuclein, the serum from patients with chronic cerebral ischemia and cervical osteochondrosis was used. All patients were women of the Slavic ethnic group, mean age 61±5 years.

The Dopaminergic Dysfunction and Altered Working Memory Performance of Aging Mice Lacking Gamma-synuclein Gene.

Background: It was previously shown that inactivation of gamma-synuclein which is a small soluble neuronal protein affects psycho-emotional status and cognitive abilities in knock-out mice.

Objective: Determine the role of gamma-synuclein inactivation on memory performance in aging animals.

Method: We used the passive avoidance test and acute amphetamine administration in aging gammasynuclein knock-out mice.

FUS(1-359) transgenic mice as a model of ALS: pathophysiological and molecular aspects of the proteinopathy.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to the eventual death of motor neurons. Described cases of familial ALS have emphasized the significance of protein misfolding and aggregation of two functionally related proteins, FUS (fused in sarcoma) and TDP-43, implicated in RNA metabolism. Herein, we performed a comprehensive analysis of the in vivo model of FUS-mediated proteinopathy (ΔFUS(1-359) mice).

Influence of Descriptor Implementation on Compound Ranking Based on Multiparameter Assessment.

Most of the common molecular descriptors have numerous different implementations. This can influence the results of compound prioritization based on the multiparameter assessment (MPA) approach that allows a medicinal chemist to simultaneously analyze and achieve the desired balance of the diverse and often conflicting molecular and pharmacological properties. In this study, we analyzed the feasibility of using different implementations of common descriptors (logP, logS, TPSA, logBB, hERG, nHBA) interchangeably in predesigned sets of requirements in the course of multiparameter compound optimization.

LC-MS/MS Identification and Structural Characterization of Main Biodegradation Products of Nitroproston - A Novel Prostaglandin-based Pharmaceutical Compound.

Background: Nitroproston is a novel prostaglandin-based compound modified by NOdonating groups with potential application in obstructive respiratory diseases such as asthma and obstructive bronchitis. Nitroproston has been extensively studied using various pharmacological models. Its biological stability is still uncertain.

Risk of defeats in the central nervous system during deep space missions.

Space flight factors (SFF) significantly affect the operating activity of astronauts during deep space missions. Gravitational overloads, hypo-magnetic field and ionizing radiation are the main SFF that perturb the normal activity of the central nervous system (CNS). Acute and chronic CNS risks include alterations in cognitive abilities, reduction of motor functions and behavioural changes.

Combined effects of antiorthostatic suspension and ionizing radiation on the behaviour and neurotransmitters changes in different brain structures of rats.

Space flight factors (SFF) significantly affect the operating activity of astronauts during deep space missions. In contrast to an orbital flight, leaving the Earth's magnetic field is fraught with the dangers of exposure to ionizing radiation and more specifically, the high-energy nuclei component of galactic cosmic rays. Microgravity, just another critical non-radiation factor, significantly affects the normal functioning of the CNS.

Combinational losses of synucleins reveal their differential requirements for compensating age-dependent alterations in motor behavior and dopamine metabolism.

Synucleins are involved in multiple steps of the neurotransmitter turnover, but the largely normal synaptic function in young adult animals completely lacking synucleins suggests their roles are dispensable for execution of these processes. Instead, they may be utilized for boosting the efficiency of certain molecular mechanisms in presynaptic terminals, with a deficiency of synuclein proteins sensitizing to or exacerbating synaptic malfunction caused by accumulation of mild alterations, which are commonly associated with aging. Although functional redundancy within the family has been reported, it is unclear whether the remaining synucleins can fully compensate for the deficiency of a lost family member or whether some functions are specific for a particular member.

Endotoxaemia resulting from decreased serotonin tranporter (5-HTT) function: a reciprocal risk factor for depression and insulin resistance?

Depression and diabetes are serious diseases with an increasing global prevalence. Intriguingly, recent meta-analyses have highlighted an asymmetrical relationship between the two conditions as depressed patients were found to display a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those individuals suffering from diabetes are to become depressed. Based on recent findings, we favor a hypothesis where by decreased peripheral serotonin (5-HT) transporter (5-HTT) function is a reciprocal risk factor for the co-morbidity of depression and diabetes, as it can trigger inflammatory pathogenetic mechanisms of both conditions.

Lasting downregulation of the lipid peroxidation enzymes in the prefrontal cortex of mice susceptible to stress-induced anhedonia.

Antioxidant enzymes and lipid peroxidation in the brain are involved in neuropsychiatric pathologies, including depression. 14- or 28-day chronic stress model induced a depressive syndrome defined by lowered reward sensitivity in C57BL/6J mice and changed gene expression of peroxidation enzymes as shown in microarray assays. We studied how susceptibility or resilience to anhedonia is related to lipid peroxidation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

Differential involvement of the gamma-synuclein in cognitive abilities on the model of knockout mice.

Background: Gamma-synuclein is a member of the synuclein family of cytoplasmic, predominantly neuron-specific proteins. Despite numerous evidences for the importance of gamma-synuclein in the control of monoamine homeostasis, cytoskeleton reorganization and chaperone activity, its role in the regulation of cognitive behavior still remain unknown. Our previous study revealed that gamma-synuclein knockout mice are characterized by high habituation scores.

Organophosphorus compound esterase profiles as predictors of therapeutic and toxic effects.

Certain organophosphorus compounds (OPCs) inhibit various serine esterases (EOHs) via phosphorylation of their active site serines. We focused on 4 EOHs of particular toxicological interest: acetylcholinesterase (AChE: acute neurotoxicity; cognition enhancement), butyrylcholinesterase (BChE: inhibition of drug metabolism and/or stoichiometric scavenging of EOH inhibitors; cognition enhancement), carboxylesterase (CaE: inhibition of drug metabolism and/or stoichiometric scavenging of EOH inhibitors), and neuropathy target esterase (NTE: delayed neurotoxicity, OPIDN). The relative degree of inhibition of these EOHs constitutes the "esterase profile" of an OPC and serves as a major determinant of its net physiological effects.

Dimebon does not ameliorate pathological changes caused by expression of truncated (1-120) human alpha-synuclein in dopaminergic neurons of transgenic mice.

Background: Recent clinical studies have demonstrated that dimebon, a drug originally designed and used as a non-selective antihistamine, ameliorates symptoms and delays progress of mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer's and Huntington's diseases. Although the mechanism of dimebon action on pathological processes in degenerating brain is elusive, results of studies carried out in cell cultures and animal models suggested that this drug might affect the process of pathological accumulation and aggregation of various proteins involved in the pathogenesis of proteinopathies. However, the effect of this drug on the pathology caused by overexpression and aggregation of alpha-synuclein, including Parkinson's disease (PD), has not been assessed.

A Java chemical structure editor supporting the Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL).

A compact Modular Chemical Descriptor Language (MCDL) chemical structure editor (Java applet) is described. The small size (approximately 200 KB) of the applet allows its use to display and edit chemical structures in various Internet applications. The editor supports the MCDL format, in which structures are presented in compact canonical form and is capable of restoring bond orders as well as of managing atom and bond drawing overlap.

Neuroprotective and cognition-enhancing properties of MK-801 flexible analogs. Structure-activity relationships.

Neuroprotective and biobehavioral properties of a series of novel open chain MK-801 analogs, as well as their structure-activity relationships have been investigated. Three groups of compounds were synthesized: monobenzylamino, benzhydrylamino, and dibenzylamino (DBA) analogs of MK-801. It was revealed that DBA analogs exhibit pronounced glutamate-induced calcium uptake blocking properties and anti-NMDA activity.