Obesity is a worldwide health,economic and social concern,despite efforts made to counteract the spreading wave of eating and nourishment-associated disorders.The review aims to show how the glial cells,astrocytes,con...Obesity is a worldwide health,economic and social concern,despite efforts made to counteract the spreading wave of eating and nourishment-associated disorders.The review aims to show how the glial cells,astrocytes,contribute to the central regulation of appetite and energy metabolism.The hypothalamus is the brain center responsible for nutrients and nutritional hormone sensing,signal processing,and execution of metabolic and behavioral responses,directed at sustaining energy homeostasis.The astrocytes are endowed with receptors,transporters and enzymatic machinery responsible for glucose,lactate,fatty acids,ketone bodies,as well as leptin or ghrelin transport and metabolism,and that render them supporters and partners for neurons in governing the brain and body energy intake and expenditure.However,the role of astrocytes associated with brain energy metabolism reaches far beyond simple fuel contingent-they contribute to cognitive performance.The cognitive decline which often accompanies high fat-and/or high-calorie diets and correlates with neuroinflammation and astrogliosis,is a major concern.The last two decades of research enabled us to acknowledge the astroglia in obesity-associated dysfunctions and to investigate astrocytes as contributors to the pathology,as well as targets for therapy.展开更多
Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various ...Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various cognitive disorders, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We administered Tiantai No.1 intragastrically to senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice（a model of Alzheimer＇s disease） at doses of 50, 100 or 150 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks and evaluated their behavior in the Morris water maze and expression of Alzheimer＇s disease-related proteins in the brain. Tiantai No.1 shortened the escape latency in the water maze training trials, and increased swimming time in the target quadrant during the spatial probe test, indicating that Tiantai No.1 improved learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Tiantai No.1 restored the proliferation potential of Ki67-positive cells in the hippocampus. In addition, mice that had received Tiantai No.1 had fewer astrocytes, and less accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that Tiantai No.1 is neuroprotective in the SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer＇s disease and acts by restoring neuronal number and proliferation potential in the hippocampus, decreasing astrocyte infiltration, and reducing the accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau.展开更多
Diets these days contain more fats. High fat diet (HFD) is a model of unhealthy eating in experimental animals. It is known to induce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactiv...Diets these days contain more fats. High fat diet (HFD) is a model of unhealthy eating in experimental animals. It is known to induce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of Cannbis sativa has been legalized for medicinal use in many countries of the world. Omega 3 fatty acid, commonly found in fish oil is medicinal and necessary for brain development. The antioxidant and neuroprotective functions of CBD and omega 3 have made them relevant in many researches. In this study, 45 mice were used and divided into three groups of 15 animals each: Group 1 (normal feed and water ad libidum);Group 2 (HFD ad libidum);Group 3 (HFD + CBD + Omega 3) for 16 weeks. Thereafter, five animals from each group were selected and their frontal lobes were harvested for histological analyses using H and E staining. The remaining mice were allowed to feed on normal diet and observed till death. At the end, HFD significantly reduced life span (57.4 ± 0.3) when compared to control (78.9 ± 1.6) and HFD + CBD + omega 3 group (74.5 ± 0.8) at p < 0.05. HFD also caused significant brain ischemic damage, neuronophagia and significant perivascular oedema. CBD + Omega 3 induced significant astrocytosis compared to control and HFD group. The immune stimulation by the CBD + Omega 3 could be responsible for tissue survival and longevity by protection from inflammatory and oxidative injuries. Ischaemic tissue death could have been prevented by amelioration of artheroma formation due to HFD. Further studies will be required to ascertain other possible mechanisms behind these findings.展开更多
文摘Obesity is a worldwide health,economic and social concern,despite efforts made to counteract the spreading wave of eating and nourishment-associated disorders.The review aims to show how the glial cells,astrocytes,contribute to the central regulation of appetite and energy metabolism.The hypothalamus is the brain center responsible for nutrients and nutritional hormone sensing,signal processing,and execution of metabolic and behavioral responses,directed at sustaining energy homeostasis.The astrocytes are endowed with receptors,transporters and enzymatic machinery responsible for glucose,lactate,fatty acids,ketone bodies,as well as leptin or ghrelin transport and metabolism,and that render them supporters and partners for neurons in governing the brain and body energy intake and expenditure.However,the role of astrocytes associated with brain energy metabolism reaches far beyond simple fuel contingent-they contribute to cognitive performance.The cognitive decline which often accompanies high fat-and/or high-calorie diets and correlates with neuroinflammation and astrogliosis,is a major concern.The last two decades of research enabled us to acknowledge the astroglia in obesity-associated dysfunctions and to investigate astrocytes as contributors to the pathology,as well as targets for therapy.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.81473742the Guangdong Science and Technology Foundation,No.2013B021800101the Shenzhen Major Project of Science and Technology Planning,No.JCYJ20130401115231337
文摘Tiantai No.1, a Chinese medicine predominantly composed of powdered Rhizoma Gastrodiae, Radix Ginseng, and Ginkgo leaf at a ratio of 2：1：2 and dissolved in pure water, is neuroprotective in animal models of various cognitive disorders, but its molecular mechanism remains unclear. We administered Tiantai No.1 intragastrically to senescence-accelerated mouse prone 8（SAMP8） mice（a model of Alzheimer＇s disease） at doses of 50, 100 or 150 mg/kg per day for 8 weeks and evaluated their behavior in the Morris water maze and expression of Alzheimer＇s disease-related proteins in the brain. Tiantai No.1 shortened the escape latency in the water maze training trials, and increased swimming time in the target quadrant during the spatial probe test, indicating that Tiantai No.1 improved learning and memory in SAMP8 mice. Immunohistochemistry revealed that Tiantai No.1 restored the proliferation potential of Ki67-positive cells in the hippocampus. In addition, mice that had received Tiantai No.1 had fewer astrocytes, and less accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau. These results suggest that Tiantai No.1 is neuroprotective in the SAMP8 mouse model of Alzheimer＇s disease and acts by restoring neuronal number and proliferation potential in the hippocampus, decreasing astrocyte infiltration, and reducing the accumulation of amyloid-beta and phosphorylated tau.
文摘Diets these days contain more fats. High fat diet (HFD) is a model of unhealthy eating in experimental animals. It is known to induce inflammatory responses and oxidative stress. Cannabidiol (CBD), the non-psychoactive component of Cannbis sativa has been legalized for medicinal use in many countries of the world. Omega 3 fatty acid, commonly found in fish oil is medicinal and necessary for brain development. The antioxidant and neuroprotective functions of CBD and omega 3 have made them relevant in many researches. In this study, 45 mice were used and divided into three groups of 15 animals each: Group 1 (normal feed and water ad libidum);Group 2 (HFD ad libidum);Group 3 (HFD + CBD + Omega 3) for 16 weeks. Thereafter, five animals from each group were selected and their frontal lobes were harvested for histological analyses using H and E staining. The remaining mice were allowed to feed on normal diet and observed till death. At the end, HFD significantly reduced life span (57.4 ± 0.3) when compared to control (78.9 ± 1.6) and HFD + CBD + omega 3 group (74.5 ± 0.8) at p < 0.05. HFD also caused significant brain ischemic damage, neuronophagia and significant perivascular oedema. CBD + Omega 3 induced significant astrocytosis compared to control and HFD group. The immune stimulation by the CBD + Omega 3 could be responsible for tissue survival and longevity by protection from inflammatory and oxidative injuries. Ischaemic tissue death could have been prevented by amelioration of artheroma formation due to HFD. Further studies will be required to ascertain other possible mechanisms behind these findings.
