Transcriptional Evidence for the Role of Chronic Venlafaxine Treatment in Neurotrophic Signaling and Neuroplasticity Including also Glutatmatergic- and Insulin-Mediated Neuronal Processes.

OBJECTIVES: Venlafaxine (VLX), a serotonine-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor, is one of the most commonly used antidepressant drugs in clinical practice for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite being more potent than its predecessors, similarly to them, the therapeutical effect of VLX is visible only 3-4 weeks after the beginning of treatment. Furthermore, recent papers show that antidepressants, including also VLX, enhance the motor recovery after stroke even in non depressed persons. In the present, transcriptomic-based study we looked for changes in gene expressions after a long-term VLX administration. METHODS: Osmotic minipumps were implanted subcutaneously into Dark Agouti rats providing a continuous (40 mg/kg/day) VLX delivery for three weeks. Frontal regions of the cerebral cortex were isolated and analyzed using Illumina bead arrays to detect genes showing significant chances in expression. Gene set enrichment analysis was performed to identify specific regulatory networks significantly affected by long term VLX treatment. RESULTS: Chronic VLX administration may have an effect on neurotransmitter release via the regulation of genes involved in vesicular exocytosis and receptor endocytosis (such as Kif proteins, Myo5a, Sv2b, Syn2 or Synj2). Simultaneously, VLX activated the expression of genes involved in neurotrophic signaling (Ntrk2, Ntrk3), glutamatergic transmission (Gria3, Grin2b and Grin2a), neuroplasticity (Camk2g/b, Cd47), synaptogenesis (Epha5a, Gad2) and cognitive processes (Clstn2). Interestingly, VLX increased the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial antioxidant activity (Bcl2 and Prdx1). Additionally, VLX administration also modulated genes related to insulin signaling pathway (Negr1, Ppp3r1, Slc2a4 and Enpp1), a mechanism that has recently been linked to neuroprotection, learning and memory. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggest that chronic VLX treatment improves functional reorganization and brain plasticity by influencing gene expression in regulatory networks of motor cortical areas. These results are consonant with the synaptic (network) hypothesis of depression and antidepressant-induced motor recovery after stroke

25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016

Abstracts of the 25th Annual Computational Neuroscience Meeting: CNS-2016 Seogwipo City, Jeju-do, South Korea. 2–7 July 201

Adenosine A(2A) receptor antagonists: new 8-substituted 9-ethyladenines as tools for in vivo rat models of Parkinson's disease

Clinical evidence has demonstrated that AA2AR antagonists could be an alternative approach to the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Recently, three 9-ethyladenine derivatives bearing a bromine atom, an ethoxy group, and a furyl ring, respectively, in the 8-position have been reported to ameliorate motor deficits in rat Parkinson’s disease models, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for these compounds. Starting from these observations, a new series of 9-ethyladenine derivatives, bearing different substituents such as halogens, alkoxy groups, aromatic and heteroaromatic rings in the 8-position, were synthesized. Radioligand binding assays demonstrated that some of the new compounds bind rat AA2AR with higher affinity than the previously reported congeners and that there is a good correlation between binding to rat and human receptors. Hence, the new molecules could represent new tools suitable for the in vivo studies in rat models of Parkinson’s disease. Finally, a molecular docking analysis of the compounds was performed using a homology model of rat AA2AR, built using the human crystal structure as the template, and results are in agreement with the binding data

Adenine based acyclic-nucleotides as novel P2X3 receptor ligands

A new series of acyclic nucleotides based on the adenine skeleton and bearing in 9-position a phosphorylated four carbon chain has been synthesized. Various substituents were introduced in 2-position of the adenine core. The new compounds were evaluated on rat P2X3 receptors, using patch clamp recording from HEK transfected cells and the full P2X3 agonist R,β-meATP as reference compound. The results suggest that certain acyclic nucleotides, in particular compounds 28 and 29, are endowed with modest partial agonism on P2X3 receptors. This is an interesting property that can depress the function of P2X3 receptors, whose activation is believed to be involved in a number of chronic pain conditions including neuropathic pain and migraine. In fact, the new acyclic nucleotides are able to persistently block (by desensitization) P2X3 receptor activity after a brief, modest activation, yet leaving the ability of sensory neurons to mediate responses to standard painful stimuli via a lower level of signaling