cis-4-decenoic acid provokes mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction in rat brain

Aims: In the present work we investigated the in vitro effect of cis-4-decenoic acid, the pathognomonic metabolite of medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency, on various parameters of bioenergetic homeostasis in rat brain mitochondria. Main methods: Respiratory parameters determined by oxygen consumption were evaluated, as well as membrane potential, NAD(P)H content, swelling and cytochrome c release in mitochondrial preparations from rat brain, using glutamate plus malate or succinate as substrates. The activities of citric acid cycle enzymes were also assessed. Key findings: cis-4-decenoic acid markedly increased state 4 respiration, whereas state 3 respiration and the respiratory control ratio were decreased. The ADP/O ratio, the mitochondrial membrane potential, the matrix NAD(P)H levels and aconitase activity were also diminished by cis-4-decenoic acid. These data indicate that this fatty acid acts as an uncoupler of oxidative phosphorylation and as a metabolic inhibitor. cis-4-decenoic acid also provoked a marked mitochondrial swelling when either KCl or sucrose was used in the incubation medium and also induced cytochrome c release from mitochondria, suggesting a non-selective permeabilization of the inner mitochondria! membrane. Significance: It is therefore presumed that impairment of mitochondrial homeostasis provoked by cis-4-decenoic acid may be involved in the brain dysfunction observed in medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficient patients. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)CNPqPRONEX IIPRONEXFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul (FAPERGS)FAPERGSPROPESQ/UFRGSPROPESQ/UFRGSFAPESPFundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Financiadora de Estudos e Projetos (FINEP)FINEP[01.06.0842-00]INCT-ENINCT-E

<b>Preventive effects of physical exercise on the inhibition of creatine kinase in the cerebral cortex of mice exposed to cigarette smoke.</b> DOI: 10.5007/1980-0037.2011v13n2p106

Recent studies have shown the health benefits of physical exercise, increasing the oxidative response of muscle. However, the effects of exercise on the brain are poorly understood and contradictory. The inhibition of creatine kinase (CK) activity has been associated with the pathogenesis of a large number of diseases, especially in the brain. The objective of this study was to determine the preventive effects of physical exercise in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex of mice after chronic cigarette smoke exposure. Eight to 10-week-old male mice (C57BL-6) were divided into four groups and submitted to an exercise program (swimming), 5 times a week, for 8 weeks. After this period, the animals were passively exposed to cigarette smoke for 60 consecutive days, 3 times a day (4 Marlboro red cigarettes per session), for a total of 12 cigarettes. CK activity was measured in cerebral cortex and hippocampal homogenates. Enzyme activity was inhibited in the cerebral cortex of animals submitted to the inhalation of cigarette smoke. However, exercise prevented this inhibition. In contrast, CK activity remained unchanged in the hippocampus. This inhibition of CK by inhalation of cigarette smoke might be related to the process of cell death. Physical exercise played a preventive role in the inhibition of CK activity caused by exposure to cigarette smoke

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímica

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímic

Resumos em andamento - Bioquímica

Resumos em andamento - Bioquímic

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímica

Resumos concluídos - Bioquímic

Resumos concluídos - Neurociências

Resumos concluídos -  Neurociência

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data