Effects on the hippocampal microglia after acute treatment of a psychological stressor associated with depressive-like behaviours

Funding: This study was supported by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación from Spain (PSI2017-83408-P to C. Pedraza), and Ministerio de Universidades from Spain (FPU16/05308 to A. Nieto-Quero and FPU19/03629 to M.I. Infantes-López).Stressful life events may have a negative impact on mental health compromising people's well-being, so knowing the neurobiological changes that occur after psychosocial stressors can have an impact on overall health. However, the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for the negative effects are not known in detail, and the initial changes that take place after the initiation of a stress protocol are much less well understood. Hippocampus constitutes a target structure of the adverse effects of stress. Among the possible mechanisms involved, the response of microglia to stress is receiving increasing interest. For this reason, after 1 and 24 hours of submitted C57BL/6J mice to acute and intense stress procedure denominated WIRS (water immersion restraint stress), the microglial response were analysed using a set of morphofunctional parameters. Then, the levels of the cytokines: IL-6, IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha cytokine were measured. Furthermore, a complementary proteomic analysis based on the principle of mass spectrometry was carried out. Results reveal that acute stress increased the number of microglia and induced microglial morphofunctional changes. Regarding cytokines, acute stress only increased IL-6 levels, which remained elevated at 24 h. Proteomic analysis, over time (in 24 h post-stress), showed an increase in proteins associated with the intracellular calcium metabolism. These findings suggest a neuroinflammatory response after acute stress observed at one hour after the application of the WIRS protocol and maintained at least 24 hours after the end of the stressor.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Microglial and neurogenic alterations in hypothalamus due to acute stress

This study was supported by FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades – Agencia Estatal de Investigación from Spain (PSI2017-83408-P to Pedraza C.), and Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte from Spain (FPU16/05308 to Nieto-Quero A).Microglial cells are an important glial population known to be involved in several biological processes such as stress response. These cells engage an activated state following a stress insult that may lead to nervous tissue damage, including new cell generation impairment. This has been widely studied in regions with notable neurogenesis such as de hippocampus, however, the effect in other regions with fewer yet relevant neurogenesis remains partially unknown. One of them is the hypothalamus, a key vegetative control center playing an important role in stress response. Moreover, most of the stress models studied concern neuroinflammatory and neurogenic changes due to a chronic stressor but not a single stress event. Given the repercussion of these processes alone, it would be interesting to elucidate the relationship between microglial response, hypothalamic neurogenesis, and acute stress. This project focuses on studying acute stressed C57BL/6J mice, both at the histological and molecular level. An intense stressor combining water immersion and movement restriction was performed. Using immunohistochemical and molecular analysis with Luminex, we could analyze microglial distribution and morphology, neurogenesis, and inflammatory environment in the hypothalamic parenchyma (paraventromedial, ventromedial and arcuate nucleus).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

N-Acetylcysteine for the Management of Non-Acetaminophen Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Adults : A Systematic Review

Funding Information: The present study has been supported by grants of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III co-founded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional–FEDER (contract numbers: PI19/00883, P18‐RT‐3364‐2020), from the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) (UMA18‐FEDERJA‐194, PI18‐RT‐3364) and by the Agencia Española del Medicamento. JS-C holds a “Juan Rodés” research contract from the National System of Health, ISCIII (JR21/00066). IA-A holds a Sara Borrell contract (CD20/00083). HN holds a postdoctoral contract from the Junta de Andalucia (POSTDOC_21_00780). CIBERehd and Plataforma ISCIII Ensayos Clínicos (PT20/000127) are funded by ISCIII. This article is based upon work from COST Action “CA17112 - Prospective European Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network” supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) ( www.cost.eu ). All authors of this manuscript are members of COST Action CA17112. The funding sources had no involvement in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Funding Information: The present study has been supported by grants of the Instituto de Salud Carlos III co-founded by Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional–FEDER (contract numbers: PI19/00883, P18‐RT‐3364‐2020), from the Consejería de Economía, Conocimiento, Empresas y Universidad (Junta de Andalucía, Spain) (UMA18‐FEDERJA‐194, PI18‐RT‐3364) and by the Agencia Española del Medicamento. JS-C holds a “Juan Rodés” research contract from the National System of Health, ISCIII (JR21/00066). IA-A holds a Sara Borrell contract (CD20/00083). HN holds a postdoctoral contract from the Junta de Andalucia (POSTDOC_21_00780). CIBERehd and Plataforma ISCIII Ensayos Clínicos (PT20/000127) are funded by ISCIII. This article is based upon work from COST Action “CA17112 - Prospective European Drug-Induced Liver Injury Network” supported by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) (www.cost.eu). All authors of this manuscript are members of COST Action CA17112. The funding sources had no involvement in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report or in the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Publisher Copyright: Copyright © 2022 Sanabria-Cabrera, Tabbai, Niu, Alvarez-Alvarez, Licata, Björnsson, Andrade and Lucena.Introduction: Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a rare adverse reaction to drugs and other xenobiotics. DILI has different grades of severity and may lead to acute liver failure (ALF), for which there is no effective therapy. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been occasionally tested for the treatment of non-acetaminophen drug-induced ALF. However, limited evidence for its efficacy and safety is currently available. Our aim was to elucidate the benefit and safety of NAC in DILI and evaluate its hepatoprotective effect. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the management and prevention focused on NAC in idiosyncratic DILI. The main outcomes included mortality due to DILI, time to normalization of liver biochemistry, transplant-free survival, and adverse events. We included clinical trials and observational studies, either prospective or retrospective. Results: A total of 11 studies were included after literature screening. All studies had different methodologies, and some of them had important risk of bias that may lead to interpreting their findings with caution. The majority of the studies proved NAC efficacy in a cohort of patients with ALF due to different etiologies, where DILI represented a subgroup. NAC seemed to improve transplant-free survival; however, its benefit was inconclusive in terms of overall survival. With regard to safety, NAC showed an adequate safety profile. In prevention studies, NAC showed a possible hepatoprotective effect; however, this finding is limited by the lack of studies and presence of bias. Conclusion: NAC treatment seems to have some benefit in non-acetaminophen drug-induced liver failure patients with acceptable safety; however, due to the lack of evidence and limitations detected across studies, its benefit must be corroborated in clinical trials with adequate methodology.Peer reviewe

The absence of LPA1 receptor results in lipidome dysregulation and Neuropeptide-Y underexpression

LPA1 receptor is one of the six characterized G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1-6) through which lysophosphatidic acid acts as an intercellular signaling molecule. It has been shown that the LPA1 receptor is involved in emotional regulation and, when depleted, has a key role in vulnerability to stress. In this sense, maLPA1-null mice, a knockout model for LPA1 receptor has been recently proposed as a model of anxious depression. Here, we sought to elucidate the effect of the genetic depletion of this receptor of LPA1 receptor in both lipidome and Neuropeptide-Y (NPY) signaling, two factors associated with adaptive stress regulation. For that purpose, we measured the lipidomic profile of wild-type mice and maLPA1-null mice in both hippocampus and serum. In addition, through immunohistochemical procedures we quantified NPY+ cells in hippocampus, basolateral amygdala (BLA) and central amygdala (CeA). Interestingly, the comparative lipidomics analysis revealed differences in certain subspecies which are related to LPA1 receptor functionality. Regarding NPY, we found a reduction in BLA, but not in hippocampus. Overall, both lipid abnormalities and amygdalar dysfunction of NPY can be related to lower resources in stress coping and, in turn, higher vulnerability to the noxious effect of stress that might lead to anxiety and depressive-like states.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Stress coping behaviour, brain connectivity and LPA1 receptor: similarities and differences between the genetic and the pharmacological approach

LPA1 receptor is one of the six characterized G protein-coupled receptors (LPA1-6) through which lysophosphatidic acid acts as an intercellular signalling molecule. It has been recently proposed that this receptor has a key role in controlling depression-like behaviours and in the detrimental consequences of stress. Here, we sought to establish the involvement of the LPA1 receptor in brain activity after an acute stressor. To this end, we examined behavioural despair in mice with a constitutive depletion of the LPA1 receptor (maLPA1-null mice), wild-type mice and mice receiving one single icv dose of the LPA1 receptor antagonist Ki16425 or vehicle. Furthermore, the expression of c-Fos protein in stress-related brain areas and the corticosterone response following acute stress were examined. Our data indicated that, contrary to the knockout model, the antagonism of the LPA1 receptor significantly increased immobility in the Forced Swim Test. However, latency to first immobility was reduced in both experimental conditions. Immunohistochemistry studies revealed an increased in activity in key limbic structures such as medial prefrontal cortex in both the LPA1 antagonist-treated mice and maLPA1-null mice, with an interesting opposed effect on hippocampal activity. Following acute stress, the sole infusion of Ki16425 in the cerebral ventricle increased corticosterone levels. In conclusion, the alteration of LPA1 receptor function, through both genetic deletion or pharmacological antagonism, is involved in behavioural despair and hyperactivity of brain stress systems, thus contributing to explore specific susceptibility mechanisms of stress as targets for therapeutic recovery.Funding by the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment (SEJ1863) and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports ( PSI2017 - 83408 - P). Authors RD. M-F and A. N-Q hold a Grant of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (FPU14/01610 and FPU16/05308, respectively). Author S.T. holds a Grant of the Andalusian Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Science and Employment C. R. (FPDI 2016); Andalucía Tech. I Plan Propio de Investiga ción y Transferencia de la Universidad de Málaga. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Acute psychological stress: effects on hippocampal neurogenesis and the role of microglia

Among all the factors that can contribute to the onset of psychopathological disorders, stress is the main environmental factor. The hippocampus is one of the most sensitive regions to the harmful effects of stress, in which the neurogenic process is impaired. On the other hand, under stress situations, microglia are also affected and can trigger a proinflammatory response, acting as anti-neurogenic cells and releasing cytokines and other proinflammatory molecules. Knowing what happens in the early stages of stress may be relevant to investigate the temporal aspects of the development of stressassociated psychopathological disorders, and even their possible treatment. Therefore, after subjecting C57BL/6J mice for 2 hours to an acute and intense stress procedure called WIRS (water immersion restraint stress), data were analyzed to study microglia, cell proliferation and neuronal maturation. In addition, a mediation analysis study was conducted for data integration. The results revealed that the applied acute stress is sufficiently intense to induce an increase in the number of microglia, accompanied by morphometric changes, as well as negatively affecting the neuronal maturational process. Furthermore, these data suggest that effects on the neurogenic process mediate the microglial response to an intense acute stressor. This leads to the conclusion that this may be the initial mechanism for any intense stress response, or may even be the first steps in the development of the response to a chronic stressor.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación – Plan Nacional I+D+i from Spain: PID2020- 117464RB-I00 to C. Pedraza and M. Pérez-Martín - FEDER/Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación – Agencia Estatal de Investigación from Spain: PSI2017-83408-P to C. Pedraza -- FEDER/Junta de Andalucía – Proyectos I+D+I en el marco del Programa Operativo FEDER Andalucía 2014-2020: UMA20-FEDERJA-112 to C. Pedraza and M. Pérez- Martín - Consejería de Conocimiento, Investigación y Universidades, Junta de Andalucía: P20_00460 to C. Pedraza - Contract in charge of the project P20_00460 to P. Chaves-Peña - Ministerio de Universidades from Spain: FPU16/05308 to A. Nieto-Quero and FPU19/03629 to M.I. Infantes-López - I Plan Propio de Investigación, Transferencia y Divulgación Científica (convocatoria 2021) from University of Malaga: predoctoral fellowship to J. Munoz-Martin. II Plan Propio de Investigación, Transferencia y Divulgación Científica; Universidad de Málaga. Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Determinación de las especies de LPA en hipocampo de ratón. Efecto de diferentes protocolos de estrés

Fecha de lectura de Tesis Doctoral 31-1-2020El LPA es un lípido bioactivo que está involucrado en la señalización intracelular a través de los seis receptores acoplados a proteínas G (LPA1-6). Entre estos receptores, LPA1 es un fuerte candidato para mediar los efectos centrales de LPA en la emoción y puede participar en la regulación de conductas emocionales normales. De hecho, los ratones que carecen del receptor LPA1 exhiben desregulación emocional y una aumentada vulnerabilidad a los efectos negativos del estrés (Pedraza et al., 2014; Castilla-Ortega et al., 2011). Por otro lado, la administración continuada de LPA induce diferentes efectos neurobiológicos y conductuales en animales de investigación. Con el objetivo de estudiar el efecto del estrés en el sistema de LPA hipocampal en esta tesis doctoral se ha puesto apunto la técnica MALDI-TOF para la determinación de las concentraciones de las diferentes especies de LPA en el hipocampo. Con ello, se han llegando a las siguientes conclusiones:1) En condiciones fisiológicas, la especie de LPA más abundante en el hipocampo de ratón es la 18:0, seguida de la 18:1, tanto en WT como en maLPA1-nulos. 2)La ausencia del receptor LPA1 no causa cambio en las concentraciones de LPA, aunque sí modificó ligeramente el perfil de LPA hipocampal.3) El estrés por inmovilización, fundamentalmente si no es aplicado junto a EPM, produjo cambios significativos en las concentraciones de LPA en hipocampo, en cambio el estrés inducido por EPM afectó las proporciones relativas de este sistema lipídico. 4) El efecto del estrés agudo fue mayor en los animales WT que en ausencia del receptor LPA1. 5)El estrés crónico aumentó la concentración de la especie LPA 18:0 sin alterar el resto de especies de LPA en el hipocampo. Y por último, 6) La administración continuada de LPA 18:1 provocó un aumento en los niveles relativos de la especie 18:1 en el hipocampo

N-Acetylcysteine for the Management of Non-Acetaminophen Drug-Induced Liver Injury in Adults: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury (DILI) is a rare adverse reaction to drugs and other xenobiotics. DILI has different grades of severity and may lead to acute liver failure (ALF), for which there is no effective therapy. N-acetylcysteine (NAC) has been occasionally tested for the treatment of non-acetaminophen drug-induced ALF. However, limited evidence for its efficacy and safety is currently available. Our aim was to elucidate the benefit and safety of NAC in DILI and evaluate its hepatoprotective effect. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to evaluate the management and prevention focused on NAC in idiosyncratic DILI. The main outcomes included mortality due to DILI, time to normalization of liver biochemistry, transplant-free survival, and adverse events. We included clinical trials and observational studies, either prospective or retrospective. Results: A total of 11 studies were included after literature screening. All studies had different methodologies, and some of them had important risk of bias that may lead to interpreting their findings with caution. The majority of the studies proved NAC efficacy in a cohort of patients with ALF due to different etiologies, where DILI represented a subgroup. NAC seemed to improve transplant-free survival; however, its benefit was inconclusive in terms of overall survival. With regard to safety, NAC showed an adequate safety profile. In prevention studies, NAC showed a possible hepatoprotective effect; however, this finding is limited by the lack of studies and presence of bias. Conclusion: NAC treatment seems to have some benefit in non-acetaminophen drug-induced liver failure patients with acceptable safety; however, due to the lack of evidence and limitations detected across studies, its benefit must be corroborated in clinical trials with adequate methodology

Stress, Depression, Resilience and Ageing: A Role for the LPA-LPA1 Pathway.

Chronic stress affects health and the quality of life, with its effects being particularly relevant in ageing due to the psychobiological characteristics of this population. However, while some people develop psychiatric disorders, especially depression, others seem very capable of dealing with adversity. There is no doubt that along with the identification of neurobiological mechanisms involved in developing depression, discovering which factors are involved in positive adaptation under circumstances of extreme difficulty will be crucial for promoting resilience. Here, we review recent work in our laboratory, using an animal model lacking the LPA1 receptor, together with pharmacological studies and clinical evidence for the possible participation of the LPA1 receptor in mood and resilience to stress. Substantial evidence has shown that the LPA1 receptor is involved in emotional regulation and in coping responses to chronic stress, which, if dysfunctional, may induce vulnerability to stress and predisposition to the development of depression. Given that there is commonality of mechanisms between those involved in negative consequences of stress and in ageing, this is not surprising, considering that the LPA1 receptor may be involved in coping with adversity during ageing. Alterations in this receptor may be a susceptibility factor for the presence of depression and cognitive deficits in the elderly population. However, because this is only a promising hypothesis based on previous data, future studies should focus on the involvement of the LPA-LPA1 pathway in coping with stress and resilience in ageing

Unveiling the Secrets of the Stressed Hippocampus: Exploring Proteomic Changes and Neurobiology of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Intense stress, especially traumatic stress, can trigger disabling responses and in some cases even lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is heterogeneous, accompanied by a range of distress symptoms and treatment-resistant disorders that may be associated with a number of other psychopathologies. PTSD is a very heterogeneous disorder with different subtypes that depend on, among other factors, the type of stressor that provokes it. However, the neurobiological mechanisms are poorly understood. The study of early stress responses may hint at the way PTSD develops and improve the understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms involved in its onset, opening the opportunity for possible preventive treatments. Proteomics is a promising strategy for characterizing these early mechanisms underlying the development of PTSD. The aim of the work was to understand how exposure to acute and intense stress using water immersion restraint stress (WIRS), which could be reminiscent of natural disaster, may induce several PTSD-associated symptoms and changes in the hippocampal proteomic profile. The results showed that exposure to WIRS induced behavioural symptoms and corticosterone levels reminiscent of PTSD. Moreover, the expression profiles of hippocampal proteins at 1 h and 24 h after stress were deregulated in favour of increased inflammation and reduced neuroplasticity, which was validated by histological studies and cytokine determination. Taken together, these results suggest that neuroplastic and inflammatory dysregulation may be a therapeutic target for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorders