5-HT7 Receptor Neuroprotection against Excitotoxicity in the Hippocampus

Introduction and Objectives: The PDGFβ receptor and its ligand, PDGF-BB, are expressed throughout the central nervous system (CNS), including the hippocampas. Several reports confirm that PDGFβ receptors are neuroprotective against N-methyl-D-asparate (NMDA)-induced cell death in hippocampal neurons. NMDA receptor dysfunction is important for the expression of many symptoms of mental health disorders such as schizophrenia. The serotonin (5-HT) type 7 receptor was the most recent of the 5-HT receptor family to be identified and cloned. 5-HT receptors interact with several signaling systems in the CNS including receptors activated by the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate such as the NMDA receptor. Although there is extensive interest in targeting the 5-HT7 receptor with novel therapeutic compounds, the function and signaling properties of 5-HT7 receptors in neurons remains poorly characterized. Methods: The SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line, primary hippocampal cultures, and hippocampal slices were treated with 5-HT7 receptor agonists and antagonists. Western blotting was used to measure PDGFß receptor expression and phosphorylation as well as NMDA receptor subunit expression and phosphorylation levels. Real-time RT-PCR was used to measure mRNA level of PDGFß receptor in neuronal cultures. Cell death assays (MAP2, MTT) were used to measure the neuroprotective effects of 5-HT7 and PDGFß receptor activation. Results: My research involved elucidating the molecular mechanisms of neuroprotection after 5-HT7-induced PDGFß receptor upregulation. I demonstrated that 24 h treatment with the selective 5-HT7 receptor agonist, LP 12, increased not only the expression but also the activation of PDGFß receptors as measured by the phosphorylation of tyrosine 1021, the phospholipase Cγ binding site. Activation of the 5-HT7 receptor also selectively changed the expression and phosphorylation state of the NR2B subunit of the NMDA receptor. Activation of 5-HT7 receptors was neuroprotective against NMDA-induced toxicity in primary hippocampal neurons and this effect required PDGFß receptor kinase activity. Thus, long-term (24 h) activation of 5-HT7 receptors was neuroprotective via increasing the expression of a negative regulator of NMDA activity, the PDGFß receptor. In contrast, acute activation (5-30 min) of 5-HT7 receptor increased NMDA evoked current and altered NMDA receptor subunit phosphorylation in hippocampal neurons in a manner that was different from what we observed in our 24 h experiments. Conclusions: I identified two 5-HT7 receptor to NMDA receptor pathways: acute activation of the receptor increased NMDA-evoked currents whereas long-term 5-HT7 agonist treatment prevented NMDA-induced excitotoxicity in a PDGFß receptor-dependent manner. This research is significant in the ongoing advances for the treatment of mental heath disorders, such as schizophrenia and depression, that involve the 5-HT, glutamate, and neuronal growth factor systems

Chronic Pharmacological mGluR5 Inhibition Prevents Cognitive Impairment and Reduces Pathogenesis in an Alzheimer Disease Mouse Model

Beta-amyloid (Aβ) oligomers contribute to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD), and metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5) has been shown to act as a receptor for both Aβ oligomers and cellular prion proteins. Furthermore, the genetic deletion of mGluR5 in an APPswe/PS1δE9 mouse model of AD improves cognitive function and reduces Aβ plaques and Aβ oligomer concentrations. Here, we show that chronic administration of the orally bioavailable mGluR5-selective negative allosteric modulator CTEP, which is similar in structure, potency, and selectivity to Basimglurant (RO4917523), which is currently in phase II clinical development for major depressive disorder and fragile X syndrome, reverses cognitive decline in APPswe/PS1δE9 mice and reduces Aβ plaque deposition and soluble Aβ oligomer concentrations in both APPswe/PS1δE9 and 3xTg-AD male mice. These findings suggest that CTEP or its analogue Basimglutant might potentially be an effective therapeutic for the treatment of AD patients

Neuroprotective effects of direct activation and transactivation of PDGFβ receptors

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors are expressed throughout the body, including the central nervous system (CNS). Although the physiological role of PDGF receptors in the developed CNS is not fully characterized, PDGF signaling appears to provide neuroprotective effects against several neuronal insults. One of the best-characterized neuroprotective effects of PDGF type-β receptors is against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protein-induced neurotoxicity, with potential physiological relevance to HAD. PDGFβ receptors are also neuroprotective against glutamate excitotoxicity, which is associated with both stroke and neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. The neuroprotective effects of PDGFβ receptors occur both via direct activation by ligand (PDGF-BB), as well as by PDGFβ receptors activated downstream of G protein-coupled receptor signaling. In addition to the involvement of PDGF signaling in various pathologies and potential therapies, there is also an emerging body of evidence that PDGF may serve as a biomarker for neurological or psychiatric diseases

An “Instantaneous” Response of a Human Visual System to Hue: An EEG-Based Study

(1) The article presents a new technique to interpret biomedical data (EEG) to assess cortical responses to continuous color/hue variations. We propose an alternative approach to analyze EEG activity evoked by visual stimulation. This approach may augment the traditional VEP analysis. (2) Considering ensembles of EEG epochs as multidimensional spatial vectors evolving over time (rather than collections of time-domain signals) and evaluating the similarity between such vectors across different EEG epochs may result in a more accurate detection of colors that evoke greater responses of the visual system. To demonstrate its suitability, the developed analysis technique was applied to the EEG data that we previously collected from 19 participants with normal color vision, while exposing them to stimuli of continuously varying hue. (3) Orange/yellow and dark blue/violet colors generally aroused better-pronounced cortical responses. The selection of EEG channels allowed for assessing the activity that predominantly originates from specific cortical regions. With such channel selection, the strongest response to the hue was observed from Parieto-Temporal region of the right hemisphere. The statistical test—Kruskal–Wallis one-way analysis of variance—indicates that the distance evaluated for spatial EEG vectors at different post-stimulus latencies generally originate from different statistical distributions with a probability exceeding 99.9% (α = 0.001)

Polyherbal and Multimodal Treatments: Kaempferol- and Quercetin-Rich Herbs Alleviate Symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder impairing cognition and memory in the elderly. This disorder has a complex etiology, including senile plaque and neurofibrillary tangle formation, neuroinflammation, oxidative stress, and damaged neuroplasticity. Current treatment options are limited, so alternative treatments such as herbal medicine could suppress symptoms while slowing cognitive decline. We followed PRISMA guidelines to identify potential herbal treatments, their associated medicinal phytochemicals, and the potential mechanisms of these treatments. Common herbs, including Ginkgo biloba, Camellia sinensis, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Cyperus rotundus, and Buplerum falcatum, produced promising pre-clinical results. These herbs are rich in kaempferol and quercetin, flavonoids with a polyphenolic structure that facilitate multiple mechanisms of action. These mechanisms include the inhibition of Aβ plaque formation, a reduction in tau hyperphosphorylation, the suppression of oxidative stress, and the modulation of BDNF and PI3K/AKT pathways. Using pre-clinical findings from quercetin research and the comparatively limited data on kaempferol, we proposed that kaempferol ameliorates the neuroinflammatory state, maintains proper cellular function, and restores pro-neuroplastic signaling. In this review, we discuss the anti-AD mechanisms of quercetin and kaempferol and their limitations, and we suggest a potential alternative treatment for AD. Our findings lead us to conclude that a polyherbal kaempferol- and quercetin-rich cocktail could treat AD-related brain damage

Reactive oxygen species are required for 5-HT-induced transactivation of neuronal platelet-derived growth factor and TrkB receptors, but not for ERK1/2 activation.

High concentrations of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induce cellular damage, however at lower concentrations ROS act as intracellular second messengers. In this study, we demonstrate that serotonin (5-HT) transactivates the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) type β receptor as well as the TrkB receptor in neuronal cultures and SH-SY5Y cells, and that the transactivation of both receptors is ROS-dependent. Exogenous application of H₂O₂ induced the phosphorylation of these receptors in a dose-dependent fashion, similar to that observed with 5-HT. However the same concentrations of H₂O₂ failed to increase ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Yet, the NADPH oxidase inhibitors diphenyleneiodonium chloride and apocynin blocked both 5-HT-induced PDGFβ receptor phosphorylation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation. The increases in PDGFβ receptor and ERK1/2 phosphorylation were also dependent on protein kinase C activity, likely acting upstream of NADPH oxidase. Additionally, although the ROS scavenger N-acetyl-l-cysteine abrogated 5-HT-induced PDGFβ and TrkB receptor transactivation, it was unable to prevent 5-HT-induced ERK1/2 phosphorylation. Thus, the divergence point for 5-HT-induced receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) transactivation and ERK1/2 phosphorylation occurs at the level of NADPH oxidase in this system. The ability of 5-HT to induce the production of ROS resulting in transactivation of both PDGFβ and TrkB receptors may suggest that instead of a single GPCR to single RTK pathway, a less selective, more global RTK response to GPCR activation is occurring

Autophagy is increased following either pharmacological or genetic silencing of mGluR5 signaling in Alzheimer’s disease mouse models

Abstract Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by neurotoxicity mediated by the accumulation of beta amyloid (Aβ) oligomers, causing neuronal loss and progressive cognitive decline. Genetic deletion or chronic pharmacological inhibition of mGluR5 by the negative allosteric modulator CTEP, rescues cognitive function and reduces Aβ aggregation in both APPswe/PS1ΔE9 and 3xTg-AD mouse models of AD. In late onset neurodegenerative diseases, such as AD, defects arise at different stages of the autophagy pathway. Here, we show that mGluR5 cell surface expression is elevated in APPswe/PS1ΔE9 and 3xTg-AD mice. This is accompanied by reduced autophagy (accumulation of p62) as the consequence of increased ZBTB16 expression and reduced ULK1 activity, as we have previously observed in Huntington’s disease (HD). The chronic (12 week) inhibition of mGluR5 with CTEP in APPswe/PS1ΔE9 and 3xTg-AD mice prevents the observed increase in mGluR5 surface expression. In addition, mGluR5 inactivation facilitates the loss of ZBTB16 expression and ULK1 activation as a consequence of ULK-Ser757 dephosphorylation, which promotes the loss of expression of the autophagy marker p62. Moreover, the genetic ablation of mGluR5 in APPswe/PS1ΔE9 mice activated autophagy via similar mechanisms to pharmacological blockade. This study provides further evidence that mGluR5 overactivation contributes to inhibition of autophagy and can result in impaired clearance of neurotoxic aggregates in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, it provides additional support for the potential of mGluR5 inhibition as a general therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases such as AD and HD

H₂O₂ increases PDGFβ receptor phosphorylation in SH-SY5Y cells and primary neuron cultures.

<p>(A) SH-SY5Y cells were treated with vehicle (VEH) or 0.01 to 100 µM H₂O₂ for 5 min. Following drug treatments, cell lysates were evaluated by Western blot analysis as described in Materials and Methods. Data were normalized to total PDGFRβ protein expression and are expressed as the fold change (average ± S.E.M.) in phospho-1021 immunoreactivity compared to vehicle-treated cells. Representative blots for phospho-PDGFRβ 1021 (pY1021) and PDGFRβ at 180 kDa are shown. (B) Primary mouse cortical neuron cultures were treated with 0.1 µM H₂O₂ for 5 min. Lysates were evaluated for phospho-Y1021 as described in “A”. (C) SH-SY5Y cell cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 1000 µM of the ROS scavenger <i>N</i>-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min. (Data are representative of 4-6 independent experiments. * = p < 0.05 compared to vehicle-treated cells; # = p < 0.05 compared to 5-HT-treated cells, one-way ANOVA, Tukey post-test, or Student’s t-test).</p

5-HT can transactivate TrkB receptors via ROS.

<p>(A) SH-SY5Y cells were treated with vehicle (VEH) or 0.01 to 10 µM H₂O₂ for 5 min. Following drug treatments, cell lysates were evaluated by Western blot analysis as described in Materials and Methods. Data were normalized to total TrkB protein expression and are expressed as the fold change (average ± S.E.M.) in TrkB phospho-816 immunoreactivity compared to vehicle-treated cells. Representative blots for phospho-TrkB Y816 (pY816) and TrkB at 145 kDa are shown. (B) Cell cultures were incubated with 0.1 µM 5-HT for 0, 1, 2, 5, 10, or 15 min, and fold change in TrkB Y816 phosphorylation was measured with respect to vehicle. (C) Cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 1000 µM of the ROS scavenger <i>N</i>-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC) for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min. Normalized data was analyzed for phospho-TrkB Y816. (D) Cells were incubated overnight with 0.01 or 0.1 µg/mL pertussis toxin (Ptx) followed by 5 min treatment with 0.1 µM 5-HT. (E) Cell cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 1 or 10 µM of the PDGF receptor kinase inhibitor AG 1296 for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min. Western blots were evaluated for changes in phospho-TrkB Y816. (Data are representative of 5-6 independent experiments. * = p < 0.05 compared to vehicle-treated cells; # = p < 0.05 compared to 5-HT-treated cells, one-way ANOVA, Tukey post-test).</p

5-HT-induced PDGFβ receptor transactivation requires PKC and NADPH oxidase.

<p>(A) SH-SY5Y cell cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 0.1, 1 or 10 µM of the NADPH oxidase inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium chloride (DPI) for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min. Following drug treatments, cell lysates were evaluated by immunoblot analysis as described in Materials and Methods. Data were normalized to total PDGFRβ protein expression and are expressed as the fold change (average ± S.E.M.) in phospho-1021 immunoreactivity compared to vehicle-treated cells. Representative blots for phospho-PDGFRβ 1021 (pY1021) and PDGFRβ at 180 kDa are shown. (B) Cell cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 1, 10 or 100 µM of the NADPH oxidase inhibitor apocynin for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min, and results were analyzed for phospho-Y1021 as described in “A”. (C) Cultures were pretreated with vehicle or 0.1 µM of the PKC inhibitor Go 6983 for 45 min followed by treatment with vehicle or 100 nM 5-HT for 5 min, and results were analyzed for phospho-Y1021 as described in “A”. (Data are representative of 3-5 independent experiments. * = p < 0.05 compared to vehicle-treated cells; # = p < 0.05 compared to 5-HT-treated cells, one-way ANOVA, Tukey post-test).</p