Li-Hui Zhang

Intranasal recombinant human erythropoietin protects rats against focal cerebral ischemia.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hematopoietic growth factor with tissue-protective properties, and can protect animals from cerebral ischemic injury. However, the central nervous effects of EPO as a glycoprotein is limited by the potential complication resulted from its erythropoietic activity and the problem of the penetration through blood-brain barrier (BBB). To avoid these limitations, in this study we administered recombinant human EPO (rhEPO) intranasally (i.n.) to evaluate its neuroprotective effect in the rats with focal cerebral ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). We found that rhEPO i.n. at doses of 4.8, 12 and 24 U (administered 10 min after MCAO and 1h after reperfusion) reduced infarct volume, brain swelling and cell damage in the ischemic hemispheres, and improved behavioral dysfunction 24 h after cerebral ischemia. Intraperitoneal rhEPO (5000 U/kg) also showed the protective effect, but the heat-inactivated rhEPO did not show any effect. Thus, intranasal administration of relatively small doses of rhEPO protects rats from acute injury after focal cerebral ischemia, suggesting that intranasal rhEPO may be a more effective and safer administration route for treatments of ischemic or other brain diseases.

Autophagy in synaptic development, function, and pathology

In the nervous system, neurons contact each other to form neuronal circuits and drive behavior, relying heavily on synaptic connections. The proper development and growth of synapses allows functional transmission of electrical information between neurons or between neurons and muscle fibers. Defects in synapse-formation or development lead to many diseases. Autophagy, a major determinant of protein turnover, is an essential process that takes place in developing synapses. During the induction of autophagy, proteins and cytoplasmic components are encapsulated in autophagosomes, which fuse with lysosomes to form autolysosomes. The cargoes are subsequently degraded and recycled. However, aberrant autophagic activity may lead to synaptic dysfunction, which is a common pathological characteristic in several disorders. Here, we review the current understanding of autophagy in regulating synaptic development and function. In addition, autophagy-related synaptic dysfunction in human diseases is also summarized.

HAMI 3379, a CysLT2 Receptor Antagonist, Attenuates Ischemia-Like Neuronal Injury by Inhibiting Microglial Activation

The cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are inflammatory mediators closely associated with neuronal injury after brain ischemia through the activation of their receptors, CysLT1R and CysLT2R. Here we investigated the involvement of both receptors in oxygen-glucose deprivation/recovery (OGD/R)-induced ischemic neuronal injury and the effect of the novel CysLT2R antagonist HAMI 3379 [3-({[(1S,3S)-3- carboxycyclohexyl]amino}carbonyl)-4-(3-{4-[4-(cyclo-hexyloxy)butoxy]phenyl}propoxy)benzoic acid] in comparison with the CysLT1R antagonist montelukast. In primary neurons, neither the nonselective agonist leukotriene D4 (LTD4) nor the CysLT2R agonist N-methyl-leukotriene C4 (NMLTC4) induced neuronal injury, and HAMI 3379 did not affect OGD/R-induced neuronal injury. However, in addition to OGD/R, LTD4 and NMLTC4 induced cell injury and neuronal loss in mixed cultures of cortical cells, and neuronal loss and necrosis in neuron-microglial cocultures. Moreover, they induced phagocytosis and cytokine release (interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α) from primary microglia, and conditioned medium from the treated microglia induced neuronal necrosis. HAMI 3379 inhibited all of these responses, and its effects were the same as those of CysLT2R interference by CysLT2R short hairpin RNA, indicating CysLT2R dependence. In comparison, montelukast moderately inhibited OGD/R-induced primary neuronal injury and most OGD/R- and LTD4-induced (but not NMLTC4-induced) responses in mixed cultures, cocultures, and microglia. The effects of montelukast were both dependent and independent of CysLT1Rs because interference by CysLT1R small interfering RNA had limited effects on neuronal injury in neuron-microglial cocultures and on cytokine release from microglia. Our findings indicated that HAMI 3379 effectively blocked CysLT2R-mediated microglial activation, thereby indirectly attenuating ischemic neuronal injury. Therefore, CysLT2R antagonists may represent a new type of therapeutic agent in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 partially mediates brain cryoinjury in mice

AbstractAim:To determine whether the cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLT1 receptor) modulates brain cryoinjury and whether the CysLT1 receptor antagonist pranlukast exerts a time-dependent protective effect on cryoinjury in mice.Methods:Brain cryoinjury was induced by applying a liquid nitrogen-cooled metal probe to the surface of the skull for 30 s. Brain lesion, neuron density, and endogenous IgG exudation were observed 24 h after cryoinjury. Transcription and the expresion of the CysLT1 receptor were detected by RT-PCR and immunoblotting, and the localization of the receptor protein by double immunofluorescence.Results:The mRNA and protein expressions of the CysLT1 receptor were upregulated in the brain 6-24 h after cryoinjury, and the CysLT1 receptor protein was primarily localized in the neurons, not in the neurons, not in the astrocytes or microglia. Pre-injury treatments with multi-doses and a single dose of pranlukast (0.1 mg/kg) attenuated cryoinjury, postinjury single dose (0.1 mg/kg) at 30 min (not 1 h) after cryoinjury was also effective.Conclusion:The CysLT1 receptor modulates cryoinjury in mice at least partly, and postinjury treatment with its antagonist pranlukast exerts the protective effect with a therapeutic window of 30 min.

Oxygen-glucose deprivation activates 5-lipoxygenase mediated by oxidative stress through the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway in PC12 cells.

5‐Lipoxygenase (5‐LOX) is a key enzyme catalyzing arachidonic acid to form leukotrienes. We have reported that ischemic‐like injury activates 5‐LOX in PC12 cells; however, the mechanisms are unknown. To determine whether ischemic‐like injury activates 5‐LOX mediated by oxidative stress through the p38 MAPK pathway, we transfected GFP‐5‐LOX into PC12 cells and induced ischemic‐like injury by oxygen‐glucose deprivation (OGD). We found that the transfected GFP‐5‐LOX was localized primarily in the nuclei and translocated to the nuclear envelope after OGD/recovery reaching a maximum 2 hr after a 2‐hr exposure to OGD. The nonselective 5‐LOX inhibitor caffeic acid, 5‐LOX‐activating protein inhibitor MK886, and selective 5‐LOX inhibitor zileuton attenuated the cell injury and reduced the production of 5‐LOX products, cysteinyl leukotrienes, after OGD/recovery. However, only caffeic acid inhibited OGD/recovery‐induced 5‐LOX translocation. OGD/recovery also increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), which was inhibited by caffeic acid only. Hydrogen peroxide, an exogenous ROS, evoked similar cell injury and 5‐LOX translocation, and the inhibitors had effects on the changes after H2O2 similar to those after OGD/recovery. Both OGD/recovery and H2O2 increased the phosphorylated p38 MAPK level, which was inhibited by caffeic acid and the ROS scavenger edaravone, but not by MK886 or zileuton. Moreover, SB203580 (a p38 MAPK inhibitor) and edaravone inhibited the cell injury and 5‐LOX translocation induced by OGD/recovery and H2O2. Thus, we conclude that OGD/recovery‐induced ischemic‐like injury induces 5‐LOX activation, which is mediated by oxidative stress through activating the p38 MAPK pathway.

Baicalin attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injury by inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated 5-lipoxygenase activation in PC12 cells.

AbstractAim:To determine whether the flavonoid baicalin attenuates oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD)-induced injury by inhibiting oxidative stress-mediated 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) activation in PC12 cells.Methods:The effects of baicalin and the 5-LOX inhibitor zileuton on the changes induced by OGD/recovery or H2O2 (an exogenous reactive oxygen species [ROS]) in green fluorescent protein-5-LOX-transfected PC12 cells were compared.Results:Both baicalin and zileuton attenuated OGD/recovery- and H2O2-induced injury and inhibited OGD/recovery-induced production of 5-LOX metabolites (cysteinyl leukotrienes) in a concentration-dependent manner. However, baicalin did not reduce baseline cysteinyl leukotriene levels. Baicalin also reduced OGD/recovery-induced ROS production and inhibited 5-LOX translocation to the nuclear envelope and p38 phosphorylation induced by OGD/recovery and H2O2. In contrast, zileuton did not show these effects.Conclusion:Baicalin can inhibit 5-LOX activation after ischemic injury, which may partly result from inhibition of the ROS/p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase pathway.

Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 mediates LTD4-induced activation of mouse microglial cells in vitro.

Aim:To investigate the roles of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors CysLT1R and CysLT2R in leukotriene D4 (LTD4)-induced activation of microglial cells in vitro.Methods:Mouse microglial cell line BV2 was transfected with pcDNA3.1(+)-hCysLT1R or pcDNA3.1(+)-hCysLT2R. The expression of relevant mRNAs and proteins in the cells was detected using RT-PCR and Western blotting, respectively. Phagocytosis was determined with flow cytometry analysis. The release of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) from the cells was measured using an ELISA assay.Results:The expression of CysLT1R or CysLT2R was considerably increased in the transfected BV2 cells, and the receptors were mainly distributed in the plasma membrane and cytosol. Treatment of the cells expressing CysLT1R or CysLT2R with CysLT receptor agonist LTD4 (0.1–100 nmol/L) concentration-dependently enhanced the phagocytosis, and increased mRNA expression and release of IL-1β. Moreover, the responses of hCysLT1R-BV2 cells to LTD4 were significantly larger than those of hCysLT2R-BV2 or WT-BV2 cells. Pretreatment of hCysLT1R-BV2 cells with the selective CysLT1R antagonist montelukast (1 μmol/L) significantly blocked LTD4-induced phagocytosis as well as the mRNA expression and release of IL-1β, whereas the selective CysLT2R antagonist HAMI 3379 (1 μmol/L) had no such effects.Conclusion:CysLT1R mediates LTD4-induced activation of BV2 cells, suggesting that CysLT1R antagonists may exert anti-inflammatory activity in brain diseases.

Pranlukast Attenuates Ischemia-like Injury in Endothelial Cells Via Inhibiting Reactive Oxygen Species Production and Nuclear Factor-κB Activation

The anti-inflammatory effects of pranlukast, an antagonist of cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1, may be rendered not only by antileukotriene activity but also by other pharmacological activities. Previous studies indicate that pranlukast reduces ischemic tissue injury partially through decreasing vascular permeability, but its effect on ischemic injury in endothelial cells is not known. Thus, in this study, we investigated the effect of pranlukast on ischemia-like injury induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in EA.hy926 cells, a human endothelial cell line, and the possible mechanisms. We found that cell viability was reduced, lactate dehydrogenase release was increased 4-8 hours after OGD, and necrosis was induced 8 hours after OGD. Production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) increased by 211%, 176%, and 128%, respectively, 0.5, 1, and 2 hours after OGD. Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) was translocated to the nuclei 4-8 hours after OGD. Pranlukast ameliorated the reduced viability, the increased lactate dehydrogenase release, and necrosis after OGD. It also reduced ROS production and inhibited NF-κB nuclear translocation after OGD. The ROS scavenger, edaravone, inhibited OGD-induced nuclear translocation of NF-κB as well. Edaravone and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (a specific NF-κB inhibitor) protected endothelial cells from the OGD-induced injury. However, zileuton, a 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor, did not affect the cell injury, ROS production, and NF-κB nuclear translocation after OGD. The exogenous leukotriene D4 did not induce cell injury, ROS production, and NF-κB translocation. Thus, we conclude that pranlukast protects endothelial cells from ischemia-like injury via decreasing ROS production and inhibiting NF-κB activation, which is leukotriene independent.

Regulation of rotenone-induced microglial activation by 5-lipoxygenase and cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1

The 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) products cysteinyl leukotrienes (CysLTs) are potent pro-inflammatory mediators. CysLTs mediate their biological actions through activating CysLT receptors (CysLT(1)R and CysLT(2)R). We have recently reported that 5-LOX and CysLT(1)R mediated PC12 cell injury induced by high concentrations of rotenone (0.3-10 μM), which was reduced by the selective 5-LOX inhibitor zileuton and CysLT(1)R antagonist montelukast. The purpose of this study was to examine the regulatory roles of the 5-LOX/CysLT(1)R pathway in microglial activation induced by low concentration rotenone. After mouse microglial BV2 cells were stimulated with rotenone (0.3-3 nM), phagocytosis and release of pro-inflammatory cytokine were assayed as indicators of microglial activation. We found that rotenone (1 and 3 nM) increased BV2 microglial phagocytosis and the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1β (IL-1β) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Zileuton and montelukast prevented rotenone (3 nM)-induced phagocytosis and cytokine release. Furthermore, rotenone significantly up-regulated 5-LOX expression, induced 5-LOX translocation to the nuclear envelope, and increased the production of CysLTs. These responses were inhibited by zileuton. Rotenone also increased CysLT(1)R expression and induced nuclear translocation of CysLT(1)R. In primary rat microglia, rotenone (10 nM) increased release of IL-1β and TNF-α, whereas zileuton (0.1 μΜ) and montelukast (0.01 μΜ) significantly inhibited this response. These results indicated that 5-LOX and CysLT(1)R might be key regulators of microglial activation induced by low concentration of rotenone. Interference of 5-LOX/CysLT(1)R pathway may be an effective therapeutic strategy for microglial inflammation.

Aggravated inflammation and increased expression of cysteinyl leukotriene receptors in the brain after focal cerebral ischemia in AQP4-deficient mice

ObjectiveAquaporin-4 (AQP4), the main water channel protein in the brain, plays a critical role in water homeostasis and brain edema. Here, we investigated its role in the inflammatory responses after focal cerebral ischemia.MethodsIn AQP4-knockout (KO) and wild-type mice, focal cerebral ischemia was induced by 30 min of middle cerebral arterial occlusion (MCAO). Ischemic neuronal injury and cellular inflammatory responses, as well as the expression and localization of cysteinyl leukotriene CysLT2 and CysLT1 receptors, were determined at 24 and 72 h after MCAO.ResultsAQP4-KO mice showed more neuronal loss, more severe microglial activation and neutrophil infiltration, but less astrocyte proliferation in the brain after MCAO than wild-type mice. In addition, the protein levels of both CysLT1 and CysLT2 receptors were up-regulated in the ischemic brain, and the up-regulation was more pronounced in AQP4-KO mice. The CysLT1 and CysLT2 receptors were primarily localized in neurons, microglia and neutrophils; those localized in microglia and neutrophils were enhanced in AQP4-KO mice.ConclusionAQP4 may play an inhibitory role in postischemic inflammation.