UMLS:C0002736 - FACTA Search

Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Target Concepts:

Query: UMLS:C0002736 (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis)
19,048 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Neuroinflammation and oxidative stress are believed to be contributing factors to neurodegeneration in normal aging, as well as in age-related neurological disorders. Reactive microglia are found in increased numbers in aging brain and are prominently associated with lesions in such age-related degenerative conditions as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In vitro, stimulated microglia or microglial-like cells secrete neurotoxic materials and are generators of free radicals through their respiratory burst system. Agents that suppress microglial activation are therefore candidates for neuroprotection. We have developed quantitative in vitro assays for measuring neurotoxicity of microglia or other mononuclear phagocytes. Neuronal like SH-SY5Y cells are cultured in supernatants from activated cells of the human monocytic THP-1 line and their survival is followed. Respiratory burst is directly measured on the activated cells. We tested inhibitors of the cyclooxygenase (COX) or the 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX) pathways as possible neuroprotective agents. The COX pathway generates inflammatory prostaglandins, while the 5-LOX pathway generates inflammatory leukotrienes. We found that inhibitors of both these pathways suppressed neurotoxicity in a dose-dependent fashion. They included the COX-1 inhibitor indomethacin; the COX-2 inhibitor NS-398; the mixed COX-1/COX-2 inhibitor ibuprofen; the nitric oxide (NO) derivatives of indomethacin, ibuprofen and flurbiprofen; the 5-LOX inhibitor REV 5901; and the 5-LOX activating protein (FLAP) inhibitor MK-886. The FLAP inhibitor also reduced respiratory burst activity in a more potent manner than indomethacin. Combinations of COX and 5-LOX inhibitors were more effective than single inhibitors. The data suggest that both COX inhibitors and 5-LOX inhibitors may be neuroprotective in vivo by suppressing toxic actions of microglia/macrophages, and that combinations of the two might have greater therapeutic potential than single inhibitors of either class.
...
PMID:Cyclooxygenase and 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors protect against mononuclear phagocyte neurotoxicity. 1239 82

Our current understanding of nitric oxide (NO), cyclic GMP (cGMP) and protein kinase G (PKG) signaling pathways in the nervous systems has its origins in the early studies conducted on vascular tissues during the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. The pioneering research into the NO/cGMP/PKG pathway in blood vessels conducted by the laboratories of Drs. Ferid Murad, Louis Ignarro and Robert Furchgott ultimately led to the awarding of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to these three scientists. On the basis of further pioneering studies by Drs. John Garthwaite, Solomon Snyder, Steven Vincent and many other neuroscientists during the late 1980s and throughout the 1990s, it became recognized that NO serves as a neurotransmitter/neuromodulator in the central and peripheral nervous systems and that certain neural cells possess a cGMP signaling pathway similar to that in vascular smooth muscle cells. Although NO (at high concentrations) is toxic and thought to participate in neuronal cell death during stroke and neurodegenerative diseases (e.g. amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, HIV dementia and Parkinson's disease), recent evidence suggests that NO at low physiological concentrations can act as an antiapoptotic/prosurvival factor in certain neural cells (e.g. PC12 cells, motor neurons and neurons of dorsal root ganglia, hippocampus and sympathetic nerves). The antiapoptotic effects of NO are mediated, in part, by cGMP and a downstream target protein, PKG. Other cGMP-elevating factors (e.g. atrial and brain natriuretic peptides) and direct PKG activator (e.g. 8-bromo-cGMP) also have antiapoptotic effects which have been quantified by the new capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detector technology. Inhibition of soluble guanylyl cyclase and lowering of basal cGMP levels cause apoptosis in unstressed neural cells (NG108-15 and N1E-115 cells). The cGMP/PKG pathway appears to play an essential role in preventing activation of a proapoptotic pathway, thus promoting neural cell survival.
...
PMID:Involvement of cyclic GMP and protein kinase G in the regulation of apoptosis and survival in neural cells. 1239 44

Injury to motor neurons associated with mutant Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD1)-related familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (FALS) results from a toxic gain-of-function of the enzyme. The mechanisms by which alterations to SOD1 elicit neuronal death remain uncertain despite intensive research effort. Analysis of the cellular proteins that are differentially expressed in the presence of mutant SOD1 represents a novel approach to investigate further this toxic gain-of-function. By using the motor neuron-like cell line NSC34 stably transfected with wild-type, G93A, or G37R mutant human SOD1, we investigated the effects of mutant human SOD1 on protein expression using proteomic approaches. Seven up-regulated proteins were identified as argininosuccinate synthase, argininosuccinate lyase, neuronal nitric-oxide synthase, RNA-binding motif protein 3, peroxiredoxin I, proteasome subunit beta 5 (X), and glutathione S-transferase (GST) Alpha 2. Seven down-regulated proteins were identified as GST Mu 1, GST Mu 2, GST Mu 5, a hypothetical GST Mu, GST Pi B, leukotriene B(4) 12-hydroxydehydrogenase, and proteasome subunit beta5i (LMP7). GST assays demonstrated a significant reduction in the total GST activity of cells expressing mutant human SOD1. Proteasome assays demonstrated significant reductions in chymotrypsin-like, trypsin-like, and post-glutamylhydrolase proteasome activities. Laser capture microdissection of spinal cord motor neurons from human FALS cases, in conjunction with reverse transcriptase-PCR, demonstrated decreased levels of mRNA encoding GST Mu 1, leukotriene B(4) 12-hydroxydehydrogenase, and LMP7. These combined approaches provide further evidence for involvement of alterations in antioxidant defenses, proteasome function, and nitric oxide metabolism in the pathophysiology of FALS.
...
PMID:Analysis of the cytosolic proteome in a cell culture model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis reveals alterations to the proteasome, antioxidant defenses, and nitric oxide synthetic pathways. 1247 80

Na,K-ATPase plays a critical role in energy metabolism and ion fluxes. Its loss was investigated in the G93A mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in which the mutation of Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) is thought to lead to aberrant oxidative damage. Observed losses in spinal cord Na,K-ATPase activity exceeded all expectations. All three catalytic subunit isoforms (alpha1, alpha2, alpha3) were reduced, and the global alpha subunit loss affected not just neurons, glia, and myelinated axon tracts but even ependymal and pial membranes. Decreases in Na,K-ATPase activity were greater than losses of protein, and there were losses of Na,K-ATPase alpha, but not beta, subunits. Together, these observations are consistent with selective degradation of the alpha subunit after damage. Overexpression of normal SOD1 does not cause ALS-like symptoms, but it has other known pathological effects. In transgenic mice overexpressed normal human SOD1 had a smaller but still considerable effect on Na,K-ATPase. Furthermore, the nitric oxide-mediated regulatory pathway for Na,K-ATPase inhibition was undetectable in spinal cord tissue slices from mice overexpressing either mutant or normal human SOD1. Na,K-ATPase activity did not respond to nitric oxide donors, and the free radical-dependent step of the pathway could not be bypassed by the addition of the downstream protein kinase G activator, 8-Br-cGMP. The data demonstrate that Na,K-ATPase is vulnerable to aberrant SOD1 activity, making it a potential contributing factor in disease pathology. Moreover, the global cellular distribution of Na,K-ATPase loss indicates that SOD1 overexpression is far-reaching in its pathological effects.
...
PMID:Global loss of Na,K-ATPase and its nitric oxide-mediated regulation in a transgenic mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 1251

To determine whether or not the occurrence of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (sALS) is associated with both excess nitric oxide (NO) metabolites and decreased protective superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), we measured nitrate concentration and SOD activity in the CSF of sALS patients and in age- and gender-matched controls. We found stable NO metabolite levels to be significantly higher and SOD activity lower in the CSF of sALS patients. In addition, SOD showed a negative correlation with motor neuron axonal damage expressed as the amplitude of motor action potentials in upper limbs. Our results provide new evidence in vivo suggesting that NO products and SOD activity play a role in oxidant/ antioxidant imbalance in sporadic ALS.
...
PMID:Raised nitrate concentration and low SOD activity in the CSF of sporadic ALS patients. 1271 19

The p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK) is activated via phosphorylation in neurones and glial cells by a variety of stimuli including oxidative stress, excitotoxicity, and inflammatory cytokines. Activated p38MAPK can in turn induce phosphorylation of cytoskeletal proteins and activation of cytokines and nitric oxide, thus contributing to neurodegeneration. We investigated the expression and distribution of p38MAPK in the spinal cord of transgenic mice expressing a superoxide dismutase 1 mutation (SOD1G93A), a model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Accumulation of p38MAPK was found by immunoblotting in the spinal cord of G93A mice during the progression of disease, but no changes were detected in its mRNA levels. Immunostaining for phosphorylated p38MAPK in lumbar spinal cord sections of SOD1G93A mice at the presymptomatic and early stages of disease showed an increased labeling in motor neurones that colocalized with phosphorylated neurofilaments in vacuolized perikarya and neurites, as detected by confocal microscopy. As the disease progressed, activated p38MAPK also accumulated in hypertrophic astrocytes and reactive microglia, as demonstrated by colocalization with GFAP and CD11b immunostaining, respectively. These data suggest that activation of p38MAPK in motor neurons and then in reactive glial cells may contribute, respectively, to the development and progression of motor neuron pathology in SOD1G93A mice.
...
PMID:Persistent activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in a mouse model of familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis correlates with disease progression. 1281 52

We have established a cell culture model of spinal cord astrocytes to study the cytotoxicity of peroxynitrite. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated as a key contributor to neurotoxicity. NO reacts with superoxide to generate peroxynitrite, a strong oxidant and nitrating agent with deleterious cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects. Peroxynitrite and nitrotyrosine are formed in damaged motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which are surrounded by reactive astrocytes. To determine the effects of extracellular addition of peroxynitrite, purified astrocyte monolayers prepared from neonatal rat spinal cords were exposed to peroxynitrite (0.25-0.75 mM) for 5 min and further incubated in culture medium for 24-72h. Peroxynitrite exposure did not result in apparent cell loss or damage of the monolayer. However, a substantial number of cells adopted reactive features, with long processes displaying intense immunoreactivity to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). Western blot analysis performed 24h after peroxynitrite treatment showed that GFAP levels were not modified by the oxidant. There were no changes in cell viability parameters in astrocyte cultures after peroxyintrite, indicating that astrocytes are more resistant to the oxidant than other cell types. Peroxynitrite reacts with protein-bound tyrosine residues to form nitrotyrosine. We observed a modest to strong nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity in astrocytes 24h following peroxynitrite exposure. There was a remarkable association between nitrotyrosine and high-intensity GFAP immunoreactivity in astrocytes bearing long processes. These results suggest that peroxynitrite induces a characteristic long-lasting reactive astrocytic phenotype and provide new insight into understanding the origin of reactive astrocytes occurring in ALS.
...
PMID:Peroxynitrite-induced cytotoxicity in cultured astrocytes is associated with morphological changes and increased nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity. 1282 7

Although oxygen is required for the energy metabolism in aerobic organisms, it generates reactive oxygen and nitrogen species that impair a wide variety of biological molecules, including lipids, proteins, and DNA, thereby causing various diseases. Because mitochondria are the major site of free radical generation, they are highly enriched with enzymes, such as Mn-type superoxide dismutase in matrix, and antioxidants including GSH on both sides of inner membranes, thus minimizing oxidative stress in and around this organelle. We recently showed that a cross talk of nitric oxide and oxygen radicals regulates the circulation, energy metabolism, reproduction, and remodeling of cells during embryonic development, and functions as a major defense system against pathogens. The present work shows that Cu/Zn-type superoxide dismutase, which has been postulated for a long time to be a cytosolic enzyme, also localizes bound to inner membranes of mitochondria, thereby minimizing oxidative stress in and around this organelle, while mitochondrial association decreases markedly with the variant types of the enzyme found in patients with familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. We also report that a cross talk of nitric oxide, superoxide, and molecular oxygen cooperatively regulates the fates of pathogens and their hosts and that oxidative stress in and around mitochondria also determines cell death in the development of animals and tissue injury caused by anticancer agents by some carnitine-inhibitable mechanism.
...
PMID:Cross talk of nitric oxide, oxygen radicals, and superoxide dismutase regulates the energy metabolism and cell death and determines the fates of aerobic life. 1367 36

This review has focused on the evidence for the involvement of nitrative oxidation in certain neurodegenerative disorders (Parkinson's Disease, Alzheimer's Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), stroke, and inflammatory and autoimmune disorders (with particular attention devoted to multiple sclerosis). The relationship between protein peroxidation and pathological changes observed in the above disorders has been reported. Whereas many of the findings are from studies with animal models and autoptic specimens from human patients, few data are available from cerebrospinal fluid and blood samples of the patients at different times and disease stages. The participation of nitrative oxidation to the direct and indirect injury of neurons and other cells of the brain (i.e., oligodendrocytes, for multiple sclerosis) is clear; less evident is their relevance for the development and progression of these disorders.Further studies should be aimed to establish the clinical and prognostic value of peroxidative markers for the CNS diseases considered. This is fundamental for the development of therapeutic interventions antagonizing nitric oxide-related species damage.
...
PMID:Relevance of protein nitration in brain injury: a key pathophysiological mechanism in neurodegenerative, autoimmune, or inflammatory CNS diseases and stroke. 1466 Nov 2

Oxidative stress is now recognized as accountable for redox regulation involving reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS). Its role is pivotal for the modulation of critical cellular functions, notably for neurons astrocytes and microglia, such as apoptosis program activation, and ion transport, calcium mobilization, involved in excitotoxicity. Excitotoxicity and apoptosis are the two main causes of neuronal death. The role of mitochondria in apoptosis is crucial. Multiple apoptotic pathways emanate from the mitochondria. The respiratory chain of mitochondria that by oxidative phosphorylation, is the fount of cellular energy, i.e. ATP synthesis, is responsible for most of ROS and notably the first produced, superoxide anion (O(2)(;-)). Mitochondrial dysfunction, i.e. cell energy impairment, apoptosis and overproduction of ROS, is a final common pathogenic mechanism in aging and in neurodegenerative disease such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Nitric oxide (NO(;)), an RNS, which can be produced by three isoforms of NO-synthase in brain, plays a prominent role. The research on the genetics of inherited forms notably ALS, AD, PD, has improved our understanding of the pathobiology of the sporadic forms of neurodegenerative diseases or of aging of the brain. ROS and RNS, i.e. oxidative stress, are not the origin of neuronal death. The cascade of events that leads to neurons, death is complex. In addition to mitochondrial dysfunction (apoptosis), excitotoxicity, oxidative stress (inflammation), the mechanisms from gene to disease involve also protein misfolding leading to aggregates and proteasome dysfunction on ubiquinited material.
...
PMID:Neurodegenerative diseases and oxidative stress. 1473 60

<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>