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Molecular Targets in Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Medicinal Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2022) | Viewed by 16446

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xiaoyuan Mao

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Guest Editor

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha 410008, China
Interests: brain metabolism; neuroinflammation; oxidative stress; cell death; gap junction; extracellular matrix remodeling; neurodegeneration; epilepsy; neuropharmacology; neurotherapeutics

Prof. Dr. Weilin Jin

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Institute of Cancer Neuroscience, Medical Frontier Innovation Research Center, The First Hospital of Lanzhou University, The First Clinical Medical College of Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: neuroscience; cell biology; cancer research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Yi Wang

E-Mail Website
Co-Guest Editor

Key Laboratory of Neuropharmacology and Translational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou 310053, China
Interests: neuropharmacology; epilepsy; neural circuit; optogenetics; drug target

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Neurological disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), stroke, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) pose a public health challenge in the modern world. According to a report by World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 12% of cases of global mortality are due to these devastating brain pathological conditions. With the expansion of the aging population, the prevalence of neurological diseases is sharply increasing and will also create a great economic burden to the individual and society in the coming years. Generally, these pathologies share a variety of complex pathological mechanisms, including dysfunctional brain bioenergetics, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, lipid metabolism, and neuronal death. Exploration of the role of molecular targets involving these mechanisms and development of various neurotherapeutic strategies are of utmost for brain performance.

This Special Issue mainly covers several aspects in neuroscience research including but not limited to oxidative stress, lipid metabolism, bioenergetics, neuronal death, neuroinflammation, gene therapy, and nutrition intervention, which aim to clarify molecular mechanisms or neurotherapeutics under brain pathologies. We sincerely invite researchers in the field to contribute original research articles or reviews to this Special Issue of Molecules. We look forward to receiving your manuscripts.

Prof. Dr. Xiaoyuan Mao
Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Weilin Jin
Prof. Dr. Yi Wang
Co-Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

oxidative stress
lipid metabolism
Bioenergetics
neuronal death
neuroinflammation
gene therapy
nutrition intervention

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 3720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of 40 Hz and 100 Hz Vibration on SH-SY5Y Cells Growth and Differentiation—A Preliminary Study

by Patrycja Grosman-Dziewiszek, Benita Wiatrak, Wojciech Dziewiszek, Paulina Jawień, Remigiusz Mydlikowski, Romuald Bolejko, Marta Szandruk-Bender, Ewa Karuga-Kuźniewska and Adam Szeląg

Molecules 2022, 27(10), 3337; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27103337 - 23 May 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 4100

Abstract

(1) Background: A novel bioreactor platform of neuronal cell cultures using low-magnitude, low-frequency (LMLF) vibrational stimulation was designed to discover vibration influence and mimic the dynamic environment of the in vivo state. To better understand the impact of 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration on cell differentiation, we join biotechnology and advanced medical technology to design the nano-vibration system. The influence of vibration on the development of nervous tissue on the selected cell line SH-SY5Y (experimental research model in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s) was investigated. (2) Methods: The vibration stimulation of cell differentiation and elongation of their neuritis were monitored. We measured how vibrations affect the morphology and differentiation of nerve cells in vitro. (3) Results: The highest average length of neurites was observed in response to the 40 Hz vibration on the collagen surface in the differentiating medium, but cells response did not increase with vibration frequency. Also, vibrations at a frequency of 40 Hz or 100 Hz did not affect the average density of neurites. 100 Hz vibration increased the neurites density significantly with time for cultures on collagen and non-collagen surfaces. The exposure of neuronal cells to 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration enhanced cell differentiation. The 40 Hz vibration has the best impact on neuronal-like cell growth and differentiation. (4) Conclusions: The data demonstrated that exposure to neuronal cells to 40 Hz and 100 Hz vibration enhanced cell differentiation and proliferation. This positive impact of vibration can be used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. It is planned to optimize the processes and study its molecular mechanisms concerning carrying out the research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Targets in Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics)

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Review

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19 pages, 1607 KiB

Open AccessReview

Targeting Microglia in Alzheimer’s Disease: From Molecular Mechanisms to Potential Therapeutic Targets for Small Molecules

by Ziyad M. Althafar

Molecules 2022, 27(13), 4124; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27134124 - 27 Jun 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3516

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common, progressive, and devastating neurodegenerative disorder that mainly affects the elderly. Microglial dysregulation, amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques, and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of AD. In the brain, microglia play roles as immune cells to provide protection against virus injuries and diseases. They have significant contributions in the development of the brain, cognition, homeostasis of the brain, and plasticity. Multiple studies have confirmed that uncontrolled microglial function can result in impaired microglial mitophagy, induced Aβ accumulation and tau pathology, and a chronic neuroinflammatory environment. In the brain, most of the genes that are associated with AD risk are highly expressed by microglia. Although it was initially regarded that microglia reaction is incidental and induced by dystrophic neurites and Aβ plaques. Nonetheless, it has been reported by genome-wide association studies that most of the risk loci for AD are located in genes that are occasionally uniquely and highly expressed in microglia. This finding further suggests that microglia play significant roles in early AD stages and they be targeted for the development of novel therapeutics. In this review, we have summarized the molecular pathogenesis of AD, microglial activities in the adult brain, the role of microglia in the aging brain, and the role of microglia in AD. We have also particularly focused on the significance of targeting microglia for the treatment of AD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Targets in Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics)

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21 pages, 5351 KiB

Open AccessReview

The Role of Saponins in the Treatment of Neuropathic Pain

by Bei Tan, Xueqing Wu, Jie Yu and Zhong Chen

Molecules 2022, 27(12), 3956; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules27123956 - 20 Jun 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2507

Abstract

Neuropathic pain is a chronic pain caused by tissue injury or disease involving the somatosensory nervous system, which seriously affects the patient’s body function and quality of life. At present, most clinical medications for the treatment of neuropathic pain, including antidepressants, antiepileptic drugs, or analgesics, often have limited efficacy and non-negligible side effects. As a bioactive and therapeutic component extracted from Chinese herbal medicine, the role of the effective compounds in the prevention and treatment of neuropathic pain have gradually become a research focus to explore new analgesics. Notably, saponins have shown analgesic effects in a large number of animal models. In this review, we summarized the most updated information of saponins, related to their analgesic effects in neuropathic pain, and the recent progress on the research of therapeutic targets and the potential mechanisms. Furthermore, we put up with some perspectives on future investigation to reveal the precise role of saponins in neuropathic pain. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Targets in Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics)

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15 pages, 1495 KiB

Open AccessReview

CD47 in the Brain and Neurodegeneration: An Update on the Role in Neuroinflammatory Pathways

by Seyed Mohammad Gheibihayat, Ricardo Cabezas, Nikita G. Nikiforov, Tannaz Jamialahmadi, Thomas P. Johnston and Amirhossein Sahebkar

Molecules 2021, 26(13), 3943; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules26133943 - 28 Jun 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 5133

Abstract

CD47 is a receptor belonging to the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily and broadly expressed on cell membranes. Through interactions with ligands such as SIRPα, TSP-1, integrins, and SH2-domain bearing protein tyrosine phosphatase substrate-1 (SHPS-1), CD47 regulates numerous functions like cell adhesion, proliferation, apoptosis, migration, homeostasis, and the immune system. In this aspect, previous research has shown that CD47 modulates phagocytosis via macrophages, the transmigration of neutrophils, and the activation of T-cells, dendritic cells, and B-cells. Moreover, several studies have reported the increased expression of the CD47 receptor in a variety of diseases, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic myeloid leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), multiple myeloma (MM), bladder cancer, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), Gaucher disease, Multiple Sclerosis and stroke among others. The ubiquitous expression of the CD47 cell receptor on most resident cells of the CNS has previously been established through different methodologies. However, there is little information concerning its precise functions in the development of different neurodegenerative pathologies in the CNS. Consequently, further research pertaining to the specific functions and roles of CD47 and SIRP is required prior to its exploitation as a druggable approach for the targeting of various neurodegenerative diseases that affect the human population. The present review attempts to summarize the role of both CD47 and SIRP and their therapeutic potential in neurodegenerative disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Molecular Targets in Neuroscience and Neurotherapeutics)

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