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Precision Medicine and Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disorders
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Precision Medicine and Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disorders

A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Neurobiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 12509

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Kohji Fukunaga

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan
Interests: CaMKI; neuropsychiatry disorders; drug addiction; neuroinflammation; dementia
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear colleagues,

The molecular mechanisms and biomarkers for refractory neurodegenerative disorders have been addressed within the last ten years, suggesting that precision medicine and therapeutics will be available within several decades. For instance, mechanisms for protein aggregation, spreading, and metabolism of misfolding proteins such as amyloid beta, alpha-synuclein, phosphorylated tau, and TDP43 are well documented and diagnosis with CSF biomarkers are currently established. However, we should accelerate the translational clinical research of precision medicine for patient and their families. In this Special Issue, we invite you to submit your novel therapeutic strategy and diagnosis for neurodegeneration including Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease, and frontotemporal lobar degeneration and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to accelerate the drug development. Papers exploring the development of neuroprotective drugs for brain injuries are also welcome to this Special Issue.
Reviews and original works will be published as early as possible.

Prof. Dr. Kohji Fukunaga
Guest Editor

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. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1415 KiB  
Article
Anti-Epileptic Effects of FABP3 Ligand MF1 through the Benzodiazepine Recognition Site of the GABAA Receptor
by Yasushi Yabuki, Jiaqi Liu, Ichiro Kawahata, Hisanao Izumi, Yasuharu Shinoda, Kohei Koga, Shinya Ueno, Norifumi Shioda and Kohji Fukunaga
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(15), 5525; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21155525 - 1 Aug 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3159
Abstract
Recently, we developed the fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) ligand MF1 (4-(2-(1-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)phenoxy) butanoic acid) as a therapeutic candidate for α-synucleinopathies. MF1 shows affinity towards γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA) receptor, but its effect on the receptor remains unclear. Here, we investigate the [...] Read more.
Recently, we developed the fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) ligand MF1 (4-(2-(1-(2-chlorophenyl)-5-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-3-yl)phenoxy) butanoic acid) as a therapeutic candidate for α-synucleinopathies. MF1 shows affinity towards γ-aminobutyric acid type-A (GABAA) receptor, but its effect on the receptor remains unclear. Here, we investigate the pharmacological properties of MF1 on the GABAA receptor overexpressed in Neuro2A cells. While MF1 (1–100 μm) alone failed to evoke GABA currents, MF1 (1 μm) promoted GABA currents during GABA exposure (1 and 10 μm). MF1-promoted GABA currents were blocked by flumazenil (10 μm) treatment, suggesting that MF1 enhances receptor function via the benzodiazepine recognition site. Acute and chronic administration of MF1 (0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly attenuated status epilepticus (SE) and the mortality rate in pilocarpine (PILO: 300 mg/kg, i.p.)-treated mice, similar to diazepam (DZP: 5.0 mg/kg, i.p.). The anti-epileptic effects of DZP (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.) and MF1 (0.3 mg/kg, p.o.) were completely abolished by flumazenil (25 mg/kg, i.p.) treatment. Pentylenetetrazol (PTZ: 90 mg/kg, i.p.)-induced seizures in mice were suppressed by DZP (5.0 mg/kg, i.p.), but not MF1. Collectively, this suggests that MF1 is a mild enhancer of the GABAA receptor and exercises anti-epileptic effects through the receptor’s benzodiazepine recognition site in PILO-induced SE models. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Medicine and Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disorders)
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19 pages, 3405 KiB  
Article
SAK3 Administration Improves Spine Abnormalities and Cognitive Deficits in AppNL-G-F/NL-G-F Knock-in Mice by Increasing Proteasome Activity through CaMKII/Rpt6 Signaling
by Hisanao Izumi, Ichiro Kawahata, Yasuharu Shinoda, Fred J. Helmstetter and Kohji Fukunaga
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(11), 3833; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21113833 - 28 May 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3552
Abstract
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neuropathological hallmarks consisting of accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Recently, we have identified a new AD therapeutic candidate, ethyl-8′-methyl-2′,4-dioxo-2-(piperidin-1-yl)-2′H-spiro[cyclopentane-1,3′-imidazo [1,2-a] pyridin]-2-ene-3-carboxylate (SAK3), which [...] Read more.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is characterized by neuropathological hallmarks consisting of accumulation of extracellular amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFT). Recently, we have identified a new AD therapeutic candidate, ethyl-8′-methyl-2′,4-dioxo-2-(piperidin-1-yl)-2′H-spiro[cyclopentane-1,3′-imidazo [1,2-a] pyridin]-2-ene-3-carboxylate (SAK3), which ameliorates the AD-like pathology in AppNL-F/NL-F knock-in mice. However, the detailed mechanism underlying the therapeutic effects of SAK3 remains unclear. In this study, we found that SAK3 administration improved the reduced proteasome activity through the activation of CaMKII/Rpt6 signaling in AppNL-F/NL-F knock-in (NL-G-F) mice. Moreover, spine abnormalities observed in NL-G-F mice were significantly reversed by SAK3 administration. Along with this, cognitive impairments found in NL-G-F mice were markedly ameliorated by SAK3. In summary, our data suggest that SAK3 administration increases the activity of the proteasome via activation of the CaMKII/Rpt6 signaling pathway, contributing to improvements in spine abnormalities and cognitive deficits in NL-G-F mice. Overall, our findings suggest that SAK3 might be a new attractive drug candidate, representing a new mechanism for the treatment of AD pathology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Medicine and Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disorders)
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19 pages, 3543 KiB  
Article
Fatty Acid Binding Protein 3 Enhances the Spreading and Toxicity of α-Synuclein in Mouse Brain
by Yasushi Yabuki, Kazuya Matsuo, Ichiro Kawahata, Naoya Fukui, Tomohiro Mizobata, Yasushi Kawata, Yuji Owada, Norifumi Shioda and Kohji Fukunaga
Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21(6), 2230; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms21062230 - 23 Mar 2020
Cited by 35 | Viewed by 5247
Abstract
Oligomerization and/or aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) triggers α-synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. It is known that α-Syn can spread in the brain like prions; however, the mechanism remains unclear. We demonstrated that fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) [...] Read more.
Oligomerization and/or aggregation of α-synuclein (α-Syn) triggers α-synucleinopathies such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. It is known that α-Syn can spread in the brain like prions; however, the mechanism remains unclear. We demonstrated that fatty acid binding protein 3 (FABP3) promotes propagation of α-Syn in mouse brain. Animals were injected with mouse or human α-Syn pre-formed fibrils (PFF) into the bilateral substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc). Two weeks after injection of mouse α-Syn PFF, wild-type (WT) mice exhibited motor and cognitive deficits, whereas FABP3 knock-out (Fabp3−/−) mice did not. The number of phosphorylated α-Syn (Ser-129)-positive cells was significantly decreased in Fabp3−/− mouse brain compared to that in WT mice. The SNpc was unilaterally infected with AAV-GFP/FABP3 in Fabp3−/− mice to confirm the involvement of FABP3 in the development of α-Syn PFF toxicity. The number of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)- and phosphorylated α-Syn (Ser-129)-positive cells following α-Syn PFF injection significantly decreased in Fabp3−/− mice and markedly increased by AAV-GFP/FABP3 infection. Finally, we confirmed that the novel FABP3 inhibitor MF1 significantly antagonized motor and cognitive impairments by preventing α-Syn spreading following α-Syn PFF injection. Overall, FABP3 enhances α-Syn spreading in the brain following α-Syn PFF injection, and the FABP3 ligand MF1 represents an attractive therapeutic candidate for α-synucleinopathy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Precision Medicine and Therapy for Neurodegenerative Disorders)
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