Marine Organisms with Neuroprotective Activity: Molecular Targets and Action Mechanisms

A special issue of Marine Drugs (ISSN 1660-3397).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 October 2019) | Viewed by 24687

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Pharmacology, Veterinary School, University Santiago de Compostela, Campus Lugo, 27002 Lugo, Spain
Interests: marine and freshwater detection; toxicology; pharmacology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Marine compounds have shown an extreme diversity in both chemical structure and modes of action. There is no doubt that the future of neuroprotection will include several natural or derived marine compounds, as the literature is now suggesting. The privileged structures provided by marine organisms bring about the question of why they are producing this variety of compounds so active in mammals, but their use is potentially very promising, not only in terms of action, but also because their molecular size and kinetics favor their development as drug leads.

This Special Issue of marine organisms with neuroprotective activity seeks to highlight the potential of marine drugs for neuroprotection, with a special emphasis on the diversity of molecular targets and mechanistic effects. Original (in vitro, animal, and clinical), review, and conceptual articles on known and novel bioactive marine products with potential neuroprotective activity and its translational value are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Lydia Giménez-Llort
Prof. Dr. Luis M. Botana
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • Marine toxins
  • Sponges
  • Neuroprotection
  • Molecular targets
  • Mechanisms of action
  • Translational research

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 13940 KiB  
Article
Deciphering Molecular Mechanism of the Neuropharmacological Action of Fucosterol through Integrated System Pharmacology and In Silico Analysis
by Md. Abdul Hannan, Raju Dash, Abdullah Al Mamun Sohag and Il Soo Moon
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(11), 639; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17110639 - 13 Nov 2019
Cited by 31 | Viewed by 5867
Abstract
Fucosterol is an algae-derived unique phytosterol having several medicinal properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticholinesterase, neuroprotective, and so on. Accumulated evidence suggests a therapeutic promise of fucosterol in neurodegeneration; however, the in-depth pharmacological mechanism of its neuroprotection is poorly understood. Here, we employed system [...] Read more.
Fucosterol is an algae-derived unique phytosterol having several medicinal properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticholinesterase, neuroprotective, and so on. Accumulated evidence suggests a therapeutic promise of fucosterol in neurodegeneration; however, the in-depth pharmacological mechanism of its neuroprotection is poorly understood. Here, we employed system pharmacology and in silico analysis to elucidate the underlying mechanism of neuropharmacological action of fucosterol against neurodegenerative disorders (NDD). Network pharmacology revealed that fucosterol targets signaling molecules, receptors, enzymes, transporters, transcription factors, cytoskeletal, and various other proteins of cellular pathways, including tumor necrosis factor (TNF), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt), neurotrophin, and toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, which are intimately associated with neuronal survival, immune response, and inflammation. Moreover, the molecular simulation study further verified that fucosterol exhibited a significant binding affinity to some of the vital targets, including liver X-receptor-beta (LXR-), glucocorticoid receptor (GR), tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), toll-like receptor 2/4 (TLR2/4), and β -secretase (BACE1), which are the crucial regulators of molecular and cellular processes associated with NDD. Together, the present system pharmacology and in silico findings demonstrate that fucosterol might play a significant role in modulating NDD-pathobiology, supporting its therapeutic application for the prevention and treatment of NDD. Full article
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15 pages, 4364 KiB  
Article
Testing the Neuroprotective Properties of PCSO-524® Using a Neuronal Cell Cycle Suppression Assay
by Beika Zhu, Yang Zhang and Karl Herrup
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(2), 79; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17020079 - 24 Jan 2019
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 4744
Abstract
Cell cycle reentry is a unified mechanism shared by several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T). This phenotype is often related to neuroinflammation in the central nervous system. To mimic brain inflammation in vitro, we adopted the previously established [...] Read more.
Cell cycle reentry is a unified mechanism shared by several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and Ataxia Telangiectasia (A-T). This phenotype is often related to neuroinflammation in the central nervous system. To mimic brain inflammation in vitro, we adopted the previously established method of using conditioned medium collected from activated THP-1 cells and applied it to both differentiated HT22 cells and primary neurons. Unscheduled cell cycle events were observed in both systems, indicating the potential of this approach as an in vitro model of neurodegenerative disease. We used this assay to measure the neuroprotective effects of New Zealand green-lipped mussel extract, PCSO-524®, to protect post-mitotic cells from cell cycle reentry. We found that, both in vitro and in an animal model, PCSO-524® displayed promising neuroprotective effects, and thus has potential to postpone or prevent the onset of neurodegenerative disease. Full article
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16 pages, 3479 KiB  
Article
Anti-Neuroinflammatory Property of Phlorotannins from Ecklonia cava on Aβ25-35-Induced Damage in PC12 Cells
by Seungeun Lee, Kumju Youn, Dong Hyun Kim, Mok-Ryeon Ahn, Eunju Yoon, Oh-Yoen Kim and Mira Jun
Mar. Drugs 2019, 17(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/md17010007 - 22 Dec 2018
Cited by 72 | Viewed by 5900
Abstract
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) and progressive loss of neurons. Therefore, the inhibition of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of AD. Ecklonia cava is an edible brown seaweed, [...] Read more.
Alzheimer disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by excessive accumulation of amyloid-beta peptide (Aβ) and progressive loss of neurons. Therefore, the inhibition of Aβ-induced neurotoxicity is a potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of AD. Ecklonia cava is an edible brown seaweed, which has been recognized as a rich source of bioactive derivatives, mainly phlorotannins. In this study, phlorotannins including eckol, dieckol, 8,8′-bieckol were used as potential neuroprotective candidates for their anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory effects against Aβ25-35-induced damage in PC12 cells. Among the tested compounds, dieckol showed the highest effect in both suppressing intracellular oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction and activation of caspase family. Three phlorotannins were found to inhibit TNF-α, IL-1β and PGE2 production at the protein levels. These result showed that the anti-inflammatory properties of our compounds are related to the down-regulation of proinflammatory enzymes, iNOS and COX-2, through the negative regulation of the NF-κB pathway in Aβ25-35-stimulated PC12 cells. Especially, dieckol showed the strong anti-inflammatory effects via suppression of p38, ERK and JNK. However, 8,8′-bieckol markedly decreased the phosphorylation of p38 and JNK and eckol suppressed the activation of p38. Therefore, the results of this study indicated that dieckol from E. cava might be applied as a drug candidate for the development of new generation therapeutic agents against AD. Full article
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10 pages, 3534 KiB  
Article
Open-Ring Butenolides from a Marine-Derived Anti-Neuroinflammatory Fungus Aspergillus terreus Y10
by Long-He Yang, Han Ou-Yang, Xia Yan, Bo-Wen Tang, Mei-Juan Fang, Zhen Wu, Jing-Wei Chen and Ying-Kun Qiu
Mar. Drugs 2018, 16(11), 428; https://doi.org/10.3390/md16110428 - 2 Nov 2018
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 3458
Abstract
To investigate structurally novel and anti-neuroinflammatory natural compounds from marine-derived microorganisms, the secondary metabolites of Aspergillus terreus Y10, a fungus separated from the sediment of the coast in the South China Sea, were studied. Three new compounds (24), with [...] Read more.
To investigate structurally novel and anti-neuroinflammatory natural compounds from marine-derived microorganisms, the secondary metabolites of Aspergillus terreus Y10, a fungus separated from the sediment of the coast in the South China Sea, were studied. Three new compounds (24), with novel open-ring butenolide skeletons, were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the culture medium. In addition, a typical new butenolide, asperteretal F (1), was found to dose-dependently inhibit tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α) generation with an IC50 of 7.6 μg/mL. The present study shows the existence of open-ring butenolides, and suggests that butenolides such as asperteretal F (1) are a promising new anti-neuroinflammatroy candidate for neurodegenerative diseases. Full article
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Review

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11 pages, 621 KiB  
Review
Marine Compound Xyloketal B as a Potential Drug Development Target for Neuroprotection
by Haifan Gong, Zhengwei Luo, Wenliang Chen, Zhong-Ping Feng, Guan-Lei Wang and Hong-Shuo Sun
Mar. Drugs 2018, 16(12), 516; https://doi.org/10.3390/md16120516 - 19 Dec 2018
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
Xyloketal B is a natural compound isolated from the mangrove fungus, Xylaria sp. in the South China Sea. In the past decade, studies have shown that xyloketal B exhibits anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic abilities and may serve as a treatment for ischemic stroke. [...] Read more.
Xyloketal B is a natural compound isolated from the mangrove fungus, Xylaria sp. in the South China Sea. In the past decade, studies have shown that xyloketal B exhibits anti-oxidative, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic abilities and may serve as a treatment for ischemic stroke. Xyloketal B has been shown to interact with both neurons and residential microglial cells and regulate a number of proteins involved in the apoptotic events during ischemia. Such mechanisms include inhibition of specific NADPH oxidase subunits, upregulation of HO-1, increase of Bcl-1/Bax ratio, and downregulation of TLR4 receptor. Both in vitro and in vivo stroke models have validated its potential in preventing ischemia-induced neuronal cell death. This review summarizes our current understanding of the effects of xyloketal B in ischemic conditions. As stroke ranks second in the causes of mortality worldwide and still lacks effective treatment, it is necessary to seek novel therapeutic options. Understanding the role of xyloketal B in ischemic stroke could reveal a new aspect of stroke treatment. Full article
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