Edema in the central nervous system can rapidly result in life-threatening complications. Vasogenic edema is clinically manageable, but there is no established medical treatment for cytotoxic edema, which affects astrocytes and is a primary trigger of acute post-traumatic neuronal death. To test the hypothesis that adrenergic receptor agonists, including the stress stimulus epinephrine protects neural parenchyma from damage, we characterized its effects on hypotonicity-induced cellular edema in cortical astrocytes by in vivo and in vitro imaging. After epinephrine administration, hypotonicity-induced swelling of astrocytes was markedly reduced and cytosolic 3'-5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) was increased, as shown by a fluorescence resonance energy transfer nanosensor. Although, the kinetics of epinephrine-induced cAMP signaling was slowed in primary cortical astrocytes exposed to hypotonicity, the swelling reduction by epinephrine was associated with an attenuated hypotonicity-induced cytosolic Ca2+ excitability, which may be the key to prevent astrocyte swelling. Furthermore, in a rat model of spinal cord injury, epinephrine applied locally markedly reduced neural edema around the contusion epicenter. These findings reveal new targets for the treatment of cellular edema in the central nervous system.
COBISS.SI-ID: 32590297
Astrocytes contain glycogen, an energy buffer, which can bridge local short-term energy requirements in the brain. Glycogen levels reflect a dynamic equilibrium between glycogen synthesis and glycogenolysis. Many factors that include hormones and neuropeptides, such as insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) likely modulate glycogen stores in astrocytes, but detailed mechanisms at the cellular level are sparse. We used a glucose nanosensor based on Förster resonance energy transfer to monitor cytosolic glucose concentration with high temporal resolution and a cytochemical approach to determine glycogen stores in single cells. The results show that after glucose depletion, glycogen stores are replenished. Insulin and IGF-1 boost the process of glycogen formation. Although astrocytes appear to express glucose transporter GLUT4, glucose entry across the astrocyte plasma membrane is not affected by insulin. Stimulation of cells with insulin and IGF-1 decreased cytosolic glucose concentration, likely due to elevated glucose utilization for glycogen synthesis.
COBISS.SI-ID: 31936985
Neurotransmission and secretion of hormones involve a sequence of protein/lipid interactions with lipid turnover impacting on vesicle trafficking and ultimately fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane. We previously demonstrated that sphingosine, a sphingolipid metabolite, promotes formation of the SNARE complex required for membrane fusion and also increases the rate of exocytosis in isolated nerve terminals, neuromuscular junctions, neuroendocrine cells and in hippocampal neurons. Recently a fungi-derived sphingosine homologue, FTY720, has been approved for treatment of multiple sclerosis. In its non-phosphorylated form FTY720 accumulates in the central nervous system, reaching high levels which could affect neuronal function. Considering close structural similarity of sphingosine and FTY720 we investigated whether FTY720 has an effect on regulated exocytosis. Our data demonstrate that FTY720 can activate vesicular synaptobrevin for SNARE complex formation and enhance exocytosis in neuroendocrine cells and neurons.
COBISS.SI-ID: 33324505
There are at least three reasons why brain astrocytes represent a new target for treating neurological disorders. First, although the human neocortex represents over 80% of brain mass, neurons are outnumbered by non-neuronal cells, including astrocytes, a neuroglial cell type. Second, as in neurons, vesicle-based release of transmitters is present in astrocytes, however with much slower kinetics than in neurons. Third, astrocytes contain glycogen, which can be transformed to L-lactate in glycolysis. L-lactate is considered to be a fuel and a signalling molecule involved in cognition and neuroprotection. The mechanisms of neuroprotection are unclear but may be linked to carbon monoxide, a product of the heme oxygenase, an evolutionarily conserved cellular cytoprotectant. Increased levels of local carbon monoxide arising from heme oxygenase activity may increase L-lactate, but direct measurements of cytosolic L-lactate are lacking. A fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based nanosensor selective for L-lactate was used to monitor cytosolic levels of L-lactate while cultured astrocytes were exposed to carbon monoxide. The results revealed that in astrocytes exposed to carbon monoxide there is no significant increase in L-lactate, however, when noradrenaline, a potent glycogenolytic agent, is applied, cytosolic levels of Llactate are increased, but strongly attenuated in astrocytes pretreated with carbon monoxide. These first measurements of carbon monoxide-modulated L-lactate levels in astrocytes provide evidence that the L-lactate and heme oxygenase neuroprotective systems may interact. In conclusion, not only the abundance of astrocytes but their signalling capacity using vesicles and metabolites, such as L-lactate, are valid targets for neurological disorders.
COBISS.SI-ID: 33668569