Review
Immunology
Namrita Halder, Girdhari Lal
Summary: Neurological and immunological signals interact to maintain homeostasis in the body. The cholinergic system plays a crucial role in neuroimmune communication, regulating immune response. Various molecules of the neuronal and non-neuronal cholinergic system interact to modulate inflammation and immunity.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Biological
Robert Aidelbaum, Alain Labelle, Joelle Choueiry, Verner Knott
Summary: This pilot study assessed the acute effects of CDP-Choline on the mismatch negativity (MMN) in individuals diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia, finding dose-dependent, deviant feature-dependent, and baseline amplitude-dependent effects. The results suggest a potential role of the alpha 7 nAChR system in auditory MMN abnormalities in schizophrenia and support further research on the effects of long-term treatment with CDP-Choline.
EXPERIMENTAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Johan Paakkonen, Janne Janis, Juha Rouvinen
Summary: This article introduces a set of simulation applets for visualizing the behavior of association and dissociation reactions in protein studies. These applets can be used for experimental planning, result verification, and educational visualization of equilibria. Users can input the total concentrations and dissociation constants of protein species and complexes, and the applets output equilibrium concentrations graphically and numerically.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ari Dienel, Remya A. Veettil, Kanako Matsumura, Jude P. J. Savarraj, H. Alex Choi, Peeyush T. Kumar, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Pramod Dash, Spiros L. Blackburn, Devin W. McBride
Summary: The study demonstrates that stimulating nicotinic acetylcholine alpha(7) receptors (α(7)-AChR) can reduce inflammation and improve outcomes in aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. Animal experiments and analysis of patient plasma samples support α(7)-AChR as a potential target for treating SAH.
Article
Biology
Richard J. Harris, Bryan G. Fry
Summary: The evolution of venom resistance through coevolutionary chemical arms races has been documented multiple times in the animal kingdom. Previous studies focused on N-glycosylation motifs and amino acid mutations in resistance to snake venom neurotoxins, but a new study has discovered a novel form of resistance through charge reversal mutations.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Marcelo J. Moglie, Irina Marcovich, Jeremias Corradi, Agustin E. Carpaneto Freixas, Sofia Gallino, Paola V. Plazas, Cecilia Bouzat, Marcela Lipovsek, Ana Belen Elgoyhen
Summary: The study found that the α10 subunit in mammalian α9α10 nAChR weakened the efficacy of choline, resulting in choline no longer acting as a full agonist at the efferent synapse, while not affecting the triggering of ACh responses.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Joelle Choueiry, Crystal M. Blais, Dhrasti Shah, Dylan Smith, Derek Fisher, Alain Labelle, Verner Knott
Summary: This pilot study aimed to assess the acute effect of the combined alpha 7 nAChR-targeted treatment (CDP-choline/galantamine) on speech MMN in SCZ patients. The results showed that CDP-choline/galantamine significantly increased MMN amplitudes in individuals with low baseline deviance detection levels. Patients with higher positive and negative symptom scores showed the greatest improvement in MMN amplitudes.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Ari Dienel, Remya A. Veettil, Kanako Matsumura, H. Alex Choi, Peeyush T. Kumar, Andrey S. Tsvetkov, Jaroslaw Aronowski, Pramod Dash, Spiros L. Blackburn, Devin W. McBride
Summary: Stimulation of alpha 7-AChR promotes neuronal survival and improves neurobehavioral outcomes after SAH, with increased PI3K/Akt activity playing a key role in mediating these effects. Knockout studies and cell culture experiments support a direct effect of alpha 7-AChR agonism on promoting cell survival.
EXPERIMENTAL NEUROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Kaicheng Wu, Tongjie Cheng, Zimeng Zhai, Chunhui Jiang, Xujiao Zhou
Summary: This study investigated the neurovascular coupling mechanism underlying alpha 7-nAChR-mediated regulation of retinal capillary tone. The activation of alpha 7-nAChRs on the endothelial cell membrane caused vasodilation of retinal capillaries through the nitric oxide synthase (NOS)/nitric oxide (NO)/guanosine 3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) signaling pathway. Additionally, alpha 7-nAChR increased the release of GABA, which promoted the relaxation of blood vessels. These findings provide experimental evidence for the role of alpha 7-nAChR in retinal blood flow regulation.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF PHARMACOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Giorgia Giordani, Giulia Cattabriga, Andrea Becchimanzi, Ilaria Di Lelio, Giovanna De Leva, Silvia Gigliotti, Francesco Pennacchio, Giuseppe Gargiulo, Valeria Cavaliere
Summary: Acetylcholine (ACh) is a major neurotransmitter in insects that not only mediates synaptic interactions in the central nervous system but also regulates the innate immune response. This study found that inhibiting ACh synthesis or transport in neurons reduced the activation of drosomycin, an antimicrobial peptide gene, in infected flies. Mutations in the Drosophila alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and expression of a dominant negative form of this receptor subunit also affected the transcription of drosomycin. Interestingly, the response was similar when the dominant negative form was expressed in non-neuronal tissues or hemocytes. Inhibition of ACh synthesis in non-neuronal cells also affected drosomycin expression. These findings reveal the involvement of neural and non-neural cholinergic signals in modulating insect immune defenses and highlight the role of hemocytes in regulating the humoral immune response.
INSECT BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Helen M. Kamens, Geneva Flarend, William J. Horton
Summary: The use of alcohol causes significant morbidity and mortality globally. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is characterized by excessive alcohol consumption despite negative consequences. Available medications for AUD have limited efficacy and side effects, highlighting the need for novel therapeutics. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) have emerged as a potential target for AUD treatment, as evidence from genetic and pharmacology studies demonstrate their role in modulating alcohol intake. Pharmacological modulation of various nAChR subtypes has shown promising results in reducing alcohol consumption. Therefore, further investigation of nAChRs as novel therapeutics for AUD is warranted.
PHARMACOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mina Afrashteh Nour, Khalil Hajiasgharzadeh, Fatemeh Kheradmand, Zahra Asadzadeh, Nadia Bolandi, Behzad Baradaran
Summary: Cancer treatment currently lacks a definitive cure, with most chemotherapy drugs facing limitations due to drug resistance and toxicity. Nicotine from cigarette smoke is a major cause of chemotherapeutic resistance, impacting apoptosis and cell proliferation, ultimately reducing the efficacy of chemotherapy drugs. Studies have shown that targeting nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) can improve chemotherapeutic outcomes and reduce side effects when used in combination with chemotherapy drugs.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maria E. Hammarlund, C. Joakim Ek, Sukaina Akar, Alma Karlsson, Bagmi Pattanaik, Filip Mjornstedt, Pernilla Svedin, Maryam Ardalan, Eridan Rocha-Ferreira, Carina Mallard, Maria E. Johansson
Summary: Inflammation plays an important role in the development of neonatal brain injury. Activation of alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 7nAChR) has shown to decrease acute inflammatory responses in male pups, but does not affect overall injury outcome.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bagmi Pattanaik, Maria Hammarlund, Filip Mjornstedt, Marcus A. Ulleryd, Wen Zhong, Mathias Uhlen, Anders Gummesson, Goran Bergstrom, Maria E. Johansson
Summary: The vagus nerve can regulate inflammation through the alpha 7nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (alpha 7nAChR). The genetic variants of CHRNA7 and CHRFAM7A can alter cytokine responses and are involved in immune responses. The CHRFAM7A gene may have a more pronounced role in regulating inflammatory processes in humans.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anna R. Tatarko, Anne S. Leonard, Dennis Mathew
Summary: Neonicotinoid pesticides can impair insect olfactory processing, affecting both the activity of olfactory neurons and the relative preference for odor sources. Our study on fruit flies exposed to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid demonstrated reduced neuronal activity and delayed recovery in their antennae, as well as an increased preference for ethanol-laced pineapple juice. These findings highlight the potential of using Drosophila as a model to investigate the effects of pesticides on insect behavior and physiology.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)