Cholines acylated with unsaturated fatty acids are a recently discovered family of endogenous lipids. However, the data on the biological activity of acylcholines remain very limited. We hypothesized that acylcholines containing residues of arachidonic (AA-CHOL), oleic (Ol-CHOL), linoleic (Ln-CHOL), and docosahexaenoic (DHA-CHOL) acids act as modulators of the acetylcholine signaling system. In the radioligand binding assay, acylcholines showed inhibition in the micromolar range of both α7 neuronal nAChR overexpressed in GH4C1 cells and muscle type nAChR from Torpedo californica, as well as Lymnaea stagnalis acetylcholine binding protein. Functional response was checked in two cell lines endogenously expressing α7 nAChR. In SH-SY5Y cells, these compounds did not induce Ca2+ rise, but inhibited the acetylcholine-evoked Ca2+ rise with IC50 9 to 12 μM. In the A549 lung cancer cells, where α7 nAChR activation stimulates proliferation, Ol-CHOL, Ln-CHOL, and AA-CHOL dose-dependently decreased cell viability by up to 45%. AA-CHOL inhibited human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and horse serum butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) by a mixed type mechanism with Ki = 16.7 ± 1.5 μM and αKi = 51.4 ± 4.1 μM for AChE and Ki = 70.5 ± 6.3 μM and αKi = 214 ± 17 μM for BChE, being a weak substrate of the last enzyme only, agrees with molecular docking results. Thus, long-chain unsaturated acylcholines could be viewed as endogenous modulators of the acetylcholine signaling system.

The ganglioside composition of Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells and the role of the individual gangliosides in binding and penetration into the cell of influenza virus were determined. EAC gangliosides identical with or close t o G M~. GMZ, G M~, G T~~ and G T I~ were characterized by thin-layer chromarography, compositional analyses, methylation analysis and mass-spectrometry. The ganglioside uptake capacity of native and neuraminidase-treated EAC cells was studied with tritium-labeled gangliosides of definite structure and the binding of influenza virus to cells was determinated by using ["Hluridine-labeled virus and by heinagglutination studies. Treatment of the cells with Vihrio c l t o l~~r n~~ neuraminidase largely decreased binding of the virus. Exogenous gangliosides with a terminal galactose unit or a penultimate galactose masked by neuraminic acid were able to restore the virus-binding capacity of ncuraminidase-treated cells, however, the main ganglioside of EAC cells, Ghfz, which carbohydrate chain is terminated by N-acetylgalactosamine, was completely ineffective. The common carbohydrate sequence of the gangliosides showing binding activityis proposed to be the main recognition structure of the influenza virus receptor on the surface of EAC cells. Penetration of labeled influenza virus into the nuclei of EAC cells was evaluated by measuring the radioactivity of the nuclei of neuraminidase-treated ganglioside-loaded cells after exposition to the labeled virus. Of all gangliosides tested only trisialogangliosidcs of the G~l b type were able to induce increased entry of the virus into the cells and accumulation of its radioactive component into the nuclei. It is suggested that G T I~ gangliosides react specifically with the virus protein responsible for membrane fusion (apparently the hemagglutinin HA2 subunit) and thus are involved in virus penetration and delivery of the virus genome to the nuclei.When interacting with cells ortho-and paramyxoviruses first adsorb to specific host receptors and then penetrate thc cell. While nothing is known about the nature of the cell surface components involved in the penetration process, some information about the receptors responsible for adsorbtion of the viruses is available. The receptors contain neuraminic acid and their receptor activity is destroyed by neuraminidase [2]. It is therefore thought that glycoproteins [3 -51 or sialoglycolipids (gangliosides) [6 -81 serve as receptors.Comparing the virus-binding activity of glycoproteins isolated from HeLa cells and brain gangliosides, Wu et al.", I showed that adsorbtion of Sendai virus required much less glycoprotein than glycolipid and concluded that the former are responsible for virus attachment. However recently it hdS been demonstrated that di-, tri-and tetrasialogangliosides can function as receptors for Sendai virus in cultured bovine kidney cells [lo, 1 11. Thus, the existing evidence of participitation of gangliosides in virus-cell association is contradictive. Moreover, the data obtained so far d...

Stabilized melanocortin analog peptide ACTH(6–9)PGP (HFRWPGP) possesses a wide range of neuroprotective activities. However, its mechanism of action remains poorly understood. In this paper, we present a study of the proproliferative and cytoprotective activity of the adrenocorticotropic hormone fragment 6–9 (HFRW) linked with the peptide prolyine–glycyl–proline on the SH-SY5Y cells in the model of oxidative stress-related toxicity. The peptide dose-dependently protected cells from H2O2, tert-butyl hydroperoxide, and KCN and demonstrated proproliferative activity. The mechanism of its action was the modulation of proliferation-related NF-κB genes and stimulation of prosurvival NRF2-gene-related pathway, as well as a decrease in apoptosis.

No abstract

Despite the wide variety of available cationic lipid platforms for the delivery of nucleic acids into cells, the optimization of their composition has not lost its relevance. The purpose of this work was to develop multi-component cationic lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) with or without a hydrophobic core from natural lipids in order to evaluate the efficiency of LNPs with the widely used cationic lipoid DOTAP (1,2-dioleoyloxy-3-[trimethylammonium]-propane) and the previously unstudied oleoylcholine (Ol-Ch), as well as the ability of LNPs containing GM3 gangliosides to transfect cells with mRNA and siRNA. LNPs containing cationic lipids, phospholipids and cholesterol, and surfactants were prepared according to a three-stage procedure. The average size of the resulting LNPs was 176 nm (PDI 0.18). LNPs with DOTAP mesylate were more effective than those with Ol-Ch. Core LNPs demonstrated low transfection activity compared with bilayer LNPs. The type of phospholipid in LNPs was significant for the transfection of MDA-MB-231 and SW 620 cancer cells but not HEK 293T cells. LNPs with GM3 gangliosides were the most efficient for the delivery of mRNA to MDA-MB-231 cells and siRNA to SW620 cells. Thus, we developed a new lipid platform for the efficient delivery of RNA of various sizes to mammalian cells.