Purpose Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairment (CRCI) is commonly reported following the administration of chemotherapeutic agents and comprises a wide variety of neurological problems. No effective treatments for CRCI are currently available. Here we examined the mechanisms involving cisplatin-induced hippocampal damage following cisplatin administration in a rat model and in cultured rat hippocampal neurons and neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). We also assessed the protective effects of the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine in mitigating these damages. Experimental design Adult male rats received 6 mg/kg cisplatin in the acute studies. In chronic studies, rats received 5 mg/kg cisplatin or saline injections once per week for 4 weeks. N-acetylcysteine (250 mg/kg/day) or saline was administered for five consecutive days during cisplatin treatment. Cognitive testing was performed 5 weeks after treatment cessation. Cisplatin-treated cultured hippocampal neurons and NSCs were examined for changes in mitochondrial function, oxidative stress production, caspase-9 activation, and neuronal dendritic spine density. Results Acute cisplatin treatment reduced dendritic branching and spine density, and induced mitochondrial degradation. Rats receiving the chronic cisplatin regimen showed impaired performance in contextual fear conditioning, context object discrimination, and novel object recognition tasks compared to controls. Cisplatin induced mitochondrial DNA damage, impaired respiratory activity, increased oxidative stress, and activated caspase-9 in cultured hippocampal neurons and NSCs. N-acetylcysteine treatment prevented free radical production, ameliorated apoptotic cellular death and dendritic spine loss, and partially reversed the cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments. Conclusions Our results suggest that mitochondrial dysfunction and increased oxidative stress are involved in cisplatin-induced cognitive impairments. Therapeutic agents, such as N-acetylcysteine, may be effective in mitigating the deleterious effects of cisplatin.
TRIM11 (tripartite motif-containing protein 11), an E3 ubiquitin ligase, is known to be involved in the development of the central nervous system. However, very little is known regarding the role of TRIM11 in cancer biology. Here, we examined the expression profile of TRIM11, along with two stem cell markers CD133 and nestin, in multiple glioma patient specimens, glioma primary cultures derived from tumors taken at surgery, and normal neural stem/progenitor cells (NSCs). The oncogenic function of TRIM11 in glioma biology was investigated by knockdown and/or over-expression in vitro and in vivo experiments. Our results showed that TRIM11 expression levels were up-regulated in malignant glioma specimens and in high-grade glioma-derived primary cultures, while remaining low in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) stable cell lines, low-grade glioma-derived primary cultures, and NSCs. The expression pattern of TRIM11 strongly correlated with that of CD133 and nestin, and differentiation status of malignant glioma cells. Knockdown of TRIM11 inhibited proliferation, migration and invasion of GBM cells, significantly decreased EGFR levels and MAPK activity, and down-regulated HB-EGF mRNA levels. Meanwhile, TRIM11 over-expression promoted a stem-like phenotype in vitro (tumorsphere formation) and enhanced glial tumor growth in immunocompromised mice. These findings suggest that TRIM11 might be an indicator of glioma malignancy, and has an oncogenic function mediated through the EGFR signaling pathway. TRIM11 over-expression potentially leads to a more aggressive glioma phenotype, along with increased malignant tumor growth and poor survival. Taken together, clarification of the biological function of TRIM11 and pathways it affects may provide novel therapeutic strategies for treating malignant glioma patients.
These preclinical studies demonstrated that marizomib can cross the blood-brain barrier and inhibit proteasome activity in rodent and nonhuman primate brain and elicit a significant antitumor effect in a rodent intracranial model of malignant glioma.
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