Neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are affecting a rapidly increasing population worldwide. While common pathomechanisms such as protein aggregation, axonal degeneration, dysfunction of protein clearing and an altered immune response have been characterized, no disease-modifying therapies have been developed so far. Interestingly, a significant involvement of the Rho kinase (ROCK) signaling pathway has been described in all of these mechanisms making it a promising target for new therapeutic approaches. In this article, we first review current knowledge of the involvement of ROCK in neurodegenerative disorders and the utility of its inhibition as a disease-modifying therapy in different neurodegenerative disorders. After a detailed description of the biochemical characteristics of ROCK and its molecular interactors, differences of ROCK-expression under physiological and pathological conditions are compared. Next, different pharmacological and molecular-genetic strategies to inhibit ROCK-function are discussed, focusing on pharmacological ROCK-inhibitors. The role of the ROCK-pathway in cellular processes that are central in neurodegenerative disorders pathology like axonal degeneration, autophagy, synaptic and glial function is explained in detail. Finally, all available data on ROCK-inhibition in different animal models of neurodegenerative disorders is reviewed and first approaches for translation into human patients are discussed. Taken together, there is now extensive evidence from preclinical studies in several neurodegenerative disorders that characterize ROCK as a promising drug target for further translational research in neurodegenerative disorders.
Disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is characterized by degeneration of motoneurons (MN) and their axons, but is also influenced by neighboring cells such as astrocytes and microglial cells. The role of microglia in ALS is complex as it switches from an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective phenotype in early disease to a proinflammatory and neurotoxic phenotype in later stages. Our previous studies in models of neurodegeneration identified rho kinase (ROCK) as a target, which can be manipulated to beneficially influence disease progression. Here, we examined the neuroprotective potential of the ROCK inhibitor Fasudil to target the central pathogenic features of ALS. Application of Fasudil to kainic acid-lesioned primary MN in vitro resulted in a strong prosurvival effect. In vivo, SOD1(G93A) mice benefited from oral treatment with Fasudil showing prolonged survival and improved motor function. These findings were correlated to an improved survival of motor neurons and a pronounced alteration of astroglial and microglial cell infiltration of the spinal cord under Fasudil treatment. Modeling a proinflammatory microglial phenotype by stimulation with LPS in vitro, Fasudil decreased the release of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines TNFα, Il6, CCL2, CCL3, and CCL5 while CXCL1 release was only transiently suppressed. In sciatic nerve motor axons, neuromuscular junction remodeling processes were increased. In conclusion, we provide preclinical and neurobiological evidence that inhibition of ROCK by the clinically approved small molecule inhibitor Fasudil may be a novel therapeutic approach in ALS combining both neuroprotection and immunomodulation for the cure of this devastating disease.
Chronic degeneration of nigrostriatal projections, followed by nigral dopaminergic cell death, is a key feature of Parkinson disease (PD). This study examines the neuroprotective potential of the rho kinase inhibitor fasudil in the 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) mouse model of PD in vivo. C57Bl/6 mice were lesioned by striatal stereotactic injections with 4 μg of 6-OHDA and treated with fasudil 30 or 100 mg/kg body weight via drinking water. Motor behavior was tested biweekly; histologic and biochemical analyses were performed at 4 and 12 weeks after lesion. Motor behavior was severely impaired after 6-OHDA lesion and was not improved by fasudil treatment. Fasudil 100 mg/kg did not significantly increase the number of dopaminergic cells in the substantia nigra after 12 weeks versus lesion controls. Interestingly, however, high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of dopamine metabolites revealed that striatal levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid were significantly increased after 12 weeks, suggesting a regenerative response. In contrast to recent findings in the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridin model, fasudil effects seem limited in this severe 6-OHDA model of PD. Nevertheless, high therapeutic concentrations of fasudil are suggestive of a proregenerative potential for dopaminergic neurons, making further evaluations of rho kinase inhibition as a proregenerative therapeutic strategy in PD promising.
Boron has been employed in materials science as a marker for imaging specific structures by electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) or secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). It has a strong potential in biological analyses as well; however, the specific coupling of a sufficient number of boron atoms to a biological structure has proven challenging. Herein, we synthesize tags containing closo ‐1,2‐dicarbadodecaborane, coupled to soluble peptides, which were integrated in specific proteins by click chemistry in mammalian cells and were also coupled to nanobodies for use in immunocytochemistry experiments. The tags were fully functional in biological samples, as demonstrated by nanoSIMS imaging of cell cultures. The boron signal revealed the protein of interest, while other SIMS channels were used for imaging different positive ions, such as the cellular metal ions. This allows, for the first time, the simultaneous imaging of such ions with a protein of interest and will enable new biological applications in the SIMS field.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.