Aggravation of cognitive impairments in the valproic acid‐induced animal model of autism in BALB/c mice infected with <i>Toxoplasma gondii</i>

Sheikhshoaee, Saeed; Taheri, Farahnaz; Esmaeilpour, Khadijeh; Firouzeh, Nima; Fard, Saeid Reza Nourollahi

doi:10.1002/jdn.10308

Cited by 3 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 43 publications

(62 reference statements)

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“…An in vivo study evaluating the intrauterine exposure of mice to 0.4% of valproic acid identified alterations in social interaction and cognitive functions, hypersensitivity to heat and pain stimuli in offspring exposed during gestation, behaviors characteristic of ASD [ 77 ]. In this context, several studies have used the animal model of autism induced by valproic acid to study changes related to ASD, with the administration of VPA ranging from 500/600 mg/kg [ 78 , 79 , 80 ].…”

Section: The Influence Of Environmental Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Possible Origins in Pregnancy

Botelho,

Silva,

Borbely

2024

IJERPH

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) belongs to the group of neurodevelopmental disorders, and has a high prevalence, affecting 1 in 100 children according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO). To be diagnosed with ASD, the child must have persistent deficits in communication and social interactions, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Despite its prevalence, the etiology of ASD is still uncertain, with multifactorial characteristics, including those associated with the gestational period, where maternal exposure to biological, chemical, or physical hazards occurs, some of which have already been proposed as causes of ASD outcomes. Since pregnancy requires a balance between the maternal–fetal binomial, the breakdown of this balance caused by such environmental hazards can lead to altered fetal neurodevelopment, including ASD. With this firmly in mind, this review aims to compile the most recent data on the gestational causes that may be associated with the development of ASD to help health professionals identify risk factors and act for the prevention and management of ASD.

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Section: The Influence Of Environmental Hazardsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Possible Origins in Pregnancy

Botelho,

Silva,

Borbely

2024

IJERPH

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“…Some studies suggested that LT may indirectly resulted to higher risk perception [77,78], impaired decision-making [34,68], lower novelty seeking [79,80], higher occurrence of intermittent explosive disorder (rage) [32], lower intelligence quotients (IQ), mental retardation, epilepsy, headache and migraine [2,30,51], and childhood autism in humans [81] and aggravating the cognitive impairments including social communication, recognition memory and avoidance memory in an animal model of autism [82].…”

Section: Behavioural and Personality Traitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of Immunological and Neuropsychobehavioral Effects of Latent Toxoplasmosis on Humans

Kazemi Arababadi,

Abdollahi,

Ramezani

et al. 2024

Parasite Immunology

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Toxoplasmosis as a zoonotic disease has a worldwide distribution and can infect a wide range of animal hosts, as well as at least one third of the world's human population. The disease is usually mild or asymptomatic in immunocompetent individuals, but dormant tissue cysts survive especially in the brain for the host lifespan, known as latent toxoplasmosis (LT). Recent studies suggest that LT can have certain neurological, immunological psychological and behavioural effects on human including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, Alzheimer's disease, depression, suicide anxiety and sleeping disorders. LT effects are controversial, and their exact mechanisms of action is not yet fully understood. This review aims to provide an overview of the potential effects, their basic mechanisms including alteration of neurotransmitter levels, immune activation in the central nervous system and induction of oxidative stress. Additionally, beneficial effects of LT, and an explanation of the effects within the framework of manipulation hypothesis, and finally, the challenges and limitations of the current research are discussed.

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Molecular Mimicry between Toxoplasma gondii B-Cell Epitopes and Neurodevelopmental Proteins: An Immunoinformatic Approach

Meza-Sosa,

Valle-Garcia,

González-Conchillos

et al. 2024

Biomolecules

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Epidemiological studies and meta-analyses have shown a strong association between high seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii) and schizophrenia. Schizophrenic patients showed higher levels of anti-Toxoplasma immunoglobulins M and G (IgM and IgG) when compared to healthy controls. Previously, in a rat model, we demonstrated that the progeny of mothers immunized with T. gondii lysates before gestation had behavioral and social impairments during adulthood. Therefore, we suggested that T. gondii infection can trigger autoreactivity by molecularly mimicking host brain proteins. Here, we aimed to identify the occurrence of antigenic mimicry between T. gondii epitopes and host brain proteins. Using a bioinformatic approach, we predicted T. gondii RH-88 B cell epitopes and compared them to human cell-surface proteins involved in brain development and differentiation (BrainS). Five different algorithms for B-cell-epitope prediction were used and compared, resulting in 8584 T. gondii epitopes. We then compared T. gondii predicted epitopes to BrainS proteins by local sequence alignments using BLASTP. T. gondii immunogenic epitopes significantly overlapped with 42 BrainS proteins. Among these overlapping proteins essential for brain development and differentiation, we identified HSP90 and NOTCH receptors as the proteins most likely to be targeted by the maternally generated pathogenic antibodies due to their topological overlap at the extracellular region of their sequence. This analysis highlights the relevance of pregestational clinical surveillance and screening for potential pathogenic anti-T. gondii antibodies. It also identifies potential targets for the design of vaccines that could prevent behavioral and cognitive impairments associated with pre-gestational T. gondii exposure.

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Aggravation of cognitive impairments in the valproic acid‐induced animal model of autism in BALB/c mice infected with Toxoplasma gondii

Cited by 3 publications

References 43 publications

The Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Possible Origins in Pregnancy

The Autism Spectrum Disorder and Its Possible Origins in Pregnancy

A Review of Immunological and Neuropsychobehavioral Effects of Latent Toxoplasmosis on Humans

Molecular Mimicry between Toxoplasma gondii B-Cell Epitopes and Neurodevelopmental Proteins: An Immunoinformatic Approach

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