acth-(4-7)--pro-gly-pro- and Disease-Models--Animal

Natural melanocortins (MCs) have been used in the successful development of drugs with neuroprotective properties. Here, we studied the behavioral effects and molecular genetic mechanisms of two synthetic MC derivatives-ACTH(4-7)PGP (Semax) and ACTH(6-9)PGP under normal and acute restraint stress (ARS) conditions. Administration of Semax or ACTH(6-9)PGP (100 μg/kg) to rats 30 min before ARS attenuated ARS-induced behavioral alterations. Using high-throughput RNA sequencing (RNA-Seq), we identified 1359 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the hippocampus of vehicle-treated rats subjected to ARS, using a cutoff of >1.5 fold change and adjusted

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Brain Ischemia; Disease Models, Animal; DNA Replication; Gene Expression; Gene Expression Profiling; Hippocampus; Immune System; Male; Melanocortins; Peptide Fragments; Peptides; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Restraint, Physical; RNA-Seq; Stress, Physiological; Transcriptome

The Semax (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) peptide is a synthetic melanocortin derivative that is used in the treatment of ischemic stroke. Previously, studies of the molecular mechanisms underlying the actions of Semax using models of cerebral ischemia in rats showed that the peptide enhanced the transcription of neurotrophins and their receptors and modulated the expression of genes involved in the immune response. A genome-wide RNA-Seq analysis revealed that, in the rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model, Semax suppressed the expression of inflammatory genes and activated the expression of neurotransmitter genes. Here, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Semax in this model via the brain expression profiling of key proteins involved in inflammation and cell death processes (MMP-9, c-Fos, and JNK), as well as neuroprotection and recovery (CREB) in stroke. At 24 h after tMCAO, we observed the upregulation of active CREB in subcortical structures, including the focus of the ischemic damage; downregulation of MMP-9 and c-Fos in the adjacent frontoparietal cortex; and downregulation of active JNK in both tissues under the action of Semax. Moreover, a regulatory network was constructed. In conclusion, the suppression of inflammatory and cell death processes and the activation of recovery may contribute to the neuroprotective action of Semax at both the transcriptome and protein levels.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Brain; Brain Ischemia; Disease Models, Animal; Male; Neuroprotective Agents; Peptide Fragments; Proteome; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reperfusion Injury; RNA-Seq; Transcriptome

Cerebral ischaemia is the most common cause of impaired brain function. Biologically active peptides represent potential drugs for reducing the damage that occurs after ischaemia. The synthetic melanocortin derivative, ACTH

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Brain; Brain Ischemia; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Reperfusion Injury; RNA-Seq; Transcriptome

We studied the effect of Semax on the state of intestinal microbiota in rats subjected to restraint stress. Semax was injected to Wistar male rats intraperitoneally in doses of 5, 50, 150, 450 μg/kg 12-15 min before modelling chronic restraint stress. It was found that stress exposure reduced the number of obligate bacteria in the colon microbiota, but increased the content of opportunistic microorganisms. Semax in doses of 50 and 150 μg/kg prevented the stress-induced changes in the composition of colon microbiota. The observed effects of Semax might be mediated by the central neurotropic effects as well as by binding to peripheral melanocortin receptors of the intestine.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Colon; Disease Models, Animal; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Male; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Restraint, Physical; Stress, Physiological

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common severe neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons (DA neurons) in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) region of the brain. In the present study, we investigated the effects of the synthetic regulatory peptides Semax (analog of an ACTH 4-10 fragment (ACTH4-10)) and Selank (analog of immunomodulatory taftsin) on behavior of rats with 6-hydroxidopamine (6-OHDA) induced PD-like parkinsonism. It was showed that both peptides did not affect motor activity of rats in elevated cross shaped maze and passive defensive behavior of the animals. At the same time, Selank decreased level of anxiety of rats with toxic damage of DA neurons in elevated cross shaped maze. Previously such effects of Selank were revealed in healthy rodents (rats and mice) with different models of psycho-emotional stress. Therefore, toxic damage of substantia nigra does not affect the response of the rat organism on this peptide.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Anxiety; Disease Models, Animal; Dopaminergic Neurons; Male; Oligopeptides; Oxidopamine; Parkinson Disease; Parkinsonian Disorders; Pars Compacta; Peptide Fragments; Rats

Brain stroke continues to claim the lives of million people every year. To build the effective strategies for stroke treatment it is necessary to understand the neuroprotective mechanisms that are able to prevent the ischemic injury. Consisting of the ACTH

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Antigen Presentation; Brain Ischemia; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Profiling; Genes, Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain; Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; Male; Middle Cerebral Artery; Neuroprotective Agents; Oligopeptides; Peptide Fragments; Proline; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Stress, Physiological; Transcriptome

Upon single administration, mexidol and semax only in doses of 100 and 0.05 mg/kg, respectively, produced an antihypoxic effect on mice in the altitude chamber and hermetic chamber tests. Preventive course administration of mexidol and semax for 6 days gave significant antihypoxic effect on the model of acute hypobaric hypoxia in mice in doses of 75 and 0.1 mg/kg per day, respectively, in which the same preparations upon single administration were ineffective. Neither mexidol nor semax upon single administration were effective on the models of acute hemic and histotoxic hypoxia. On various models of amnesia (except that induced by the maximal electroshock) in mice, both mexidol and semax exhibited marked antiamnesic effects comparable with that of the reference nootrope drugs piracetam and oxyracetam. Mexidol showed a linear, while semax exhibited a bell-shaped reversible dose-effect relationships. Mexidol and semax inhibited the ortho- and antidromic population response spikes of CA1 pyramidal neurons of survival hippocampal slices in rats. It was estimated that mexidol (in contrast to semax) increased oxygen consumption in rat brain mitochondria and had a linear dose-effect relationship in a concentration range of 1-5 mM. It is concluded that mexidol should be used in high doses (for both single and course administration) for obtaining antihypoxic and antiamnesic effects, while semax requires a thoroughly controlled choice of dosage.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Amnesia; Animals; Cell Survival; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Hypoxia; Mice; Mitochondria; Neuroprotective Agents; Oxygen Consumption; Peptide Fragments; Picolines; Psychotropic Drugs; Pyramidal Cells; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Time Factors

This report describes studies cf the effects of the ACTH(4-10) analog Semax (MEHFPGP) on the behavior of white rats with lesions to the brain dopaminergic system induced by the neurotoxin MPTP. Neurotoxin was given as single i.p. doses of 25 mg/kg. Neurotoxin injections were shown to decrease movement activity and increase anxiety in the animals. Daily intranasal administration of Semax at a dose of 0.2 mg/kg decreased the severity of MPTP-induced behavioral disturbances. The protective activity of Semax in MPTP-induced lesions of the brain dopaminergic system may be associated with both its modulating effect on the dopaminergic system and the neurotrophic action of the peptide.

Topics: 1-Methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Anxiety; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Exploratory Behavior; Male; Motor Activity; Neuroprotective Agents; Parkinsonian Disorders; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Statistics as Topic; Statistics, Nonparametric; Substantia Nigra

Stress increased secretory activity of mast cells in the mesentery and subcutaneous fat of rats. Intraperitoneal injection of Semax and prolyl-glycyl-proline in doses of 0.05 and 1 mg/kg, respectively, 1 h before stress abolished this effect. The test preparations did not modulate secretory activity of mast cells in unstressed animals. Semax and prolyl-glycyl-proline in vitro prevented activation of mast cells with synacten and acetylcholine. The stabilizing effect of peptides on mast cells probably determines their antiulcer activity.

Topics: Acetylcholine; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Animals, Outbred Strains; Disease Models, Animal; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Male; Mast Cells; Mesentery; Oligopeptides; Peptide Fragments; Proline; Rats; Stress, Psychological

Effects of an ACTH (4-10) analogue Semax (MEHFPGP) on behaviour of white rats with MPTP-induced disturbances of brain DA-system have been studied. It was shown that MPTP administration (25 mg/kg) reduced motor activity and auhmented the anxiety level in rats. Semax administration (daily intranasal 0.2 mg/kg) attenuated behaviour disturbances induced by neurotoxin. The observed protective action of Semax in rats with MFTP-induced DA system disturbances may be due to both its modulating influence on the brain DA system and peptide neuroprotective effects.

Topics: Administration, Intranasal; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Brain; Disease Models, Animal; Dopamine; Male; Maze Learning; Motor Activity; MPTP Poisoning; Neuroprotective Agents; Peptide Fragments; Rats

The effects of the ACTH (4-10) analogue, ACTH (4-7)-Pro-Gly-Pro, and delta-sleep inducing peptide (DSIP) on the induction of Fos immunoreactivity in the hypothalamic parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (pPVN) and limbic brain regions were studied in Wistar rats with high (resistant) or low (predisposed) resistance to emotional stress, predicted from differences in their open-field behaviour. Fos-immunoreactive (Fos-IR) cells were counted in brain sections automatically with a computer-based image analyser. Under basal conditions, Fos-IR cell numbers were greater in the pPVN in the predisposed rats, but were lower than in the resistant rats in the basolateral amygdala and medial and lateral septum. Intraperitoneal DSIP injection (30 μg/kg) increased basal Fos-IR cell number in the pPVN and lateral septum in resistant rats, with no effects in predisposed rats. ACTH (4-10) analogue (50 μg/kg)increased Fos expression in the pPVN in both resistant and predisposed rats, with essentially no effects in the basolateral amygdala or medial and lateral septum. Emotional stress (60 min restraint and intermittent subcutaneous electrical shocks) increased Fos expression in the pPVN and medial and lateral septum similarly in predisposed and resistant rats, but in the basolateral amygdala in only the predisposed rats. Intraperitoneal DSIP injection reduced the increases in Fos-IR cell number after emotional stress, particularly in predisposed rats. In predisposed rats DSIP decreased the number of Fos-IR cells in the pPVN and the medial and lateral septum, with no change in the basolateral amygdala. In resistant rats, DSIP decreased Fos expression only in the lateral septum. ACTH (4-10) analogue injection inhibited stress-induced Fos expression in the pPVN and the medial septum, but only in predisposed rats. The experiments indicate that DSIP and ACTH (4-10) analogue reduce pPVN and limbic neurone responses to emotional stress in the rats predisposed to emotional stress; the effects on Fos expression may play a role in the biological activities of these peptides.

Topics: Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Amygdala; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Delta Sleep-Inducing Peptide; Disease Models, Animal; Electric Stimulation; Emotions; Immobilization; Immunohistochemistry; Limbic System; Male; Motor Activity; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus; Peptide Fragments; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Septum of Brain; Stress, Psychological; Up-Regulation

Effects of the ACTH4-7 pro-gly-pro, calcium valproate ("Germed", DDR) and nembutal on kindling preparation and audiogenic epilepsy were investigated. Development of after-discharges in response to repeated amygdaloid electrical stimulation was assessed in normal rats and in rats susceptible to audiogenic epilepsy (KM line of rats). ACTH4-7 pro-gly-pro had an anticonvulsant profile. ACTH4-7 pro-gly-pro decreased seizure threshold in the audiogenic epilepsy test, but did not prevent the motor convulsions.

Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; Amygdala; Animals; Anticonvulsants; Delayed-Action Preparations; Disease Models, Animal; Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; Electric Stimulation; Kindling, Neurologic; Male; Pentobarbital; Peptide Fragments; Rats; Seizures; Valproic Acid