emerimicins and Disease-Models--Animal

Psychotic disorders affecting up to 1% of the human population represent pathological changes to the metabolic homeostasis of the brain. Increasing evidence in the literature suggests complex biochemical and/or transcriptional alterations accompanying schizophrenia-like phenomena. Sub-chronic treatment with sub-anaesthetic doses of ketamine induces schizophrenia-related psychotic alterations that can be used as an animal model in the study of this disorder. Ampullosporin A belongs to a specific group of pore-forming fungal peptides, peptaibols. We focused on the analysis of molecular events occurring in the brain of ketamine-pre-treated rats after administration of Ampullosporin A with neuroleptic-like activity. The complex experimental approach allowed us to correlate the use of low molecular weight substances with a transcriptome fingerprint in the prefrontal cortex. We found 63 genes to be up-regulated and 22 genes suppressed, with transthyretin, syndecan-1 and NeuroD1 showing the highest degree of up-regulation. Our results suggest the possibility that Ampullosporin A belongs to the group of neuroleptic-like compounds, inducing massive changes in neurotransmitter receptor composition, calcium signalling cascades and second messenger systems, and leading to the plastic reorganization of brain tissue, metabolic pathways and synapses.

Topics: Animals; Antipsychotic Agents; Brain; Calcium; Disease Models, Animal; Gene Expression Regulation; Ketamine; Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; Peptaibols; Peptides; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, Neurotransmitter; Schizophrenia; Second Messenger Systems; Signal Transduction; Transcription, Genetic

Trypanosomiasis is a parasitic disease, prevailing in both humans and animals, caused by a single-cell parasite, Trypanosoma spp. Three microbial metabolites, namely antiamoebin, F-857 and 6-MFA, were evaluated for trypanocidal activity by using a mouse model of trypanosomiasis, which is caused by T. evansi. The significance of the biological and biochemical parameters with respect to physio-pathology of trypanosomiasis and their implications in the evaluation of new trypanocidal compounds were discussed.

Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Blood Glucose; Disease Models, Animal; Fungal Proteins; Mice; Peptaibols; Peptides; Peptides, Cyclic; Trypanocidal Agents; Trypanosomiasis