1. Striatal infusion of cholesterol promotes dose-dependent behavioral benefits and exerts disease-modifying effects in Huntington's disease mice
- Author
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Elisa Sogne, Margherita Verani, Francesca Talpo, Franco Taroni, Gerardo Biella, Eleonora Di Paolo, Claudia Maniezzi, Andrea Falqui, Claudio Caccia, Andrea Caricasole, Valerio Leoni, Lara Petricca, Elena Cattaneo, Elena Vezzoli, Marta Valenza, Vittoria Dickinson Bocchi, Paola Conforti, Cristina Cariulo, Giulia Birolini, Birolini, G, Valenza, M, Di Paolo, E, Vezzoli, E, Talpo, F, Maniezzi, C, Caccia, C, Leoni, V, Taroni, F, Bocchi, V, Conforti, P, Sogne, E, Petricca, L, Cariulo, C, Verani, M, Caricasole, A, Falqui, A, Biella, G, and Cattaneo, E
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0301 basic medicine ,Genetically modified mouse ,Cholesterol, Sterols, Oxysterols, Mass Spectrometry, Metabolomics ,Medicine (General) ,Huntingtin ,Mice, Transgenic ,Striatum ,Pharmacology ,Neurotransmission ,QH426-470 ,Medium spiny neuron ,Article ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Mice ,0302 clinical medicine ,R5-920 ,Huntington's disease ,Genetics ,Medicine ,Animals ,Cognitive decline ,Huntingtin Protein ,Cholesterol ,business.industry ,behavior ,cholesterol ,Articles ,medicine.disease ,Corpus Striatum ,Disease Models, Animal ,030104 developmental biology ,Huntington Disease ,chemistry ,Synapses ,aggregates ,Molecular Medicine ,Genetics, Gene Therapy & Genetic Disease ,business ,030217 neurology & neurosurgery ,Neuroscience - Abstract
A variety of pathophysiological mechanisms are implicated in Huntington's disease (HD). Among them, reduced cholesterol biosynthesis has been detected in the HD mouse brain from pre‐symptomatic stages, leading to diminished cholesterol synthesis, particularly in the striatum. In addition, systemic injection of cholesterol‐loaded brain‐permeable nanoparticles ameliorates synaptic and cognitive function in a transgenic mouse model of HD. To identify an appropriate treatment regimen and gain mechanistic insights into the beneficial activity of exogenous cholesterol in the HD brain, we employed osmotic mini‐pumps to infuse three escalating doses of cholesterol directly into the striatum of HD mice in a continuous and rate‐controlled manner. All tested doses prevented cognitive decline, while amelioration of disease‐related motor defects was dose‐dependent. In parallel, we found morphological and functional recovery of synaptic transmission involving both excitatory and inhibitory synapses of striatal medium spiny neurons. The treatment also enhanced endogenous cholesterol biosynthesis and clearance of mutant Huntingtin aggregates. These results indicate that cholesterol infusion to the striatum can exert a dose‐dependent, disease‐modifying effect and may be therapeutically relevant in HD., The study shows that striatal infusion of cholesterol is able to improve behavioral, synaptic and neuropathological abnormalities in a mouse model of Huntington's disease.
- Published
- 2020
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