A5016540306- Adenosine and Purinergic Signaling
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Alzheimer's disease research and treatments
- Tryptophan and brain disorders
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Neuroinflammation and Neurodegeneration Mechanisms
- Parkinson's Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Stress Responses and Cortisol
- Antioxidant Activity and Oxidative Stress
- Bipolar Disorder and Treatment
- Cancer, Hypoxia, and Metabolism
- Adipose Tissue and Metabolism
- Celiac Disease Research and Management
- Nuclear Receptors and Signaling
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Metabolism and Genetic Disorders
- Neurological Disorders and Treatments
- Research on Leishmaniasis Studies
- Neurological Disease Mechanisms and Treatments
- Mitochondrial Function and Pathology
- Sphingolipid Metabolism and Signaling
- ATP Synthase and ATPases Research
- Pharmacological Receptor Mechanisms and Effects
- Urticaria and Related Conditions
- Neutrophil, Myeloperoxidase and Oxidative Mechanisms
University of Coimbra
2013-2024
Universidade Federal do Ceará
2019-2022
Association for the Development of Douro Viticulture
2018
Institute of Cognitive and Brain Sciences
2016
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2016
McGovern Institute for Brain Research
2016
Centre for Sight
2002
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by memory impairment, neurochemically accumulation of β-amyloid peptide (namely Aβ 1-42 ) and morphologically an initial loss nerve terminals. Caffeine consumption prevents dysfunction in different models, which mimicked antagonists adenosine A 2A receptors (A Rs), are located synapses. Thus, we now tested whether R blockade the early -induced synaptotoxicity what underlying signaling pathways. The intracerebral administration soluble (2 nmol) rats...
Significance Epidemiological studies show that individuals exposed to repeated stress, a major trigger of depression, increase their caffeine intake, which correlates inversely with the incidence depression. However, mechanism underlying this protective effect is unknown. We used an animal model chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) prevents maladaptive changes caused by CUS in manner mimicked selective blockade adenosine A 2A receptors (A R). enhanced R synapses, and elimination neuronal...
Consumption of certain substances during pregnancy can interfere with brain development, leading to deleterious long-term neurological and cognitive impairments in offspring. To test whether modulators adenosine receptors affect neural we exposed mouse dams a subtype-selective type 2A receptor (A2AR) antagonist or caffeine, naturally occurring antagonist, lactation. We observed delayed migration insertion γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurons into the hippocampal circuitry first postnatal week...
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is characterized by a progressive cognitive impairment tightly correlated with the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides (mainly Aβ1-42 ). There precocious disruption glutamatergic synapses in AD, line an ab
There is considerable evidence showing that the neurodegenerative processes lead to sporadic Parkinson's disease (PD) begin many years before appearance of characteristic motor symptoms. Neuropsychiatric, sensorial and cognitive deficits are recognized as early non-motor manifestations PD, not attenuated by current anti-parkinsonian therapy. Although loss-of-function mutations in parkin gene cause early-onset familial Parkin-deficient mice do display spontaneous degeneration nigrostriatal...
Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is considered a major risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD). To elucidate the links between both pathological conditions, we compared behavioral and cognitive functions, cerebral amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) levels vasculature integrity of 11-month-old T2D AD mice. For this purpose, performed tests (open field, object recognition, Y-maze, elevated plus maze tests), ELISA to assess plasma markers endothelial/vascular dysfunction, spectrophotometric assays evaluate vascular...
Abstract Neurodegeneration is a process transversal to neuropsychiatric diseases and the understanding of its mechanisms should allow devising strategies prevent this irreversible step in brain diseases. caused by seizures critical aggravation temporal lobe epilepsy, but remain undetermined. Convulsions trigger an elevation extracellular adenosine upregulate A 2A receptors (A R), which have been associated with control neurodegenerative Using rat mouse kainate model we now tested whether R...
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia worldwide, being characterized by deposition senile plaques, neurofibrillary tangles (enriched in amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide and hyperphosphorylated tau (p-tau), respectively) memory loss. Aging, type 2 diabetes (T2D) female sex (especially after menopause) are risk factors for AD, but their crosslinking mechanisms remain unclear. Most clinical trials targeting AD neuropathology failed it remains incurable. However, evidence...
GPR37 is an orphan G protein-coupled receptor mostly enriched in brain areas such as the cerebellum, striatum, and hippocampus. Identified a substrate of parkin, has been suggested to play role Parkinson's disease. Distributed throughout brain, function GPR37, however, remains unknown. We now provide first mapping within hippocampus, where widely expressed localized at level extrasynaptic plasma membrane dendritic spines, shafts, axon terminals. per se does not appear learning memory, since...
Depressive conditions precipitated by repeated stress are a major socio-economical burden in Western countries. Previous studies showed that ATP-P 2X7 receptors (P R) and adenosine A 2A (A antagonists attenuate behavioral modifications upon exposure to stress. Since it is unknown if these two purinergic modulation systems work independently, we now investigated putative interplay between P R R. Adult rats exposed restraint for 14 days displayed an anxious (thigmotaxis, elevated plus maze),...
Chronic heart failure (CHF) is characterized by left ventricular dysfunction, resulting in hemodynamic changes, sustained inflammatory state, as well increase oxidative stress. Physical exercise has been described an important nonpharmacological procedure the treatment of CHF, contributing to improvement clinical outcomes this disease. This study evaluated effects physical training on hemodynamics, muscle lipid peroxidation, and plasmatic levels IL-10 CHF rats. The coronary artery was...
Abstract Attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) is characterized by impaired levels of hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattention. Adenosine endocannabinoid systems tightly interact in the modulation dopamine signaling, involved neurobiology . In this study, we evaluated modulating effects cannabinoid adenosine a tolerance to delay reward task using most widely used animal model Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats SHR Wistar–Kyoto rats were treated chronically or acutely with caffeine,...
The lack of effective disease-modifying therapeutics to tackle Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is unsettling considering the actual prevalence this devastating neurodegenerative disorder worldwide. Intermittent hypoxic conditioning (IHC) a powerful non-pharmacological procedure known enhance brain resilience. In context, aim present study was investigate potential long-term protective impact IHC against AD-related phenotype, putting special focus on cognition and mitochondrial bioenergetics...
Adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) were recently described to control synaptic plasticity and network activity in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). We now probed role of these PFC A2AR by evaluating behavioral performance (locomotor activity, anxiety-related behavior, cost-benefit decision making working memory) rats upon viral shA2AR-mediated downregulation selectively prelimbic medial (PLmPFC). The most evident alteration observed shA2AR-treated rats, when compared sh-control-treated was a decrease...
Epiisopiloturine (EPI) and epiisopilosine (EPIIS) are side products in the pharmaceutical industry. The present study aimed to investigate anti-inflammatory potential of alkaloids EPI EPIIS human neutrophils mechanical hyperalgesia mice.Neutrophils (5 × 106 cells/ml) incubated with stimulated by addition N-formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine or phorbol 12-myristate-13-acetate. release myeloperoxidase (MPO), reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, calcium influx, gene expression NF-κB...
Coffee intake is increasingly recognized as a life-style factor associated with the preservation of health, but there still debate on relative effects caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee. We now tested how regular drinking coffee for 3 weeks impacted behavior male female adult mice. Males displayed statistically significant lower weight gain, increased sensorimotor coordination, greater motivation in splash test, more struggling forced swimming faster onset nest building, marble burying...
Leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease that among the 13 most common chronic infections in world. Current chemotherapy for treatment of leishmaniasis presents several limitations. Medicinal plants containing coumarins or essential oils have been recognized as products with antiprotozoal and anti-inflammatory activities. Our objective was to collect analyze data from literature on anti-leishmanial effects Brazilian medicinal plants, focusing species contain and/or oils. A systematic...
Microglia plays an important role in the neuroinflammatory response, identified as one of major factors development and progression neurodegenerative diseases. Amburana cearensis its bioactive compounds, including coumarin (CM), vanillic acid (VA), amburoside A (AMB), exert antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective activities, on 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity rat mesencephalic cells determined by our group. The present study investigated anti-inflammatory effect dry extract from A....