Bioenergetic restoration and neuroprotection after therapeutic targeting of mitoNEET: New mechanism of pioglitazone following traumatic brain injury.

Bioenergetic restoration and neuroprotection after therapeutic targeting of mitoNEET: New mechanism of pioglitazone following traumatic brain injury. Exp Neurol. 2020 Feb 10;:113243 Authors: Yonutas HM, Hubbard WB, Pandya JD, Vekaria HJ, Geldenhuys WJ, Sullivan PG Abstract Mitochondrial dysfunction is a pivotal event in many neurodegenerative disease states including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI). One possible mechanism driving mitochondrial dysfunction is glutamate excitotoxicity leading to Ca2+-overload in neuronal or glial mitochondria. Therapies that reduce calcium overload and enhance bioenergetics have been shown to improve neurological outcomes. Pioglitazone, an FDA approved compound, has shown neuroprotective properties following TBI and SCI, but the underlying mechanism(s) are unknown. We hypothesized that the interaction between Pioglitazone and a novel mitochondrial protein called mitoNEET was the basis for neuroprotection following CNS injury. We discovered that mitoNEET is an important mediator of Ca2+-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction and show that binding mitoNEET with Pioglitazone can prevent Ca2+-induced dysfunction. By utilizing wild-type (WT) and mitoNEET null mice, we show that Pioglitazone mitigates mitochondrial dysfunction and provides neuroprotection in WT mice, though produces no restorative effects in mitoNEET null mice. We also show that NL-1, a novel mitoNEET ligand, is neuropr...
Source: Experimental Neurology - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Exp Neurol Source Type: research