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Recruitment of effector T cells to sites of infection is essential for an effective adaptive immune response. The inflammatory chemokine CCL5/RANTES activates its cognate receptor, CCR5, to initiate cellular functions including chemotaxis. This thesis describes the signaling events invoked by CCL5 and its ability to regulate the energy status of activated T cells. CCL5 treatment in ex vivo activated human T cells induced the activation of AMPK and downstream substrates ACC1, PFKFB2 and GSK-3. Evidence is provided that CCL5 treatment is able to induce glucose uptake in an mTOR-dependent manner. Using 2-deoxy-D-glucose, an inhibitor of glucose uptake, and Compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK, evidence is provided that demonstrate that CCL5-mediated chemotaxis is dependent on metabolic events, since these inhibitors perturb chemotaxis in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these studies suggest that CCL5 may also influence the metabolic status of activated T cells by simultaneously activating the AMPK and mTOR pathways.

Recruitment of effector T cells to sites of infection is essential for an effective adaptive immune response. The inflammatory chemokine CCL5/RANTES activates its cognate receptor, CCR5, to initiate cellular functions including chemotaxis. This thesis describes the signaling events invoked by CCL5 and its ability to regulate the energy status of activated T cells. CCL5 treatment in ex vivo activated human T cells induced the activation of AMPK and downstream substrates ACC1, PFKFB2 and GSK-3. Evidence is provided that CCL5 treatment is able to induce glucose uptake in an mTOR-dependent manner. Using 2-deoxy-D-glucose, an inhibitor of glucose uptake, and Compound C, an inhibitor of AMPK, evidence is provided that demonstrate that CCL5-mediated chemotaxis is dependent on metabolic events, since these inhibitors perturb chemotaxis in a dose-dependent manner. Collectively, these studies suggest that CCL5 may also influence the metabolic status of activated T cells by simultaneously activating the AMPK and mTOR pathways.

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The single largest cause of compound attrition during drug development is due to inadequate tools capable of predicting and identifying protein interactions. Several tools have been developed to explore how a compound interferes with specific pathways. However, these tools lack the potential to chronically monitor the time dependent temporal changes in complex biochemical networks, thus limiting our ability to identify possible secondary signaling pathways that could lead to potential toxicity. To overcome this, we have developed an in silico neuronal-metabolic model by coupling the membrane electrical activity to intracellular biochemical pathways that would enable us to perform non-invasive temporal proteomics. This model is capable of predicting and correlating the changes in cellular signaling, metabolic networks and action potential responses to metabolic perturbation. The neuronal-metabolic model was experimentally validated by performing biochemical and electrophysiological measurements on NG108-15 cells followed by testing its prediction capabilities for pathway analysis. The model accurately predicted the changes in neuronal action potentials and the changes in intracellular biochemical pathways when exposed to metabolic perturbations. NG108-15 cells showed a large effect upon exposure to 2DG compared to cyanide and malonate as these cells have elevated glycolysis. A combinational treatment of 2DG, cyanide and malonate had a much higher and faster effect on the cells. A time-dependent change in neuronal action potentials occurred based on the inhibited pathway. We conclude that the experimentally validated in silico model accurately predicts the changes in neuronal action potential shapes and proteins activities to perturbations, and would be a powerful tool for performing proteomics facilitating drug discovery by using action potential peak shape analysis to determine pathway perturbation from an administered compound.

Name of thesis: Impairment of cellular metabolism as common pathophysiological mechanism of CNS diseases Problem definition: Every human cell needs energy for living. If the prodcution of ATP (as an universal energy carrier) is broken, cell restricts its activity first and during longterm depletion of ATP, dies. It was found, that cellular metabolism is broken in most pathologies in CNS. Disorder of respiratory chain by free radicals is the best known at Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, brain ischemia etc. Mitochondria, where respiratory chain is situated, is not only the aim of free radicals, but it is their major producer. The activity of respiratory chain decreases during the life and this phenomenan is called aging. Aim of thesis: To determine whether there is increased production of free radicals in mitochondria of rat (LE Wistar) hippocampus during the epileptic seizure. Method: Thesis involves experiment which was done with acute rat hippocampal slices. To induce epileptic seizure it was used 4-aminopyridine model. It was used fluorescence imaging as imaging method. Changes of superoxide production was detected with MitoSOX. Electrophysiological record was taken by programme Spike 2 with stimulation and recording electrode inside the slice. Results: There was no significant difference between...

O ácido indol-3-acético (AIA) é um produto do metabolismo do triptofano encontrado nos organismos animais, vegetais e em microrganismos. Destacam-se os trabalhos que atribuíram ao AIA efeitos tanto antioxidantes quanto proxidantes em diferentes sistemas biológicos. O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de avaliar os efeitos da administração do AIA no metabolismo muscular e cerebral e na atividade elétrica cerebral de ratos. Foram realizados dois grupos de experimentos. No primeiro grupo foram avaliados os seguintes parâmetros: taxa glicêmica e o ganho de peso corporal de animais tratados por 14 dias com AIA (40 mg/Kg de peso vivo, via intragástrica); atividade das enzimas antioxidantes glutationa redutase (GR), catalase (CAT) e superóxido dismutase (SOD) e das enzimas do metabolismo da glicose hexoquinase (HQ), lactato desidrogenase (LDH) e glicose-6-fosfato desidrogenase (G6PDH) nos músculos sóleo e gastrocnêmio e a atividade da enzimas antioxidantes GR, CAT e SOD e a quantificação dos produtos resultantes da peroxidação lipídica (TBARs) no cérebro de ratos tratados por 14 dias com diferentes doses de AIA (1, 18 e 40 mg/Kg de peso animal, via intragástrica). Os respectivos controles de todas essas análises foram obtidos de ratos que receberam 1 mL de tampão fosfato pH 7,4 via intragástrica sob as mesmas condições experimentais. No segundo grupo de experimentos foi obtido o eletroencefalograma (EEG) dos animais. O EEG obtido foi filtrado nas bandas de freqüências delta (0,3-4 Hz), teta (4-8 Hz), alfa (8-12 Hz) e beta (12-30 Hz) e em cada banda calculou-se a energia do sinal. Foram avaliados o EEG de animais tratados com AIA (40 mg/Kg de peso vivo) e tratados com triptofano (40 mg/Kg de peso animal), ambos por via intragástrica. Os controles para esses tratamentos foram o EEG coletado 1 hora antes e 1 hora depois da administração de 1mL de tampão fosfato por via intragástrica no mesmo animal que recebeu o tratamento. Os resultados foram analisados por ANOVA com significância de 0,05 usando o teste de Tuckey e os estimadores foram validados usando-se bootstrap. A adminitração de AIA (40mg/Kg de peso vivo) não alterou a taxa glicêmica e evolução de peso corporal dos animais, em relação ao controle. Não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os resultados obtidos de amostras de animais tratados com AIA (todas as doses) em relação aos respectivos controles para: atividade das enzimas antioxidantes muscular e cerebral; enzimas envolvidas com o metabolismo da glicose muscular; conteúdo de peroxidação lipídica (TBARs) cerebral. O método não invasivo de aquisição de EEG desenvolvido para ratos permitiu adquirir e analisar o sinal elétrico cerebral. Não foram observadas alterações no padrão do EEG após a administração de tampão fosfato. No entanto, o AIA na dose de 40 mg/Kg de peso vivo alterou o padrão do EEG do animal, pois, a energia das freqüências de ondas alfa (8-12 Hz) e beta (12-30 Hz) foi maior em relação ao estado normal e após administração de tampão fosfato. Já o triptofano na dose de 40 mg/Kg de peso vivo aumentou a energia da onda delta (0,3-4 Hz) e diminuiu na energia da onda beta (12-30 Hz) em relação ao estado normal. O método não invasivo de EEG para rato desenvolvido neste trabalho foi sensível para detectar a atividade elétrica encefálica dos animais e o triptofano serviu como parâmetro de referência, pois promoveu diferentes alterações no padrão do EEG daquelas observadas nos animais tratados com AIA. Conclui-se que o AIA não interferiu nos parâmetros metabólicos oxidativos e energéticos dos músculos e do cérebro dos animais estudados, mas promoveu alterações fisiológicas que desencadearam as mudanças observadas na energia do sinal de EEG dos animais. / Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a tryptophan metabolic found in animals organisms, microorganisms and vegetables. It is remarkable the work done to IAA antioxidants and proxidants effects in several biological systems. The main purpose of these studies was to evaluate the effects of intragastric IAA administration in brain and in muscle metabolism and electrical brain activities in rat. The experiments were done in two groups. The first one, were evaluated the following parameters: glycemic rate and corporal gain weight to those animals treated14 days with IAA (40 mg/Kg of body weight); activity of antioxidants enzymes as glutathione reductase (GR), catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD); activities of hexokinase (HQ), lactate dehidrogenase (LDH) and glucose-6-phosphate dehidrogenase (G6PDH) on soleus and gastrocnemic muscle; antioxidants enzymes activities and level of tiobarbituric reactives subtances (TBARs) in brain from rats treated during 14 days with doses of IAA (1,18 and 40 Kg/kg body of weight). All those analyses controls were obtained from rat that was given 1 mL of phosphate buffered saline, pH 7 (PBS), under the same experiments conditions as the group treated with IAA. On the second group of experiments was evaluated EEG pattern obtained from fixed electrodes on the animal skin surface were not sedated, and shown at delta frequency (0.3-4 Hz), theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) and the energy of those band frequency was calculated using a developed algorithm software MATLAB®. EEG was evaluated from animals treated with IAA (40 mg/Kg body weight) and treated with tryptophan (40 mg/Kg body weight), both intragastric. The management control for those treatments were EEG collected 1 hour before and 1 hour after the intragstric administration of 1mL PBS at the same animal that received the treatment. The results were analysed by ANOVA with great significance of 0.05 using the Tukey test and were evaluated by bootstrap. The IAA administration (40 mg/Kg body weight) did not change the glycaemia rate and the animal weight evolution, to compare with the control. Were not observed any significant differences among results from animals treated with IAA (all doses) relating to respective controls to: a) brain and muscles antioxidants enzymes activity; b) activities of enzymes with muscular glucose metabolism; c) brain lipid peroxidation contents by TBARs level. No invasive EEG colleting methods developed for rat allowed to collect and analyse electric brain signal. After an administration of PBS, were not observed any changes at EEG pattern. IAA dose of 40 mg/Kg body weight did change the animal EEG standard, the frequency energy of alpha wave to (8-12 Hz) and beta (12-30 Hz) was higher then normal after administration of PBS. On the other side, tryptophan dose of 40 mg/Kg body weight increased the delta wave energy to (0,3-4 Hz) and decreased the beta wave energy to (12-30 Hz), to compare withfthe normal standard. Non invasion EEG colleting methods for rat developed in this studies was sensible in order to detect an animals electric encephalic activity and the tryptophan became as reference parameter, due to several changes on pattern EEG to those animals treated with IAA. Concluding that, IAA did not interfere on oxidative metabolic parameters, neither to the brain and muscles of the studied animals, but promoted physiological changes that was possible to observe on animals electroencephalogram.

Com o avanço da idade observamos a queda na eficiência do Sistema Imunológico, estando relacionada ao aumento da morbidade e mortalidade em idosos. Dentre as células do sistema imunológico encontramos os macrófagos que garantem ao organismo a capacidade de defesa contra infecções, proliferação de células tumorais e reparo de tecidos. Uma das formas de reverter ou até mesmo restaurar algumas das funções imunológicas comprometidas com o processo de envelhecimento é a utilização da prática de exercício aeróbio moderado. Por este motivo, estudamos o efeito do treinamento moderado em natação sobre a função e o metabolismo de macrófagos de ratos envelhecidos. Em macrófagos obtidos da cavidade peritoneal, observamos uma melhora da capacidade funcional, através do aumento das funções de aderência, quimiotaxia e produção de peróxido de hidrogênio (H2O2) e óxido nítrico (NO-), que foram acompanhadas pelo aumento no metabolismo de glicose (aumento de consumo e da enzima hexoquinase), contribuindo para a melhora da função imune no envelhecimento. / Disorders of the immune function contribute to the high incidence of infections and cancer among elderly people. Macrophages play a crucial role in immune response, destroying bacteria, parasites, viruses and tumour cells through various mechanisms of action. Exercise is able to induce changes and modulate the immune response. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the function and metabolism of macrophages obtained from old rats submitted to moderate exercise training. Sedentary adult (2 – 4 months), old (15 – 18 months) and trained old rats were studied. The results show an increase in the function of macrophages obtained from the peritoneal cavity of trained old rats compared with old rats, regarding chemotaxis, hydrogen peroxide and nitric oxide production, as well a enhanced glucose consumption and increased maximal activity of the enzymes hexoquinase and glutaminase. In summary, our results indicate that exercise (moderate training) stimulates some functional aspects of macrophages of old rats, with a concomitant increase in glucose metabolism.

A utilização de células humanas para a produção do fator VIII de coagulação recombinante (rFVIII) visa obter padrões de glicosilação equivalentes aos encontrados na proteína normal. O objetivo do trabalho foi obter um processo de produção do rFVIII em biorreator em perfusão, devido à sua labilidade térmica. Foram realizados estudos preliminares em Spinner e biorreator utilizando uma linhagem de rHeLa, cujos resultados embasaram os estudos com a linhagem produtora rSkHep. Foram utilizados microcarregadores nos cultivos com esta linhagem devido à dificuldade de adaptação da mesma à suspensão. Ensaios preliminares identificaram a melhor condição de cultivo com 3 g/L Mic e 1 cel/mic e, a partir destes valores, realizou-se um ensaio em perfusão, com tempo de residência de 24 h, no qual as variáveis controladas foram mantidas constantes durante três tempos de residência. A concentração de rFVIII obtida foi semelhante 2 UI/ mL. / The interest in using human cells for the recombinant coagulation factor VIII (rFVIII) lies in obtaining glycosylation patterns similar to the ones found in the normal protein. The objective of this work was to obtain a process for rFVIII production in bioreactor, in perfusion mode, due to the thermal lability of the protein. Using a recombinant HeLa cell line adapted to suspension growth a group of studies in a bioreactor in batch mode were performed. These results were the basis for the studies performed with the producing cell line rSkHep. Microcarriers (micc) were used due to the harshness to adapt the cell line to suspension and to serum-free medium. Preliminary tests identified the best culture condition with 3 g micc/L and 3 cell/micc and, from its values, it was performed a bioreactor study in perfusion mode, with a residence time of 24 hours. The controlled variables were kept constant for three residence times. The maximum rFVIII concentration obtained was 2 UI/mL.