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No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Sept. 10, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Les cellules de Schwann sont responsables de la myélinisation du système nerveuxpériphérique. C’est un phénomène complexe et finement régulé. En effet, des altérationsde l’expression touchant les protéines de la myéline périphérique (P0 et PMP22)peuvent provoquer des pathologies comme la Charcot‐Marie‐Tooth. Par ailleurs, lescellules de Schwann subissent d’importantes modifications de leur cytosquelette aucours du processus de myélinisation.Nous avons identifié la voie Wnt/β‐caténine comme directement impliquées dansla régulation de l’expression des gènes de la myéline P0 et PMP22 à la fois in vitro maiségalement in vivo. De plus, nous avons initié la démonstration de l’implication de la voieWnt non canonique au cours de ce même processus. Par ailleurs, nous avons montré queles ligands Wnts aussi bien canoniques que non canoniques pouvaient provoquerl’allongement des extensions des cellules de Schwann. Le chlorure de lithium est uninhibiteur de la GSK3β, mimant l’activation de la voie Wnt/β‐caténine. Il provoque unimportant allongement des cellules de Schwann accompagné de profonds remaniementsde l’architecture interne. Par la suite nous nous sommes intéressés aux effets d’unelésion sur la remyélinisation. La voie Wnt/β‐caténine est réactivée par une lésion in vitrotandis que le lithium accélère la récupération fonctionnelle du battement des vibrissesde souris après pincement du nerf facial, améliore les structures de la gaine de myélineet induit l’expression des gènes de la myéline in vivo.ConclusionNotre travail a mis en évidence le rôle majeur des voies Wnt canoniques et noncanoniques dans la régulation de l’expression de gènes de la myéline et dans lecytosquelette des cellules de Schwann. / The myelination is performed by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system.Myelination involves the extension of large sheaths of membranes and their wrapping around axons, accompanied by the coordinated synthesis of a variety of myelin components, including myelin‐specific proteins (MPZ and PMP22).We identified the Wnt/β‐caténin pathway as an essential and direct driver of myelin gene expression and myelinogenesis. Moreover, we identified non canonical Wnt protein as regulators of myelin genes expression MPZ and PMP22. Canonical and non canonical Wnt protein elongate the Schwann cells in vitro by microtubules stabilizationmechanisms.We used lithium chloride, an inhibitor of GSK3β to test either effects on Schwann cells cytoskeleton and recovery after nerve crash in vivo. Lithium chloride provokes Schwann cells elongation and biochemicals modifications by enhencing cholesterol as we show by IR spectroscopy. Lithium chloride accelerates the recovery of the whisker mouvements after nerve crash, provokes the remyelination of sciatic neve after crush and stimulates myelin genes expression.ConclusionWe have identified Wnt pathways as direct driver of myelin genes expression and important for cytoskeleton stabolization. Our findings, open new perspectivesin the treatment of nerves demyelination by administration of GSK3βinhibitors like lithium.

Lithium continues to be widely prescribed for the management of bipolar disease, yet cognitive impairment-related side effects promote noncompliance of the treatment regimen. We have introduced a novel animal model, the black molly fish, to study dose-response effects of lithium on short-term (STM) and long-term (LTM) memories. We developed a method utilizing capillary ion analysis (CIA), to measure plasma and brain lithium levels employed in our behavioral studies. We then developed an appropriate testing environment to ascertain learning capacities of these fish. We established that black mollies could adequately perform a forced-choice spontaneous alternation (SA) task used extensively in rodents as an index of spatial STM. Employing this paradigm we designed a dose-response experiment utilizing chronic lithium regimens with a wide range of dosage groups to assess STM in the black molly. Results of the experiment indicated a robust effect in which performances of all dose groups were impaired in different degrees but not dose dependently. Using the same dosing regimen, we tested subjects in a place-learning task to assess dose-response effects of lithium on spatial LTM. A variety of performance measures were analyzed presenting a consistent theme implicating significant impairment with the high dose group. CIA results for the STM and LTM experiments revealed consistent linear relationships between mean plasma and brain lithium levels and lithium dosages. We have immunolocalized a 5-HT1A-like receptor from the caudal midbrain of black mollies, an area structurally homologous to the mammalian raphe nuclei. This autoinhibitory receptor is considered to be involved in the regulation of firing of raphe serotonergic fibers and 5-HT release in terminal projection areas such as the hippocampus and frontal cortex. Downregulation of these receptors initiates excessive serotonin availability that may relieve symptoms of depression yet paradoxically impair cognition. It is unclear whether activity in the presynaptic raphe nuclei or the postsynaptic projection areas is responsible for these phenomena. Because the black molly is not equipped with postsynaptic 5-HT1A receptors it offers a unique opportunity to study the effects of lithium on the presynaptic form of the receptor without compensating effects of the postsynaptic form exhibited in the mammal.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) has a dramatic impact on our society in terms of mortality, morbidity, and inherently high financial costs. Formidable research efforts are being addressed to the identification of neuroprotective agents capable of ameliorating the neurological outcome after TBI. Preclinical studies have recently demonstrated lithium to be a promising neuroprotective agent for both acute ischemic brain injury and chronic neurodegenerative disease. In light of these encouraging data, we designed a lateral fluid-percussion injury (FPI) study aimed at investigating the role of early post-traumatic administration of lithium as a strategy for reducing TBI-induced motor and cognitive deficits. The optimal dose of this agent and the time window for its administration have been determined on the basis of data derived from the assessment of motor and cognitive functioning in experimental animals, as well as from the stereological quantification of neuronal survival (PID 7) within the CA3 and hilar regions of the hippocampus ipsilateral to the FPI. In addition, we attempted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective properties of this drug via western blot analysis of levels of the pro-apoptotic marker caspase-3 (PID 1, 7) and two neuroplasticity markers, growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) (PID 1, 7, 21). Our findings indicate that low-dose lithium chloride (0.125 or 0.25 mmol/kg), given either 30 min or 8 hr after lateral FPI significantly ameliorates injury-induced cognitive and motor impairment. Specifically, cell survival in the CA3 region of the hippocampus of the injured lithium-treated animals (but not in the hilus) was significantly increased compared to injured vehicle-treated animals. Western blot analyses revealed a significant increase in GAP-43 levels on PID 7 in injured animals when treated with lithium, indicating a possible mechanism for lithium-induced neuroprotection. In contrast, BDNF levels were relatively unchanged until PID 21, and caspase-3 activation was not observed at all, suggesting that these proteins play less significant roles in the observed neuroprotective effects of lithium treatment after lateral FPI. Early administration of lithium, within 8 hours after TBI, holds promise as an effective therapy to ameliorate postinjury neurobehavioral deficits and warrants further investigation in clinical TBI studies.

O presente trabalho visou o estudo da modificação química da celulose de linter (obtida de fonte de rápido crescimento e considerada a celulose de maior pureza isolada de fontes vegetais) através da sua derivatização em meio homogêneo, buscando-se a obtenção de materiais com características bem definidas e via um método que apresente boa reprodutibilidade. Dentre os derivados de celulose, os acetatos têm importância industrial significativa. No presente trabalho, acetatos de celulose obtidos no sistema de solvente cloreto de lítio/dimetilacetamida (LiCl/DMAc), com diferentes graus de substituição (GS) foram caracterizados através de 1H NMR, espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, viscosimetria e análises térmicas (DSC e TG). Através de métodos quantitativos aplicados às curvas termogravimétricas pode-se obter parâmetros cinéticos relacionados à decomposição térmica como a energia de ativação (Ea). Os resultados para os acetatos mostraram que conforme o GS aumenta, aumenta o grau de substituição de C2 e C3, e observa-se também aumenta Ea. Acetatos de celulose com diferentes GS foram utilizados para a obtenção de filmes a partir do mesmo sistema de solvente. Visando à obtenção de biocompósitos, filmes de acetatos de celulose com diferentes porcentagens de celulose foram preparados. Nestes filmes, os acetatos são considerados como matriz e a celulose como reforço, se tendo como pressuposto que as cadeias de celulose formarão agregados em solução, os quais serão mantidos nos filmes, atuando então como reforço. Este pressuposto é baseado em resultados de trabalhos anteriores, assim como estudos reológicos feitos no presente trabalho, que mostram que as cadeias de celulose se agregam, mesmo a baixas concentrações. Estes materiais foram caracterizados via difração de raios X, análises térmicas (DSC, TG e DMTA), cromatografia de exclusão por tamanho (SEC), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), solvatocromismo, dentre outras. A eliminação dos solventes após a obtenção dos filmes é um fator importante a ser considerado, e os resultados mostraram que o processo escolhido não leva a presença residual dos solventes utilizados. As imagens de MEV indicaram que fibras de celulose nos filmes de biocompósitos no geral não são visíveis em escala microscópica. Este resultado é promissor, pois sugere que as fibras de celulose podem estar presentes em escala nanométrica, já que para alguns filmes a ação como reforço foi observada, através da melhora em algumas propriedades. Ainda, a rugosidade dos filmes de biocompósitos foi alterada com a presença de celulose conforme mostram os resultados de AFM. Os resultados de DMTA indicaram que uma baixa porcentagem de celulose (5% de celulose) no filme de acetato de celulose com GS 0,8, foi suficiente para a ação como reforço ser observada, sugerindo que cadeias de celulose interagiram preferencialmente entre si, gerando estruturas supramoleculares de cadeias agregadas quando ainda no meio solvente (LiCl/DMAc), as quais permaneceram na preparação dos filmes. No entanto, para o filme obtido a partir de um GS maior (GS 1,5), o efeito de reforço da celulose nos filmes de biocompósitos ocorre apenas para a maior proporção de celulose (15% de celulose). Os resultados de ensaio à tração mostraram que dependendo da aplicação, ou seja, a necessidade de filmes mais resistentes à tração e maior rigidez, estes podem ser empregados. Adicionalmente, filmes de celulose e quitosana foram preparados no sistema de solvente NaOHaq./tiouréia. Nestes filmes, considera-se a quitosana como matriz e a celulose como agente de reforço. Acredita-se que as cadeias de celulose prefiram interagir entre si, gerando \"domínios\" de cadeias de celulose. Por este motivo, o termo biocompósito foi empregado também para estes filmes. Estes materiais foram caracterizados via difração de raios X, análises térmicas (DSC, TG e DMTA), biodegradação, sorção de umidade, microscopia de força atômica (AFM), dentre outras. Os resultados de difração de raios X mostram que o sistema de solvente não altera significativamente a cristalinidade dos filmes, comparativamente aos materiais de partida. As análises térmicas empregadas (TG e DSC) mostraram que a estabilidade térmica é alterada devido a presença dos dois polissacarídeos nos filmes de biocompósitos. O estudo de biodegradação dos filmes de biocompósitos em solo simulado mostrou que a velocidade de biodegradação está relacionada à proporção das regiões não cristalinas, que são mais acessíveis à água e aos microrganismos, isto é, quanto maior o valor de índice de cristalinidade, menor será a velocidade de biodegradação. Importante ressaltar que o comportamento destes filmes em relação à biodegradação está também relacionado com a morfologia apresentada pelos filmes. A análise de AFM mostrou que o aumento da proporção de quitosana nos filmes de biocompósitos leva a maiores valores de rugosidade. Os resultados obtidos para os filmes de quitosana, celulose e biocompósitos (quitosana/celulose), assim como para os filmes de acetato de celulose, celulose e biocompósitos (acetato de celulose/celulose) se mostraram promissores. / This work was aimed at studying the chemical modification of linters cellulose extracted from a source of rapid growth and considered the most pure cellulose from vegetable sources. Derivatization was carried out in a homogeneous medium to obtain materials with well-defined properties via a reproducible method. Here cellulose acetate was obtained with various degrees of substitution (DS) using the lithium chloride/dimethylacetamide system (LiCl/DMAc), being characterized with 1H NMR, infrared spectroscopy, viscometry measurements and thermal analysis (DSC and TG). The thermogravimetric curves were analyzed quantitatively, which allowed the determination of kinetics parameters for the thermal decomposition, including the activation energy (Ea). Ea and the substitution at C2 and C3 increased with increasing DS. Cellulose acetates with distinct DS were obtained in the form of films using the solvents mentioned above. Furthermore, biocomposite films were prepared with different contents of cellulose, in which the acetates were considered as matrices and the cellulose was the loading material. It is assumed that the cellulose chains form aggregates in solution, which will be preserved in the films, thus acting as reinforcement. This hypothesis was based on previous work and confirmed here with rheological data. We show that the cellulose chains are aggregated even at low concentrations. These films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC, TG and DMTA), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy. No residual solvent was present after film preparation. The SEM images indicated that the cellulose fibers in the biocomposite films are not visible at the microscopy scale, thus suggesting the presence of cellulose nanofibers. This is promising due to the possible enhancement in the mechanical properties, which was actually observed with a threshold percentage of only 5% of cellulose with DS 0.8. The cellulose chains apparently interacted among each other, generating supramolecular structures with aggregated chains in the LiCl/DMAc solvent. The film roughness investigated with AFM was altered by the presence of cellulose in the composite film. For the film obtained with cellulose acetate with GS 1.5, the effects from cellulose as reinforcement were only observed with higher content of cellulose (15%). According to the stress-strain tests, the films may be employed in applications requiring rigid, mechanically resistant materials. Cellulose/chitosan films were also prepared using NaOHaq./thiourea as solvent, in which chitosan served as the matrix. As in the biocomposite with cellulose acetate, the cellulose chains formed domains. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC, TG and DMTA), biodegradation tests, humidity sorption isotherms and AFM. The solvent did not affect the crystallinity of the sample, according to the XRD data. Through thermal analysis, it was inferred that the thermal stability was affected by the presence of chitosan in the biocomposite films. The study of biocomposite film degradation in a simulated soil showed that the rate of biodegradation is associated with the crystalline regions of the sample, which are more accessible to the water and the microorganisms. In other words, the higher the crystallinity the lower the biodegradation rate is. It is worth mentioning that the biodegradability also depends on the film morphology. The analysis of AFM images indicated that the film roughness increased with the content of chitosan. The results obtained with the films made with chitosan, cellulose and biocomposites (chitosan/cellulose), as well as for the films from cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate/cellulose, are promising.

Lipids are important for structural and physiological functions of neuronal cell membranes. They exhibit a range of biological effects many are bioactive lipid mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids such as sphingolipids, fatty acid ethanolamides (FA-EA) and endocannabinoids (EC). These lipid mediators and oxysterols elicit potent bioactive functions in many physiological and pathological processes of the brain and neuronal tissues. They have been investigated for biomarker discovery of ageing, neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disorders. The n-3 fatty acids EPA and DPA are thought to exhibit a range of neuroprotective effects many of which are mediated through production of such lipid mediators. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation on RBC membranes and in this way assess dietary compliance and to investigate brain sphingomyelin species of adult and aged rats supplemented with n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA to evaluate the effects and benefits on age-related changes in the brain. Furthermore, to study the effects of lithium on the brain FA-EAs and ECs to further understand the neuroprotective effects of lithium neuroprotective action on neuroinflammation as induced by LPS. Finally to examine if circulating oxysterols are linked to the prevalence of ALS and whether RBC fatty acids are markers of this action in relation to age and disease stages. These analytes were extracted from tissue samples and analysed with GC, LC/ESI-MS/MS and GC-MS. It was found that aged rats exhibited a significant increase in brain AA and decrease in Σn-3 and Σn-6 PUFAs when compared to adult animals. The observed increase of brain AA was reversed following n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation. Sphingomyelin was significantly increased when aged animals were supplemented with n-3 DPA. LPS treatment following lithium supplementation increased LA-EA and ALA-EA, while it decreased DHA-EA. Both oxysterols 24-OH and 27-OH increased in ALS patients and SOD1-mice. Eicosadienoic acid was different in ASL-patients compared to aged SOD1-mice. These studies demonstrated that dietary intake of n-3 EPA and n-3DPA significantly altered RBC fatty acids and sphingolipids in rat brain. They suggest that n-3 DPA can be a potential storage form for EPA, as shown by retro-conversion of n-3 DPA into EPA in erythrocyte membranes, ensuring supply of n-3 EPA. Also, n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation can contribute to an increase in brain sphingomyelin species with implications for age effects and regulation of brain development. Effects of lithium highlight novel anti-neuroinflammatory treatment pathways. Both 24-hydroxycholesterol and eicosadienoic acid may be used as biomarkers in ALS thereby possibly helping to manage the progressive stages of disease.

O presente trabalho visou o estudo da modificação química da celulose de linter (obtida de fonte de rápido crescimento e considerada a celulose de maior pureza isolada de fontes vegetais) através da sua derivatização em meio homogêneo, buscando-se a obtenção de materiais com características bem definidas e via um método que apresente boa reprodutibilidade. Dentre os derivados de celulose, os acetatos têm importância industrial significativa. No presente trabalho, acetatos de celulose obtidos no sistema de solvente cloreto de lítio/dimetilacetamida (LiCl/DMAc), com diferentes graus de substituição (GS) foram caracterizados através de 1H NMR, espectroscopia na região do infravermelho, viscosimetria e análises térmicas (DSC e TG). Através de métodos quantitativos aplicados às curvas termogravimétricas pode-se obter parâmetros cinéticos relacionados à decomposição térmica como a energia de ativação (Ea). Os resultados para os acetatos mostraram que conforme o GS aumenta, aumenta o grau de substituição de C2 e C3, e observa-se também aumenta Ea. Acetatos de celulose com diferentes GS foram utilizados para a obtenção de filmes a partir do mesmo sistema de solvente. Visando à obtenção de biocompósitos, filmes de acetatos de celulose com diferentes porcentagens de celulose foram preparados. Nestes filmes, os acetatos são considerados como matriz e a celulose como reforço, se tendo como pressuposto que as cadeias de celulose formarão agregados em solução, os quais serão mantidos nos filmes, atuando então como reforço. Este pressuposto é baseado em resultados de trabalhos anteriores, assim como estudos reológicos feitos no presente trabalho, que mostram que as cadeias de celulose se agregam, mesmo a baixas concentrações. Estes materiais foram caracterizados via difração de raios X, análises térmicas (DSC, TG e DMTA), cromatografia de exclusão por tamanho (SEC), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV), solvatocromismo, dentre outras. A eliminação dos solventes após a obtenção dos filmes é um fator importante a ser considerado, e os resultados mostraram que o processo escolhido não leva a presença residual dos solventes utilizados. As imagens de MEV indicaram que fibras de celulose nos filmes de biocompósitos no geral não são visíveis em escala microscópica. Este resultado é promissor, pois sugere que as fibras de celulose podem estar presentes em escala nanométrica, já que para alguns filmes a ação como reforço foi observada, através da melhora em algumas propriedades. Ainda, a rugosidade dos filmes de biocompósitos foi alterada com a presença de celulose conforme mostram os resultados de AFM. Os resultados de DMTA indicaram que uma baixa porcentagem de celulose (5% de celulose) no filme de acetato de celulose com GS 0,8, foi suficiente para a ação como reforço ser observada, sugerindo que cadeias de celulose interagiram preferencialmente entre si, gerando estruturas supramoleculares de cadeias agregadas quando ainda no meio solvente (LiCl/DMAc), as quais permaneceram na preparação dos filmes. No entanto, para o filme obtido a partir de um GS maior (GS 1,5), o efeito de reforço da celulose nos filmes de biocompósitos ocorre apenas para a maior proporção de celulose (15% de celulose). Os resultados de ensaio à tração mostraram que dependendo da aplicação, ou seja, a necessidade de filmes mais resistentes à tração e maior rigidez, estes podem ser empregados. Adicionalmente, filmes de celulose e quitosana foram preparados no sistema de solvente NaOHaq./tiouréia. Nestes filmes, considera-se a quitosana como matriz e a celulose como agente de reforço. Acredita-se que as cadeias de celulose prefiram interagir entre si, gerando \"domínios\" de cadeias de celulose. Por este motivo, o termo biocompósito foi empregado também para estes filmes. Estes materiais foram caracterizados via difração de raios X, análises térmicas (DSC, TG e DMTA), biodegradação, sorção de umidade, microscopia de força atômica (AFM), dentre outras. Os resultados de difração de raios X mostram que o sistema de solvente não altera significativamente a cristalinidade dos filmes, comparativamente aos materiais de partida. As análises térmicas empregadas (TG e DSC) mostraram que a estabilidade térmica é alterada devido a presença dos dois polissacarídeos nos filmes de biocompósitos. O estudo de biodegradação dos filmes de biocompósitos em solo simulado mostrou que a velocidade de biodegradação está relacionada à proporção das regiões não cristalinas, que são mais acessíveis à água e aos microrganismos, isto é, quanto maior o valor de índice de cristalinidade, menor será a velocidade de biodegradação. Importante ressaltar que o comportamento destes filmes em relação à biodegradação está também relacionado com a morfologia apresentada pelos filmes. A análise de AFM mostrou que o aumento da proporção de quitosana nos filmes de biocompósitos leva a maiores valores de rugosidade. Os resultados obtidos para os filmes de quitosana, celulose e biocompósitos (quitosana/celulose), assim como para os filmes de acetato de celulose, celulose e biocompósitos (acetato de celulose/celulose) se mostraram promissores. / This work was aimed at studying the chemical modification of linters cellulose extracted from a source of rapid growth and considered the most pure cellulose from vegetable sources. Derivatization was carried out in a homogeneous medium to obtain materials with well-defined properties via a reproducible method. Here cellulose acetate was obtained with various degrees of substitution (DS) using the lithium chloride/dimethylacetamide system (LiCl/DMAc), being characterized with 1H NMR, infrared spectroscopy, viscometry measurements and thermal analysis (DSC and TG). The thermogravimetric curves were analyzed quantitatively, which allowed the determination of kinetics parameters for the thermal decomposition, including the activation energy (Ea). Ea and the substitution at C2 and C3 increased with increasing DS. Cellulose acetates with distinct DS were obtained in the form of films using the solvents mentioned above. Furthermore, biocomposite films were prepared with different contents of cellulose, in which the acetates were considered as matrices and the cellulose was the loading material. It is assumed that the cellulose chains form aggregates in solution, which will be preserved in the films, thus acting as reinforcement. This hypothesis was based on previous work and confirmed here with rheological data. We show that the cellulose chains are aggregated even at low concentrations. These films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC, TG and DMTA), size exclusion chromatography (SEC), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy. No residual solvent was present after film preparation. The SEM images indicated that the cellulose fibers in the biocomposite films are not visible at the microscopy scale, thus suggesting the presence of cellulose nanofibers. This is promising due to the possible enhancement in the mechanical properties, which was actually observed with a threshold percentage of only 5% of cellulose with DS 0.8. The cellulose chains apparently interacted among each other, generating supramolecular structures with aggregated chains in the LiCl/DMAc solvent. The film roughness investigated with AFM was altered by the presence of cellulose in the composite film. For the film obtained with cellulose acetate with GS 1.5, the effects from cellulose as reinforcement were only observed with higher content of cellulose (15%). According to the stress-strain tests, the films may be employed in applications requiring rigid, mechanically resistant materials. Cellulose/chitosan films were also prepared using NaOHaq./thiourea as solvent, in which chitosan served as the matrix. As in the biocomposite with cellulose acetate, the cellulose chains formed domains. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis (DSC, TG and DMTA), biodegradation tests, humidity sorption isotherms and AFM. The solvent did not affect the crystallinity of the sample, according to the XRD data. Through thermal analysis, it was inferred that the thermal stability was affected by the presence of chitosan in the biocomposite films. The study of biocomposite film degradation in a simulated soil showed that the rate of biodegradation is associated with the crystalline regions of the sample, which are more accessible to the water and the microorganisms. In other words, the higher the crystallinity the lower the biodegradation rate is. It is worth mentioning that the biodegradability also depends on the film morphology. The analysis of AFM images indicated that the film roughness increased with the content of chitosan. The results obtained with the films made with chitosan, cellulose and biocomposites (chitosan/cellulose), as well as for the films from cellulose acetate and cellulose acetate/cellulose, are promising.

Lipids are important for structural and physiological functions of neuronal cell membranes. They exhibit a range of biological effects many are bioactive lipid mediators derived from polyunsaturated fatty acids such as sphingolipids, fatty acid ethanolamides (FA-EA) and endocannabinoids (EC). These lipid mediators and oxysterols elicit potent bioactive functions in many physiological and pathological processes of the brain and neuronal tissues. They have been investigated for biomarker discovery of ageing, neuroinflammation and neurodegenerative disorders. The n-3 fatty acids EPA and DPA are thought to exhibit a range of neuroprotective effects many of which are mediated through production of such lipid mediators. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation on RBC membranes and in this way assess dietary compliance and to investigate brain sphingomyelin species of adult and aged rats supplemented with n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA to evaluate the effects and benefits on age-related changes in the brain. Furthermore, to study the effects of lithium on the brain FA-EAs and ECs to further understand the neuroprotective effects of lithium neuroprotective action on neuroinflammation as induced by LPS. Finally to examine if circulating oxysterols are linked to the prevalence of ALS and whether RBC fatty acids are markers of this action in relation to age and disease stages. These analytes were extracted from tissue samples and analysed with GC, LC/ESI-MS/MS and GC-MS. It was found that aged rats exhibited a significant increase in brain AA and decrease in ¿n-3 and ¿n-6 PUFAs when compared to adult animals. The observed increase of brain AA was reversed following n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation. Sphingomyelin was significantly increased when aged animals were supplemented with n-3 DPA. LPS treatment following lithium supplementation increased LA-EA and ALA-EA, while it decreased DHA-EA. Both oxysterols 24-OH and 27-OH increased in ALS patients and SOD1-mice. Eicosadienoic acid was different in ASL-patients compared to aged SOD1-mice. These studies demonstrated that dietary intake of n-3 EPA and n-3DPA significantly altered RBC fatty acids and sphingolipids in rat brain. They suggest that n-3 DPA can be a potential storage form for EPA, as shown by retro-conversion of n-3 DPA into EPA in erythrocyte membranes, ensuring supply of n-3 EPA. Also, n-3 EPA and n-3 DPA supplementation can contribute to an increase in brain sphingomyelin species with implications for age effects and regulation of brain development. Effects of lithium highlight novel anti-neuroinflammatory treatment pathways. Both 24-hydroxycholesterol and eicosadienoic acid may be used as biomarkers in ALS thereby possibly helping to manage the progressive stages of disease. / Libyan Government