Tatiana Borisova

• Professor, Ph.D., D.Sc.
• Head of Department at Palladin Institute of Biochemistry National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Platelets express neuronal and glial glutamate transporters EAAT 1-3 in the plasma membrane and vesicular glutamate transporters VGLUT 1,2 in the membrane of secretory granules. This study is focused on the assessment of non-exocytotic glutamate release, that is, the unstimulated release, heteroexchange and glutamate transporter reversal in platele...

Abstract The harmful effects of lunar dust (LD) on directly exposed tissues are documented in the literature, whereas researchers are only recently beginning to consider its effects on indirectly exposed tissues. During inhalation, nano-/microsized particles are efficiently deposited in nasal, tracheobronchial, and alveolar regions and transported...

In our earlier work, a reduction of cholesterol content increased the extracellular glutamate level in rat brain nerve terminals (synaptosomes) that was a result of the lack of transporter-mediated glutamate uptake. The aim of this study was to assess transporter-mediated release of glutamate from cholesterol-deficient synaptosomes. In stroke, cere...

Background nowadays, the photoacoustic imaging is in the mainstream of cancer theranostics. In this study the nanoparticles with previously proven photoacoustic imaging properties, i.e. glucose-ethylenediamine carbon dots (GE-NPs), were tested for photoacoustic cancer therapy. Methods nanoparticle biocompatibility was analyzed in cell toxicity and...

Gd³⁺- free carbon dots (CDs) were synthesized by one-step solvothermal method using urea, citric acid and 3-(trifluoromethyl)aniline as precursors. Additionally, Gd³⁺-doped CDs were prepared by incorporating gadolinium chloride (Gd³⁺ ions) into the synthesis. Size selection of the purified CDs was achieved through filter membranes ranging from 3 kD...

To mitigate the risk of radioactive isotope dissemination, the development of preventative and curative measures is of particular interest. For mass treatment, the developed solution must be easily administered, preferably orally, with effective, nontoxic decorporating properties against a wide range of radioactive isotopes. Currently, most orally...

Hostilities are accompanied by extremely enhanced air pollution with particulate matter (PM) which was exactly shown in Ukraine, where increased PM2.5 (the size less than 2.5 μm) correlated with war activities [R. Zalakeviciute et al., Sustainability 14(21), 13832 (2022)]. Drastic increases in PM2.5 pollution from bombing and structural fires raise...

Multipollutant approach is a breakthrough in up-to-date environmental quality and health risk estimation. Both mercury and carbonaceous air particulate are hazardous neurotoxicants. Here, the ability of carbonaceous air particulate simulants, i.e. carbon dots obtained by heating of organics, and nanodiamonds, to influence Hg²⁺-induced neurotoxicity...

Tremendous deposits of disposable medical facemask waste after the COVID-19 pandemic require improvement of waste management practice according to WHO report 2022, moreover facemasks are still in use around the world to protect against numerous airborne infections. Here, water-suspended smoke preparations from the combustion of disposable medical f...

A cheap method allowing fabrication of biocompatible, ultra-small (2–10 nm) and fluorescent (λem = 425–500 nm) nanohybrids (NHs) from coffee wastes is reported. The gadolinium-doped nanohybrids (GDNHs) or gadolinium-free carbon dots (GFCDs) can be synthesized in a domestic microwave oven according to green synthesis principles. Hydrodynamic sizes,...

Here, a comparative toxicity assessment of precursor carbon dots from coffee waste (cofCDs) obtained using green chemistry principles and Gd-doped nanohybrids (cofNHs) was performed using hematological, biochemical, histopathological assays in vivo (CD1 mice, intraperitoneal administration, 14 days), and neurochemical approach in vitro (rat cortex...

Parkinson's disease is characterized by the selective death of dopaminergic neurons in the midbrain and accumulation of amyloid fibrils composed of α-synuclein (αSyn). Current treatment involves approaches that compensate the death of dopaminergic neurons by increasing the dopamine levels in remaining cells. However, dopamine can interact with αSyn...

Carbon-based nanomaterials are promising for a wide range of biomedical applications, i.e. drug delivery, therapy, and imaging including photoacoustic tomography, where they can serve as contrast agents, biocompatibility and biodistribution of which should be assessed before clinical setting. In this paper, localization of carbon flurooxide nanopar...

Major source of carbon-contacting air born particular matter that significantly pollutes environment and provokes development of neuropathology is forest fires and wood combustion. Here, water-suspended smoke particulate matter preparations (SPs) were synthesized from birch, pine, poplar wood, and also birch bark and pine needles. Taking into accou...

Here, clinical studies of patients were conducted to assess changes in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) associated with air pollution by PM. A comparative study of 100 patients with UC and 75 with IBS from highly (HPRs) and low (LPRs) PM2.5-polluted regions of Ukraine was conducted. Biopsy of the intestinal m...

New models for ACE2 receptor binding, based on QSAR and docking algorithms were developed, using XRD structural data and ChEMBL 26 database hits as training sets. The selectivity of the potential ACE2-binding ligands towards Neprilysin (NEP) and ACE was evaluated. The Enamine screening collection (3.2 million compounds) was virtually screened accor...

Here, neuromodulatory effects of selective ACE2 inhibitors were investigated. Two different types of small molecule ligands for ACE2 inhibition were selected using chemical genetic approach, they were synthesized using developed chemical method and tested using presynaptic rat brain nerve terminals (synaptosomes). EBC-36032 (1 µM) increased in a do...

Here, water-suspended smoke aerosol preparation was synthesized from biomass-based fuel, i.e., a widespread product for residential heating, wood sawdust (WP) (pine, poplar, and birch mixture), and its properties were compared in parallel experiments with the smoke preparation from plastics (PP). Molecular groups in the PM preparations were analyze...

Rat brain synaptosomes were studied with ART-IR spectroscopy and confocal microscopy. The isolated synaptosomes visualized with confocal microscopy look like integral subcellular structures of 0.5-2 μm in size, which correlates with the literature data. The spectroscopic signatures of synaptosomes incubated at different temperatures: −20, 22, 37, a...

Remdesivir is a novel antiviral drug, which is active against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Remdesivir is known to accumulate in the brain but it is not clear whether it influences the neurotransmission. Here we report diverse and pronounced effects of remdesivir on transportation and release of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in rat cortex ner...

The effect of environmental pollutants and factors on human organisms is complex. A combination of various chemical, physical, and biological environmental agents and factors can lead to combined health effects that may significantly differ from the effects of particular single agent or factor. Individual chemical compounds are naturally present at...

We elaborate new models for ACE and ACE2 receptors with an excellent prediction power compared to previous models. We propose promising workflows for working with huge compound collections, thereby enabling us to discover optimized protocols for virtual screening management. The efficacy of elaborated roadmaps is demonstrated through the cost-effec...

Here, carbon nanodots synthesized from β-alanine (Ala-CDs) and detonation nanodiamonds (NDs) were assessed using (1) radiolabeled excitatory neurotransmitters L-[¹⁴C]glutamate, D-[2,3³H]aspartate, and inhibitory ones [³H]GABA, [³H]glycine for registration of their extracellular concentrations in rat cortex nerve terminals; (2) the fluorescent ratio...

Entry receptor for SARS-CoV-2 is expressed in nasal epithelial cells, and nasal delivery pathway can be a key feature of transmission. Here, a possibility of interaction of SARS-CoV-2 with air pollution particulate matter (PM) was considered. It was shown in our recent studies that water-suspended plastic and wood smoke aerosol PM and carbon-contai...

The geometry of the channel formed by non-toxic derivative of diphtheria toxin CRM197 in lipid bilayer was determined using the dependence of single channel conductance upon the hydrodynamic radii of different nonelectrolytes. It was found that the cis-entrance of CRM197 channel on the side of membrane to which the toxoid was added at pH 4.8 and th...

Cinazepam C19H14BrClN2O5, ("LevanaⓇ ІC") a partial GABAA receptor agonist, and its active metabolite 3-hydroxyphenazepam C15H10BrClN2O2 were comparatively assessed in vitro using nerve terminals isolated from rat cortex (synaptosomes). At the presynaptic site, cinazepam (100 and 200 µM) facilitated synaptosomal transporter-mediated [3H]GABA uptake...

Neurological and psychiatric side effects accompany the high-dose interferon-alpha (IFNA) therapy. The primary genes responsible for these complications are mostly unknown. Our genome-wide search in mouse and rat genomes for the conservative genes containing IFN-stimulated response elements (ISRE) in their promoters revealed a new potential target...

In this work, a recently developed amperometric glutamate‐sensitive biosensor was optimized to improve its characteristics. Circumstances of enzyme immobilization on the transducer`s surface were optimized. To test this biosensor`s functioning in blood plasma, the influence of the working solution parameters on the biosensor`s operation was investi...

Gadolinium-based radiosensitizing AGuIX nanoparticles (AGuIX) currently tested two phase 2 clinical trials in association with radiotherapy for the treatment of brain metastases. Here, excitatory/inhibitory neurotransmission was assessed in rat cortex nerve terminals in the presence of AGuIX and their constituents (DOTAGA and DOTAGA/Gd³⁺) at concen...

Glutamate is the main excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system and excessive extracellular glutamate concentration is a characteristic feature of stroke, brain trauma, and epilepsy. Also, glutamate is a potential tumor growth factor. Using radio-labeled ʟ-[ 14 C]glutamate and magnetic fields, we developed an approach for monitoring...

Sigma-1 receptors (Sig-1Rs) have been implicated in many neurological and psychiatric disorders and are a novel target for the treatment of such disorders. Sig-1R expression/activity deficits are linked to neurodegeneration, whereas the mechanisms mediated by Sig-1R are still unclear. Here, presynaptic [³H]GABA and L-[¹⁴C]glutamate transport was an...

Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), produced by nonpathogenic Gram-negative bacteria, have potentially useful biotechnological applications in extraterrestrial extreme environments. However, their biological effects under the impact of various stressors have to be elucidated for safety reasons. In the spaceflight experiment, model biofilm kombucha micr...

Here, both neuroprotectants, i.e. cholesterol depletion of the plasma membrane of rat brain nerve terminals (synaptosomes) using methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) and deep/propound hypothermia, were analyzed during their combined administration and regarding additive neuroprotective effect. The extracellular synaptosomal level of L-[¹⁴C]glutamate signif...

Smoke from plastic waste incineration in an open air travels worldwide and is a major source of air pollution particulate matter (PM) that is very withstand to degradation and hazard to human health. Suspension of smoke aerosol components in water occurs during rains and fire extinguishing. Here, water-suspended plastic smoke aerosol (WPS) preparat...

A well-known cationic biocide of guanidine polymer family, polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride (PHMG) has been tested against smooth muscle cells isolated from swine myometrium, synaptosomes of rat brain nerve terminals and rat blood platelets for the membrane action. It was established that PHMG blocked the activity of Na+,K+-ATPase of smoot...

Perinatal hypoxia can lead to multiple chronic neurological deficits, e.g., mental retardation, behavioral abnormalities, and epilepsy. Levetiracetam (LEV), 2S-(2-oxo-1-pyrrolidiny1) butanamide, is an anticonvulsant drug with proven efficiency in treating patients with focal and generalized seizures. Rats were underwent hypoxia and seizures at the...

Within this survey we describe the conceptual architecture of the infrastructure to measure PM2.5/PM10 concentration in the atmosphere over the Kyiv city using modern monitoring instruments. We define the requirements for information tools and network for informing Kyiv city community on the state of PM pollutions that will be created. This infrast...

A kombucha multimicrobial culture (KMC) was exposed to simulated Mars-like conditions in low Earth orbit (LEO). The study was part of the BIOlogy and Mars EXperiment (BIOMEX), which was accommodated in the European Space Agency’s EXPOSE-R2 facility, outside the International Space Station. The aim of the study was to investigate the capability of a...

Establishment of high-quality, consistent on-board assessment of the neurotoxicity of planetary, and interstellar dust particles will be required to predict their potential threat to human health during long-term space missions. This Perspective article proposes an approach for the rapid assessment of potential neurotoxicity of micro-sized and nano...

Monodispersed silica-coated magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 @ SiO2) with diameters of 11, 20, and 24 nm were synthesized by thermal decomposition, hydrolysis and condensation of tetramethyl orthosilicate. Substantial Fe3O4 @ SiO2 particle size effects on glutamate transport in brain nerve terminals were observed. The balance between tonic release an...

A kombucha multimicrobial culture (KMC) was exposed to simulated Mars-like conditions in low-Earth orbit (LEO). The study was part of the Biology and Mars Experiment (BIOMEX), which was accommodated in the European Space Agency's EXPOSE-R2 facility, outside the International Space Station. The aim of the study was to investigate the capability of a...

The chemical and biological nonproliferation regime stands at a watershed moment, when failure seems a real possibility. After the unsuccessful outcome of the 2016 Eighth Review Conference, the future of the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention is uncertain. As the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) approaches its Fourth Review Conference in 2018...

A combination of a beneficial neuroprotectant, hypothermia, with targeted medication is a perspective therapeutic approach. Here, we analyzed both non-specific (deep and profound hypothermia, 27 °C and 17 °C, respectively) and targeted (anticonvulsant drug levetiracetam) modulation of L-[¹⁴C]glutamate release induced by activation of presynaptic NM...

Nerve cells take a special place among other cells in organisms because of their unique function mechanism. The plasma membrane of nerve cells from the one hand performs a classical barrier function, thereby being foremost targeted during contact with micro- and nano-sized particles, and from the other hand it is very intensively involved in nerve...

An excess of the excitatory neurotransmitter, glutamate, in the synaptic cleft during hypoxia/ischemia provokes development of neurotoxicity and originates from the reversal of Na⁺-dependent glutamate transporters located in the plasma membrane of presynaptic brain nerve terminals. Here, we have optimized an electrochemical glutamate biosensor usin...

Deep and profound hypothermia is successfully practiced in the prevention of ischemic stroke consequences and aortic arch cardiac surgery accompanied by reduction of cerebral circulation. Hypothermia is a current neuroprotection standard in hypoxic/ischemic encephalopathy. Drug-hypothermia administration is proposed as a new approach in pharmacothe...

The importance of assessing the neurotoxic potential of nanoparticles is underscored by two main factors. From one side, nanoparticles are a perspective matter for use in neurotheranostics, neurosurgery, cancer treatment, and others branches of nanomedicine. From the other side, they are a component of air pollution that is considered to be a poten...

To protect brain health during long-term interplanetary space missions, the therapeutic hypothermia can be applied. Neurochemical discrimination of the effects of deep and profound hypothermia (27°C, 17°C, respectively) on non-pathological and pathological-related mechanisms of presynaptic glutamate transport was conducted using rat brain nerve ter...

Specific rare earth doped nanocrystals (NCs), a recent class of nanoparticles with fluorescent features, have great bioanalytical potential. Neuroactive properties of NaYF4 nanocrystals doped with Eu³⁺ were assessed based on the analysis of their effects on glutamate- and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transport process in nerve terminals isolated from...

Carbon nanoparticles that may be potent air pollutants with adverse effects on human health often contain heteroatoms including sulfur. In order to study in detail their effects on different physiological and biochemical processes, artificially produced carbon dots (CDs) with well-controlled composition that allows fluorescence detection may be of...

Investigation is devoted to demonstrate application of methyl-β-cyclodextrin(MβCD) as cargo that attached to magnetic nanoparticles, in particularly magnetite, for the manipulation cholesterol content in synaptic membranes.

In the mammalian central nervous system, amino acid and its form glutamate play a primary role as a key excitatory neurotransmitter. Changing its extracellular concentration in the synaptic cleft it is possible to control physiological state of brain.

Key words: exocytosis; permanent glutamate turnover; non-pathological transporter-mediated glutamate release ; brain nerve terminals, artificial neural networks introduction: Computational artificial neural network models are a base for development of artificial intelligence. Here, we proposed synaptic-based model for its further development in com...

Очищення препаратів рекомбінантної субодиниці В (SbB) дифтерійного токсину (DT), синтезованої в цитоплазмі, периплазмі і нерозчинних тільцях включення клітин Escherichia coli, проведене за допомогою металоафінної хроматографії після руйнування бактеріальної ДНК та клітинної стінки ензимами, дало можливість позбутися домішок ендогенних пороформуючих...

Carbon is the most abundant dust-forming element in the interstellar medium. Tremendous amount of meteorites containing plentiful carbon and carbon-enriched dust particles have reached the Earth daily. National Institute of Health panel accumulates evidences that nano-sized air pollution components may have a significant impact on the central nervo...

Carbon dots are a newly discovered class of fluorescent carbon nanosized particles. We revealed recently the neuroactive properties of carbon dots synthesized from β-alanine. We investigate whether or not this effect is inherent to β-alanine-derived carbon dots only? Herein, we found that carbon dots synthesized from different starting materials po...

Neuroactive properties of NaYF 4 nanocrystals doped with Eu 3+ were assessed based on the analysis of their effects on glutamate-and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) transport process in the nerve terminals isolated from rat brain. Two types of hydrophilic nanocrystals were examined in this work: (i) coated by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and (ii) with OH g...

Background Both deep and profound hypothermia are effectively applied in cardiac surgery of the aortic arch, when the reduction of cerebral circulation facilitates operations, and for the prevention of ischemic stroke consequences. Neurochemical discrimination of the effects of deep and profound hypothermia (27 and 17 °C, respectively) on non-patho...

Extracellular/intracellular l-[¹⁴C]glutamate exchange and conservativeness of the extracellular level of l-[¹⁴C]glutamate was analyzed in isolated rat brain nerve terminals. l-Glutamate-, dl-threo-β-hydroxyaspartate (dl-THA)-, and d-aspartate-induced increase in the ambient level of l-[¹⁴C]glutamate or d-[³H]aspartate was evaluated comparatively. 1...

Recently, we have shown that new fluorinated analogues of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), bioisosters of pregabalin (β-i-Bu-GABA), i.e. β-polyfluoroalkyl-GABAs (FGABAs), with substituents: β-CF3-β-OH (1), β-CF3 (2); β-CF2CF2H (3), are able to increase the initial rate of [³H]GABA uptake by isolated rat brain nerve terminals (synaptosomes), and this eff...

Background Nanodiamonds are one of the most perspective nano-sized particles with superb physical and chemical properties, which are mainly composed of carbon sp3 structures in the core with sp2 and disorder/defect carbons on the surface. The research team recently demonstrated neuromodulatory properties of carbon nanodots with other than nanodiamo...

The main structure in the brain responsible not only for nerve signal transmission but also for its simultaneous regulation is chemical synapse, where presynaptic nerve terminals are of considerable importance providing release of neurotransmitters. Analyzing transport of glutamate, the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the mammalian CNS, the au...

Mechanisms for maintenance of the extracellular level of glutamate in brain tissue and its regulation still remain almost unclear, and criticism of the current paradigm of glutamate transport and homeostasis has recently appeared. The main premise for this study is the existence of a definite and non-negligible concentration of ambient glutamate be...

Positive allosteric modulators of GABAB receptors have great therapeutic potential for medications of anxiety, depression, etc. The effects of recently discovered modulator rac-BHFF on the key characteristics of GABAergic neurotransmission were investigated in cortical and hippocampal presynaptic nerve terminals (synaptosomes). The ambient level of...

The action of calix[4]arenes C-91, C-97, C-99, C-107 and C-160 on solvent-containing planar bilayer membranes made of cholesterol and egg phosphatidylcholine (egg PC) or synthetic 18-carbon-tail phospholipid DOPC has been investigated in a voltage-clamp mode. Within the range of calix[4]arenes tested, a steady-state voltage-dependent transmembrane...

The manipulation of brain nerve terminals by an external magnetic field promises breakthroughs in nano-neurotechnology. D-Mannose-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by coprecipitation of Fe(II) and Fe(III) salts followed by oxidation with sodium hypochlorite and addition of D-mannose. Effects of D-mannose-coated superparamagnet...

Aim To analyze the neurotoxic potential of synthesized magnetite nanoparticles coated by dextran, hydroxyethyl starch, oxidized hydroxyethyl starch, and chitosan, and magnetic nanoparticles combined with ferritin as a native protein. Methods The size of nanoparticles was analyzed using photon correlation spectroscopy, their effects on the conducta...

Aim To analyze the effects of highly selective blocker GAT1, NO-711, and substrate inhibitor GAT3, β-alanine, on the initial velocity of [3H]GABA uptake by cortical, hippocampal, and thalamic nerve terminals (synaptosomes) after perinatal hypoxia. Methods Animals were divided into two groups: control (n = 17) and hypoxia (n = 12). Rats in the hypo...

In this chapter, T. Borisova, Ph.D., Dr. Biol. Sci., summarised data of the literature and own results on the neurotoxic effects of physiological/non-physiological heavy metals and the underlying role of acidification of synaptic vesicles of the nerve terminals in the changes of presynaptic glutamate transport and the development of neurotoxic cons...

Ferritin, an iron storage protein, is present in the serum and cerebrospinal fluid, has receptors on the cell surface, able to penetrate the brain-blood barrier, can be secreted from the cells, and leaks from destroyed cell in insult and brain trauma. The effect of exogenous ferritin on the key characteristic of glutamatergic neurotransmission was...

In stroke, cerebral hypoxia/ischemia, and traumatic brain injury, the development of neurotoxocity is provoked by enhanced extracellular glutamate, which is released from nerve cells mainly by glutamate transporter reversal—a distinctive feature of these pathological states. Transporter-mediated glutamate release from the synaptosomes: (1) stimulat...

Cholesterol acceptor methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD) (15 mM) reduced the cholesterol content in brain nerve terminals (synaptosomes) by one quarter. The application of MβCD to the synaptosomes as well as isolated synaptic vesicles led to the gradual leakage of the protons from the vesicles, as shown by acridine orange fluorescence measurements, wherea...

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, which is involved in many aspects of normal brain functioning, whereas disturbances in glutamate transport contribute to neuronal dysfunction as well as the pathogenesis of neurological disorders.

Certain level of membrane cholesterol, which is an abundant constituent of eukaryotic membranes, is very important for normal functioning of a number of membrane proteins involved in synaptic transmission, such as ion channels, pumps, receptors, and transporters, while the alterations in cholesterol content change the property of membranes and the...

The low level of ambient glutamate is extremely important for the brain’s spontaneous activity and proper synaptic transmission. Cholesterol deficiency has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders. It was examined whether membrane cholesterol modulated the extracellular glutamate level in the nerve terminals and th...

Net tonic release of l-[14C]glutamate from cholesterol-depleted synaptosomes was decreased by 38% and release in low-Na+ medium was attenuated by 41% in the presence of DL-threo-β-benzyloxyaspartate, which significantly reduced glutamate uptake. It was suggested that cholesterol deficiency altered the intra-to-extracellular glutamate ratio by the r...

Background: The key role of vitamin D in mineral homeostasis is well established. Nowadays, there are also a great number of evidence on the association of vitamin D deficiency with a range of non-skeletal abnormalities such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke and metabolic disorders. Vitamin D receptors and key enzymes involved in the metabo...

Glutamate is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system (CNS), which is involved in many aspects of normal brain functioning, e.g. learning, memorizing, recognition, etc. However, glutamate is not only a key neurotransmitter, but also a potent neurotoxin. Excessive extracellular glutamate overstimulates glutamate receptors...

Methyl-β-cyclodextrin (MβCD), cyclic oligosaccharide, is composed of a lipophilic cavity and hydrophilic outer surface and contains seven α-(1,4) linked glycosyl units. MβCD effectively and selectively extracts membrane cholesterol from a variety of cell types and is widely used for hydrophobic drug delivery and saturation. Platelets contain secret...

The book summarizes the data of the literature and own research results on glutamate transport in platelets. The novel data on the structure, transport cycle and mechanisms of regulation of high-affinity Na+-dependent glutamate transporters, the specific aspects of functioning of glutamate receptors and mechanisms of glutamate release from platelet...

Summary Glutamate, which is the major excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, is involved in many aspects of normal brain functioning. It is well-known that disturbances in glutamate transport contribute to neuronal dysfunction as well as the pathogenesis of neurological disorders. Certain level of membrane cholesterol is very i...

The health effects from lunar soil exposure are almost completely unknown, whereas the observations suggest that it can be deleterious to human physiology. It is important that the components of lunar soil may be internalized with lipid fractions of the lung epithelium, which in turn may help ions to overcome the blood-brain barrier. The study focu...

Nanoparticles of ferric oxide are the components of Lunar and Martian soil simulants. The observations suggest that exposure to Lunar soli simulant can be deleterious to human physiology and the components of lunar soil may be internalized by lung epithelium and may overcome the blood-brain barrier. The study focused on the effects of nanoparticles...

Glutamate transport in blood platelets resembles that in brain nerve terminals because platelets contain neuronal Na(+)-dependent glutamate transporters, glutamate receptors in the plasma membrane, vesicular glutamate transporters in secretory granules, which use the proton gradient as a driving force, and can release glutamate during aggregation/a...

Exposure to Cd(2+) and Pb(2+) has neurotoxic consequences for human health and may cause neurodegeneration. The study focused on the analysis of the presynaptic mechanisms underlying the neurotoxic effects of non-essential heavy metals Cd(2+) and Pb(2+). It was shown that the preincubation of rat brain nerve terminals with Cd(2+) (200 μM) or Pb(2+)...