CEP-1347 increases ChAT activity in culture and promotes cholinergic neurone survival following fimbria-fornix lesion.
Recent evidence suggests that the activation of the Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) signal transduction pathway may be important in neuronal responses to stresses such as trophic factor deprivation. Preventing the activation of JNK and expression of c-Jun may, therefore, be neuroprotective. Here, we report that the small molecule CEP-1347, which has been shown to inhibit the JNK signalling pathway, promotes cholinergic activity in cultured embryonic septal neurones. In vivo, we have shown that CEP-1347, administered either by sub-cutaneous (s.c.) injection or by continuous infusion, is partially neuroprotective, for cholinergic neurones in the medial septum, following fimbria-fornix transection. These data suggest that small molecules such as CEP-1347 may have beneficial effects in treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Department of Pharmacology, Merck Sharp and Dohme Research Laboratories, Neuroscience Research Centre, Harlow, Essex, UK.
S J
SJ
Harper
M S
MS
Saporito
L
L
Hewson
L
L
Young
D
D
Smith
M
M
Rigby
P
P
Jackson
N
N
Curtis
C
C
Swain
F
F
Hefti
J L
JL
Vaught
D
D
Sirinathsinghji
D000818:Animals; D002227:Carbazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase / Q000378:metabolism*; D004622:Embryo, Mammalian; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020712:Fornix, Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D020665:Septum of Brain / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D015398:Signal Transduction
D002227:Carbazoles; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007211:Indoles; C106592:3,9-bis((ethylthio)methyl)-K-252a; D002795:Choline O-Acetyltransferase; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D020928:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases