Parthsarathy, Vadivel and Hölscher, Christian (2013) The type 2 diabetes drug liraglutide reduces chronic inflammation induced by irradiation in the mouse brain. European Journal of Pharmacology, 700 (1-3). pp. 42-50. ISSN 0014-2999
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Chronic inflammation in the brain is found in a range of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease. We have recently shown that analogues of the glucagon-like polypeptide 1 (GLP-1) such as liraglutide have potent neuroprotective properties in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. We also found a reduction of activated microglia in the brain. This finding suggests that GLP-1 analogues such as liraglutide have anti-inflammatory properties. To further characterise this property, we tested the effects of liraglutide on the chronic inflammation response induced by exposure of the brain to 6 Gy (X-ray). Animals were injected i.p. with 25 nmol/kg once daily for 30 days. Brains were analysed for cytokine levels, activated microglia and astrocyte levels, and nitrite levels as a measure for nitric oxide production and protein expression of iNOS. Exposure of the brain to 6 Gy induced a pronounced chronic inflammation response in the brain. The activated microglia load in the cortex and dentate gyrus region of hippocampus (P