SummaryMoment‐to‐moment adjustment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) via neurovascular coupling has an essential role in maintenance of healthy cognitive function. In advanced age, increased oxidative stress and cerebromicrovascular endothelial dysfunction impair neurovascular coupling, likely contributing to age‐related decline of higher cortical functions. There is increasing evidence showing that mitochondrial oxidative stress plays a critical role in a range of age‐related cellular impairments, but its role in neurovascular uncoupling remains unexplored. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that attenuation of mitochondrial oxidative stress may exert beneficial effects on neurovascular coupling responses in aging. To test this hypothesis, 24‐month‐old C57BL/6 mice were treated with a cell‐permeable, mitochondria‐targeted antioxidant peptide (SS‐31; 10 mg kg−1 day−1, i.p.) or vehicle for 2 weeks. Neurovascular coupling was assessed by measuring CBF responses (laser speckle contrast imaging) evoked by contralateral whisker stimulation. We found that neurovascular coupling responses were significantly impaired in aged mice. Treatment with SS–31 significantly improved neurovascular coupling responses by increasing NO‐mediated cerebromicrovascular dilation, which was associated with significantly improved spatial working memory, motor skill learning, and gait coordination. These findings are paralleled by the protective effects of SS–31 on mitochondrial production of reactive oxygen species and mitochondrial respiration in cultured cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells derived from aged animals. Thus, mitochondrial oxidative stress contributes to age‐related cerebromicrovascular dysfunction, exacerbating cognitive decline. We propose that mitochondria‐targeted antioxidants may be considered for pharmacological microvascular protection for the prevention/treatment of age‐related vascular cognitive impairment (VCI).

SummaryAging is associated with marked deficiency in circulating IGF‐1, which has been shown to contribute to age‐related cognitive decline. Impairment of moment‐to‐moment adjustment of cerebral blood flow (CBF) via neurovascular coupling is thought to play a critical role in the genesis of age‐related cognitive impairment. To establish the link between IGF‐1 deficiency and cerebromicrovascular impairment, neurovascular coupling mechanisms were studied in a novel mouse model of IGF‐1 deficiency (Igf1 f/f‐TBG‐Cre‐AAV8) and accelerated vascular aging. We found that IGF‐1‐deficient mice exhibit neurovascular uncoupling and show a deficit in hippocampal‐dependent spatial memory test, mimicking the aging phenotype. IGF‐1 deficiency significantly impaired cerebromicrovascular endothelial function decreasing NO mediation of neurovascular coupling. IGF‐1 deficiency also impaired glutamate‐mediated CBF responses, likely due to dysregulation of astrocytic expression of metabotropic glutamate receptors and impairing mediation of CBF responses by eicosanoid gliotransmitters. Collectively, we demonstrate that IGF‐1 deficiency promotes cerebromicrovascular dysfunction and neurovascular uncoupling mimicking the aging phenotype, which are likely to contribute to cognitive impairment.

SummaryClinical and experimental studies show that aging exacerbates hypertension‐induced cerebral microhemorrhages (CMHs), which progressively impair neuronal function. There is growing evidence that aging promotes insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) deficiency, which compromises multiple aspects of cerebromicrovascular and brain health. To determine the role of IGF‐1 deficiency in the pathogenesis of CMHs, we induced hypertension in mice with liver‐specific knockdown of IGF‐1 (Igf1 f/f + TBG‐Cre‐AAV8) and control mice by angiotensin II plus l‐NAME treatment. In IGF‐1‐deficient mice, the same level of hypertension led to significantly earlier onset and increased incidence and neurological consequences of CMHs, as compared to control mice, as shown by neurological examination, gait analysis, and histological assessment of CMHs in serial brain sections. Previous studies showed that in aging, increased oxidative stress‐mediated matrix metalloprotease (MMP) activation importantly contributes to the pathogenesis of CMHs. Thus, it is significant that hypertension‐induced cerebrovascular oxidative stress and MMP activation were increased in IGF‐1‐deficient mice. We found that IGF‐1 deficiency impaired hypertension‐induced adaptive media hypertrophy and extracellular matrix remodeling, which together with the increased MMP activation likely also contributes to increased fragility of intracerebral arterioles. Collectively, IGF‐1 deficiency promotes the pathogenesis of CMHs, mimicking the aging phenotype, which likely contribute to its deleterious effect on cognitive function. Therapeutic strategies that upregulate IGF‐1 signaling in the cerebral vessels and/or reduce microvascular oxidative stress, and MMP activation may be useful for the prevention of CMHs, protecting cognitive function in high‐risk elderly patients.

Age‐related impairment of angiogenesis is likely to play a central role in cerebromicrovascular rarefaction and development of vascular cognitive impairment. To test the hypothesis that dysregulation of Dicer1 impairs endothelial angiogenic capacity in aging, primary cerebromicrovascular endothelial cells(CMVEC) were isolated from young (3 mo) and aged (24 mo) F344xBN rats. In aged CMVECs Dicer1 was down‐regulated and its expression was increased by treatment with PEG‐catalase. Compared to young cells aged CMVECs exhibited altered miRNA expression profile, which was associated with impaired proliferation, adhesion to vitronectin, collagen and fibronectin, cellular migration and impaired ability to form capillary‐like structures. Overexpression of Dicer1 in aged CMVECs partially restored miRNA expression profile and significantly improved angiogenic processes. In young CMVECs down‐regulation of Dicer1 (siRNA) resulted in altered miRNA expression profile associated with impaired proliferation, adhesion, migration and tube formation, mimicking the aging phenotype. Collectively, Dicer1 is essential for normal endothelial angiogenic processes, suggesting that age‐related dysregulation of Dicer1‐dependent microRNA expression may be a potential mechanism underlying impaired angiogenesis and cerebromicrovascular rarefaction in aging.

Purpose The molecular infl ammation hypothesis of ageing implies that the molecular activation of proinfl ammatory genes by altered redox-sensitive cellular signal pathway might serve as a bridge between normal ageing and age-related diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA). We studied the effect that dysfunction of the mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC), the main cellular source of reactive oxygen species (ROS), could induce on the infl ammatory response in cultured normal human chondrocytes, specifi cally in interleukin 8 (IL8) and cyclooxygenase 2 (COX-2) expression. Method Antimycin A (AA) (10 µg/ml) and oligomycin (Oli) (10 µg/ml) were employed as inhibitors of complex III and V of MRC, respectively. IL1β or tumour necrosis factor α (TNFα) were used as inductors of the infl ammatory response. Protein and mRNA IL8 and COX-2 expression were analysed by cytometry and real-time PCR and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) levels were assayed by ELISA. To identify underlying mechanisms responsible for the infl ammatory response, a chemical and a natural ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) (40 mM) and resveratrol (RESV) (250 µM) respectively, were employed. Finally, the effect of nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) was studied by the inhibitor BAY-117085 (5 µM). Results We fi rst tested if mitochondrial dysfunction induced by AA or Oli could modulate the response induced by IL1 (5, 1.5 and 0.5 ng/ml) on IL8 expression. The results showed that the pretreatment of chondrocytes with AA or Oli for 1 h increased signifi cantly the expression of IL8 induced by IL1, both mRNA and protein level (214.06±35.22% AA+IL1 or 292.06±49.02% Oli+IL1 vs 100% IL1 1.5 ng/ml, p<0.01). Similar effects were observed with 10 ng/ml TNF. In addition, the intensifi cation of the infl ammatory effects of cytokines by mitochondrial dysfunction was counteracted by the addiction of a chemical and a natural ROS scavenger (10.75±2.97% NAC+AA+IL1 or 18.10±5.04% RESV+AA+IL1 vs 100% AA+IL1, p<0.01). When the role of NF-κB was on 11 May 2018 by guest. Protected by copyright.