Current Neuropharmacology - Volume 23, Issue 3, 2025

The associations between Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and cardiovascular diseases, drawn from epidemiological studies, have attracted much attention in recent years.

The present study employed a monocentric, observational, retrospective cohort design. The primary objective of the study was to describe the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) rate in a cross-sectional analysis of our cohort of relapsing-remitting MS patients who are regularly followed up and, if applicable, to identify any association with the patient's Patient Determined Disease Steps (PDDS). Cardiovascular risk was classified as follows: low if the FRS is less than 10%, moderate if it is 10% to 19%, and high if it is 20% or higher.

A total cohort of 229 patients was enrolled. The sample consists of 163 women (71.2%). FRS categories were distributed as follows: 97 (42.3%) patients had low FRS, 84 (36.7%) patients had moderate FRS, and 48 (21%) patients had high FRS. In the univariable ordinal regression analysis, one one-point increase in the PDDS scale was associated with a 24% risk of high FRS (vs. low) (proportional odds ratio [OR]=2.426, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.660-3.545; p <.0001). The results were also confirmed by the EDSS score, with a point increase in the EDSS score associated with a 19% risk of high FRS (vs. low) (proportional OR=1.953, 95% CI 1.429-2.669-1.04; p <.0001).

The FRS demonstrated an association with the patient's “perception of the disease” as indicated by the PDDS. Further studies with larger cohorts are needed to adequately address cardiovascular risk in life-threatening conditions, such as MS.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition that affects the elder population and is linked to behavioral instability and cognitive decline. Only a few drugs are approved for clinical management of AD. Volatile oils and their components exhibit diverse pharmacological potentials, including neuroprotective properties. The current study aimed to evaluate isoeugenol's neuroprotective potentials against cognitive impairments caused by scopolamine.

Standard protocols were followed in the in-vitro antioxidant, cholinesterase inhibitory and molecular docking assays. Isoeugenol was initially evaluated for antioxidant potential using DPPH and ABTS free radicals scavenging assays. Subsequently, AChE/BChE inhibition studies were performed following Ellman’s assay. To assess the compound's binding effectiveness at the enzymes' target site, it was docked against the binding sites of cholinesterase. The effect of isoeugenol supplementation on scopolamine-induced amnesia was assessed using Shallow Water Maze (SWM), Y-Maze and Elevated Plus Maze (EPM) tests.

In DPPH and ABTS assays, isoeugenol exhibited considerable efficacy against free radicals with IC50 of 38.97 and 43.76 μg/mL, respectively. Isoeugenol revealed 78.39 ± 0.40% and 67.73 ± 0.03% inhibitions against AChE and BChE, respectively, at 1 mg/ml concentration. In docking studies, isoeugenol exhibited a docking score of -12.2390, forming two hydrogen bonds at the active site residues of AChE. Further, with a docking score of -10.1632, isoeugenol binds adequately to the BChE enzyme via two arene-hydrogen interactions and one hydrogen bond.

Isoeugenol offered considerable protection against scopolamine-induced memory deficits and improved the special memory of the rodents.

Maternal high-fat diet (HFD) during pregnancy and lactation induces depression-like phenotype and provokes myelin-related changes in rat offspring in the prefrontal cortex (PFCTX), which persist even to adulthood.

Due to the plasticity of the developing brain, it was decided to analyze whether depression-like phenotype and myelin-related changes in the early lifetime induced by maternal HFD (60% energy from fat) could be reversed by the omega-3 fatty acid-enriched diet (Ω3D) given from the post-weaning period until adulthood (63rd day of life) in offspring.

We analyzed the effect of post-weaning Ω3D on the depressive-like phenotype (assessed by the forced swimming test) and myelin-related changes (measured using RT-qPCR, ELISA, and immunofluorescence staining) in the PFCTX of adult offspring.

Ω3D reversed increased immobility time in adult offspring induced by maternal HFD, without affecting the animals' locomotor activity. Molecularly, Ω3D normalized the reduced expression levels of myelin-oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG), as well as myelin and lymphocyte protein (MAL) in males and MOG in females in the PFCTX, changes initially induced by maternal HFD. Additionally, Ω3D normalized the quantity of oligodendrocyte precursor cells and mature oligodendrocytes in the prelimbic, infralimbic, and cingulate cortex in males, which were reduced following maternal HFD exposure. In females, the Ω3D effect was less pronounced, with normalization of oligodendrocyte precursors occurring only in the infralimbic cortex.

These findings suggest that Ω3D may play a significant role in correcting behavioral and neurobiological changes caused by adverse prenatal conditions.

Positive effects of early nutritional strategies on neurological outcomes have been observed when nutrients were administered by the enteral route, especially during the first week of life. Evidence reports that serum neurofilament light chain (NfL), a structural protein of neurons, is a specific and reliable biomarker of neuronal damage.

The present study aimed to investigate the effect of early enteral nutrition (EN) in minimizing neuroaxonal damage and assessing NfL serum levels in preterm neonates.

Fifty-four preterm neonates without severe brain impairment and 20 full-term babies as controls were enrolled from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at the Policlinico Umberto I in Rome. We performed blood sampling at birth (day of life 0 - DoL 0) in 20 full-term newborns and in 19 pre-term infants. Furthermore, we executed blood sampling at DoL 28 in other 22 pre-term newborns who received early enteral nutrition (EN) within the third DoL (Early-EN) and in 13 other pre-term newborns who received EN after the third DoL (Late-EN).

Serum levels of NfL were higher in preterm babies when compared to full-term neonates, at DoL 0 (48.81 ± 9.4 vs. 11.67 ± 1.4 pg/ml; p = 0.007). Interestingly, at DoL 28, serum NfL was significantly decreased in the Early-EN newborns compared to the Late-EN groups (15.22 ± 2.0 vs. 50.05 ± 17.9 pg/ml; p = 0.03).

It was shown that early enteral feeding, within the first week of life, could be a useful tool for limiting neurological impairment in pre-term neonates by restoring NfL.