Valenza, Marta

<> by Caterina Scuderi( )

1 edition published in 2012 in English and held by 2 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

"Effects of the novel relatively short-acting kappa opioid receptor antagonist LY2444296 in behaviors observed after chronic extended-access cocaine self-administration in rats" by Marta Valenza( )

1 edition published in 2017 in English and held by 2 WorldCat member libraries worldwide

Strain and cocaine-induced differential opioid gene expression may predispose Lewis but not Fischer rats to escalate cocaine self-administration( )

1 edition published in 2016 in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide

Abstract: The aim of the present study was to investigate alterations in gene expression of opioid system components induced by extended access (18h) cocaine self-administration and to determine the impact of genetic background in the vulnerability to escalate cocaine intake. Comparing two inbred rat strains, we previously reported that Lewis rats progressively escalated cocaine consumption compared to Fischer rats, in a new translational model of intravenous cocaine self-administration, which included 14 sessions of 18-h operant sessions in which rats were allowed to select the cocaine unit dose to self-administer. We compare here Fischer and Lewis rats in the gene expression of endogenous opioid peptides (Pomc, Penk, Pdyn) and cognate receptors (Oprm, Oprk and Oprd) in reward-related brain regions, after exposure to either cocaine self-administration or yoked-saline, in the aforementioned translational paradigm. We performed a correlation analysis between the mRNA level, found in the Dorsal Striatum (DS), Nucleus accumbens (NAcc) shell and core respectively, and individual cocaine intake. Our findings show that the gene expression of all the aforementioned opioid genes exhibit strain-dependent differences in the DS, in absence of cocaine exposure. Also, different strain-specific cocaine-induced mRNA expression of Oprm and Oprk was found in DS. Only few differences were found in the ventral parts of the striatum. Moreover, gene expression level of Pdyn, Penk, Oprk, and Oprm in the DS was significantly correlated with cocaine intake only in Fischer rats. Overall, these data shed light on potential genetic differences which may predispose of subjects to initiate and escalate cocaine consumption. Highlights: Lewis, but not Fischer rats, escalate cocaine intake during 14 extended access (18 h) self-administration sessions. Cocaine-induced gene expression changes were observed primarily in the dorsal, but not the ventral, part of the striatum. Strain differences were observed in basal striatal level of Pomc, Pdyn, Penk, Oprm, Oprk, and Oprd mRNA. mRNA level of Pdyn and Oprk, in the Dorsal Striatum correlates with individual cocaine intake selectively in Fischer rats

From microarray analysis to a potential dysfunction of cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in Huntington's disease : corso di dottorato di ricerca in scienze farmacotossicologiche, farmacognostiche e biotecnologie farmacologiche, ciclo 18. : tesi di dottorato di ricerca by Marta Valenza( Book )

1 edition published in 2006 in English and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide

Cholesterol-loaded nanoparticles ameliorate synaptic and cognitive function in Huntington's disease mice by Marta Valenza( )

1 edition published in 2015 in Undetermined and held by 1 WorldCat member library worldwide

Brain cholesterol biosynthesis and cholesterol levels are reduced in mouse models of Huntington's disease (HD), suggesting that locally synthesized, newly formed cholesterol is less available to neurons. This may be detrimental for neuronal function, especially given that locally synthesized cholesterol is implicated in synapse integrity and remodeling. Here, we used biodegradable and biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles (NPs) modified with glycopeptides (g7) and loaded with cholesterol (g7-NPs-Chol), which per se is not blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeable, to obtain high-rate cholesterol delivery into the brain after intraperitoneal injection in HD mice. We report that g7-NPs, in contrast to unmodified NPs, efficiently crossed the BBB and localized in glial and neuronal cells in different brain regions. We also found that repeated systemic delivery of g7-NPs-Chol rescued synaptic and cognitive dysfunction and partially improved global activity in HD mice. These results demonstrate that cholesterol supplementation to the HD brain reverses functional alterations associated with HD and highlight the potential of this new drug-administration route to the diseased brain