Author(s): Oriá, Reinaldo B. ; Freitas, Raul S. ; Roque, Cássia R. ; Nascimento, José Carlos R ; Silva, Ana Paula ; Malva, João O. ; Guerrant, Richard L. ; Vitek, Michael P.
Date: 2023
Persistent ID: https://hdl.handle.net/10316/113477
Origin: Estudo Geral - Universidade de Coimbra
Subject(s): apoE mimetic peptides; environmental enteric dysfunction; blood-brain barrier; gut-brain axis; intestinal inflammation; malnutrition
Apolipoprotein E (apoE) mimetic peptides are engineered fragments of the native apoE protein's LDL-receptor binding site that improve the outcomes following a brain injury and intestinal inflammation in a variety of models. The vicious cycle of enteric infections and malnutrition is closely related to environmental-driven enteric dysfunction early in life, and such chronic inflammatory conditions may blunt the developmental trajectories of children with worrisome and often irreversible physical and cognitive faltering. This window of time for microbiota maturation and brain plasticity is key to protecting cognitive domains, brain health, and achieving optimal/full developmental potential. This review summarizes the potential role of promising apoE mimetic peptides to improve the function of the gut-brain axis, including targeting the blood-brain barrier in children afflicted with malnutrition and enteric infections.
This study was supported by the Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development and the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel Procad (071/2013 no. 144494). R.B.O. was supported in part by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (grant OPP1137923). The authors would like to thank FEDER-CENTRO 2020-CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER- 000012 (HealthyAging 2020), and CNPq-PVE for the grants.
