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Vol 59(2025) N 6 p. 964-980; DOI 10.1134/S0026893325700402 N. Zernov1, D. Melenteva2, E. Popugaeva2* Benzopyran Derivative Improves Synaptic Plasticity, Exploration Interest and Alleviates Amyloidogenesis and Astrogliosis in 5*FAD Mice 1Laboratory of Molecular Neurobiology, Pavlov Institute of Physiology, Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 188680 Russia2Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St. Petersburg, 195251 Russia *lena.popugaeva@gmail.com Received - 2025-04-30; Revised - 2025-06-02; Accepted - 2025-06-04 Current Alzheimer's disease (AD) therapies offer only symptomatic relief and fail to halt disease progression, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. We have previously shown that selective positive allosteric modulator of TRPC6, benzopyran derivative (C20), exhibits synaptoprotective properties at nanomolar concentrations, restores synaptic plasticity in 5xFAD mice, and enhances hippocampus-dependent memory. Here, we further evaluate the preclinical efficacy and safety of C20, focusing on its effects on chronic toxicity, mutagenicity, amyloidosis, astrogliosis, synaptic plasticity, and behavior in a transgenic AD model. Chronic and acute toxicity studies were performed on female wild type mice. The Ames test was conducted using Salmonella typhimurium and E. coli strains to evaluate the mutagenic potential of C20. 8 months old 5xFAD were used as model of AD. Electrophysiological recordings were applied to study long term potentiation in hippocampal slices of 5xFAD mice following intraperitoneal injections of C20. Behavioral testing included the open field test. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to quantify amyloid plaques and astrogliosis in the hippocampus. Chronic and acute toxicity studies revealed no significant adverse effects on mice weight and survival, indicating that C20 is well-tolerated at the tested dose. The Ames test confirmed that C20 is almost non-mutagenic. Behavioral testing demonstrated that C20- treated mice exhibited increased exploration in the open field test. Immunohistochemical analyses detected a significant reduction in amyloid plaques and astrogliosis. Our findings suggest that C20 is a safe and effective therapeutic candidate for AD, with the potential to restore synaptic plasticity, improve cognitive function, and reduce pathological hallmarks of the disease. Alzheimer's disease, benzopyran, exploration interest, astrogliosis, amyloidosis |
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