1 4938 110 PATERNAL NICOTINE ENHANCES FEAR MEMORY, REDUCES NICOTINE ADMINISTRATION, AND ALTERS HIPPOCAMPAL GENETIC AND NEURAL FUNCTION IN OFFSPRING. NICOTINE USE REMAINS HIGHLY PREVALENT WITH TOBACCO AND E-CIGARETTE PRODUCTS CONSUMED WORLDWIDE. HOWEVER, INCREASING EVIDENCE OF TRANSGENERATIONAL EPIGENETIC INHERITANCE SUGGESTS THAT NICOTINE USE MAY ALTER BEHAVIOR AND NEUROBIOLOGY IN SUBSEQUENT GENERATIONS. WE TESTED THE EFFECTS OF CHRONIC PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE IN C57BL6/J MICE ON FEAR CONDITIONING IN F1 AND F2 OFFSPRING, AS WELL AS CONDITIONED FEAR EXTINCTION AND SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY, NICOTINE SELF-ADMINISTRATION, HIPPOCAMPAL CHOLINERGIC FUNCTIONING, RNA EXPRESSION, AND DNA METHYLATION IN F1 OFFSPRING. PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ENHANCED CONTEXTUAL AND CUED FEAR CONDITIONING AND SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY OF EXTINGUISHED FEAR MEMORIES. FURTHER, NICOTINE REINFORCEMENT WAS REDUCED IN NICOTINE-SIRED MICE, AS ASSESSED IN A SELF-ADMINISTRATION PARADIGM. THESE BEHAVIORAL PHENOTYPES WERE COUPLED WITH ALTERED RESPONSE TO NICOTINE, UPREGULATED HIPPOCAMPAL NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTOR BINDING, REDUCED EVOKED HIPPOCAMPAL CHOLINERGIC CURRENTS, AND ALTERED METHYLATION AND EXPRESSION OF HIPPOCAMPAL GENES RELATED TO NEURAL DEVELOPMENT AND PLASTICITY. GENE EXPRESSION ANALYSIS SUGGESTS MULTIGENERATIONAL EFFECTS ON BROADER GENE NETWORKS POTENTIALLY INVOLVED IN NEUROPLASTICITY AND MENTAL DISORDERS. THE CHANGES IN FEAR CONDITIONING SIMILARLY SUGGEST PHENOTYPES ANALOGOUS TO ANXIETY DISORDERS SIMILAR TO POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS. 2021 2 6467 24 TISSUE-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF EXERCISE AS NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGY: CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND FUTURE PERSPECTIVES. NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+) ) IS AN EVOLUTIONARILY HIGHLY CONSERVED COENZYME WITH MULTI-FACETED CELL FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ENERGY METABOLISM, MOLECULAR SIGNALING PROCESSES, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND DNA REPAIR. SINCE THE DISCOVERY THAT LOWER NAD(+) LEVELS ARE A SHARED CHARACTERISTIC OF VARIOUS DISEASES AND AGING PER SE, SEVERAL NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGIES HAVE EMERGED. OTHER THAN PHARMACOLOGICAL AND NUTRITIONAL APPROACHES, EXERCISE IS THOUGHT TO RESTORE NAD(+) HOMEOSTASIS THROUGH METABOLIC ADAPTION TO CHRONICALLY RECURRING STATES OF INCREASED ENERGY DEMAND. IN THIS REVIEW WE DISCUSS THE IMPACT OF ACUTE EXERCISE AND EXERCISE TRAINING ON TISSUE-SPECIFIC NAD(+) METABOLISM OF RODENTS AND HUMANS TO HIGHLIGHT THE POTENTIAL VALUE AS NAD(+) -BOOSTING STRATEGY. BY INTERCONNECTING RESULTS FROM DIFFERENT INVESTIGATIONS, WE AIM TO DRAW ATTENTION TO TISSUE-SPECIFIC ALTERATIONS IN NAD(+) METABOLISM AND THE ASSOCIATED IMPLICATIONS FOR WHOLE-BODY NAD(+) HOMEOSTASIS. ACUTE EXERCISE LED TO PROFOUND ALTERATIONS OF INTRACELLULAR NAD(+) METABOLISM IN VARIOUS INVESTIGATIONS, WITH THE MAGNITUDE AND DIRECTION OF CHANGES BEING STRONGLY DEPENDENT ON THE APPLIED EXERCISE MODALITY, CELL TYPE, AND INVESTIGATED ANIMAL MODEL OR HUMAN POPULATION. EXERCISE TRAINING ELEVATED NAD(+) LEVELS AND NAD(+) METABOLISM ENZYMES IN VARIOUS TISSUES. BASED ON THESE RESULTS, WE DISCUSS MOLECULAR MECHANISMS THAT MIGHT CONNECT ACUTE EXERCISE-INDUCED DISRUPTIONS OF NAD(+) /NADH HOMEOSTASIS TO CHRONIC EXERCISE ADAPTIONS IN NAD(+) METABOLISM. TAKING THIS HYPOTHESIS-DRIVEN APPROACH, WE HOPE TO INSPIRE FUTURE RESEARCH ON THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS OF EXERCISE AS NAD(+) -MODIFYING LIFESTYLE INTERVENTION, THEREBY ELUCIDATING THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC VALUE IN NAD(+) -RELATED PATHOLOGIES. 2023 3 4939 31 PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE IN RATS PRODUCES LONG-LASTING NEUROBEHAVIORAL EFFECTS IN THE OFFSPRING. STUDIES OF INTERGENERATIONAL EFFECTS OF PARENTAL CHEMICAL EXPOSURE HAVE PRINCIPALLY FOCUSED ON MATERNAL EXPOSURE, PARTICULARLY FOR STUDIES OF ADVERSE NEUROBEHAVIORAL CONSEQUENCES ON THE OFFSPRING. MATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE HAS LONG BEEN KNOWN TO CAUSE ADVERSE NEUROBEHAVIORAL EFFECTS ON THE OFFSPRING. HOWEVER, PATERNAL TOXICANT EXPOSURE HAS ALSO BEEN FOUND TO CAUSE NEUROBEHAVIORAL TOXICITY IN THEIR OFFSPRING. RECENT WORK SUGGESTS THAT PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE CAN HAVE EPIGENETIC EFFECTS, ALTHOUGH IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHETHER SUCH CHANGES LEAD TO NEUROBEHAVIORAL EFFECTS. IN THE CURRENT STUDY, WE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS OF PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE ON NEUROBEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR OFFSPRING. MALE SPRAGUE-DAWLEY RATS WERE EXPOSED TO 0 OR 2 MG/KG/DAY NICOTINE (SC) FOR 56 CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH TWO CONSECUTIVE 2ML4 OSMOTIC MINIPUMPS. FOLLOWING TREATMENT, THESE MALES WERE MATED WITH DRUG-NAIVE FEMALE RATS. OFFSPRING OF BOTH SEXES WERE TESTED IN A BEHAVIORAL BATTERY TO ASSESS LOCOMOTION, EMOTIONAL FUNCTION AND COGNITION. PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE DID NOT IMPACT OFFSPRING VIABILITY, HEALTH OR GROWTH. HOWEVER, BEHAVIORAL FUNCTION OF THE OFFSPRING WAS SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED BY PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE. MALE OFFSPRING WITH PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE EXHIBITED LOCOMOTOR HYPERACTIVITY IN THE FIGURE-8 APPARATUS WHEN TESTED DURING ADOLESCENCE. WHEN RETESTED IN ADULTHOOD AND REGARDLESS OF SEX, OFFSPRING OF THE NICOTINE EXPOSED FATHER SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED HABITUATION OF LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY OVER THE COURSE OF THE SESSION. COMPARED TO CONTROLS, FEMALE OFFSPRING OF NICOTINE-EXPOSED FATHERS SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED RESPONSE LATENCY IN THE RADIAL ARM MAZE TEST. IN ADDITION TO LOCOMOTOR HYPERACTIVITY, THE OFFSPRING OF NICOTINE-EXPOSED FATHERS ALSO SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY DIMINISHED HABITUATION IN THE NOVEL OBJECT RECOGNITION TEST. THESE RESULTS INDICATE THAT CHRONIC PATERNAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE CAN IMPACT THE BEHAVIOR OF OFFSPRING, PRODUCING LOCOMOTOR HYPERACTIVITY AND IMPAIRED HABITUATION. 2019 4 4585 22 NAD(+) AND VASCULAR DYSFUNCTION: FROM MECHANISMS TO THERAPEUTIC OPPORTUNITIES. NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+)) IS AN ESSENTIAL AND PLEIOTROPIC COENZYME INVOLVED NOT ONLY IN CELLULAR ENERGY METABOLISM, BUT ALSO IN CELL SIGNALING, EPIGENETIC REGULATION, AND POST-TRANSLATIONAL PROTEIN MODIFICATIONS. VASCULAR DISEASE RISK FACTORS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH ABERRANT NAD(+) METABOLISM. CONVERSELY, THE THERAPEUTIC INCREASE OF NAD(+) LEVELS THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION OF NAD(+) PRECURSORS OR INHIBITORS OF NAD(+)-CONSUMING ENZYMES REDUCES CHRONIC LOW-GRADE INFLAMMATION, REACTIVATES AUTOPHAGY AND MITOCHONDRIAL BIOGENESIS, AND ENHANCES OXIDATIVE METABOLISM IN VASCULAR CELLS OF HUMANS AND RODENTS WITH VASCULAR PATHOLOGIES. AS SUCH, NAD(+) HAS EMERGED AS A POTENTIAL TARGET FOR COMBATTING AGE-RELATED CARDIOVASCULAR AND CEREBROVASCULAR DISORDERS. THIS REVIEW DISCUSSES NAD(+)-REGULATED MECHANISMS CRITICAL FOR VASCULAR HEALTH AND SUMMARIZES NEW ADVANCES IN NAD(+) RESEARCH DIRECTLY RELATED TO VASCULAR AGING AND DISEASE, INCLUDING HYPERTENSION, ATHEROSCLEROSIS, CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE, AND AORTIC ANEURYSMS. FINALLY, WE ENUMERATE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR NAD(+) REPLETION THERAPY WHILE ANTICIPATING THE FUTURE OF THIS EXCITING RESEARCH FIELD, WHICH WILL HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON VASCULAR MEDICINE. 2022 5 4701 33 NICOTINE AND THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN. ADOLESCENCE ENCOMPASSES A SENSITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PERIOD OF ENHANCED CLINICAL VULNERABILITY TO NICOTINE, TOBACCO, AND E-CIGARETTES. WHILE THERE ARE SOCIOCULTURAL INFLUENCES, DATA AT PRECLINICAL AND CLINICAL LEVELS INDICATE THAT THIS ADOLESCENT SENSITIVITY HAS STRONG NEUROBIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS. ALTHOUGH DEFINITIONS OF ADOLESCENCE VARY, THE HALLMARK OF THIS PERIOD IS A PROFOUND REORGANIZATION OF BRAIN REGIONS NECESSARY FOR MATURE COGNITIVE AND EXECUTIVE FUNCTION, WORKING MEMORY, REWARD PROCESSING, EMOTIONAL REGULATION, AND MOTIVATED BEHAVIOR. REGULATING CRITICAL FACETS OF BRAIN MATURATION ARE NICOTINIC ACETYLCHOLINE RECEPTORS (NACHRS). HOWEVER, PERTURBATIONS OF CHOLINERGIC SYSTEMS DURING THIS TIME WITH NICOTINE, VIA TOBACCO OR E-CIGARETTES, HAVE UNIQUE CONSEQUENCES ON ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HIGHLIGHT RECENT CLINICAL AND PRECLINICAL DATA EXAMINING THE ADOLESCENT BRAIN'S DISTINCT NEUROBIOLOGY AND UNIQUE SENSITIVITY TO NICOTINE. FIRST, WE DISCUSS WHAT DEFINES ADOLESCENCE BEFORE REVIEWING NORMATIVE STRUCTURAL AND NEUROCHEMICAL ALTERATIONS THAT PERSIST UNTIL EARLY ADULTHOOD, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON DOPAMINERGIC SYSTEMS. WE REVIEW HOW ACUTE EXPOSURE TO NICOTINE IMPACTS BRAIN DEVELOPMENT AND HOW DRUG RESPONSES DIFFER FROM THOSE SEEN IN ADULTS. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS THE PERSISTENT ALTERATIONS IN NEURONAL SIGNALING AND COGNITIVE FUNCTION THAT RESULT FROM CHRONIC NICOTINE EXPOSURE, WHILE HIGHLIGHTING A LOW DOSE, SEMI-CHRONIC EXPOSURE PARADIGM THAT MAY BETTER MODEL ADOLESCENT TOBACCO USE. WE ARGUE THAT NICOTINE EXPOSURE, INCREASINGLY OCCURRING AS A RESULT OF E-CIGARETTE USE, MAY INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT SENSITIZE THE BRAIN TO OTHER DRUGS AND PRIME IT FOR FUTURE SUBSTANCE ABUSE. 2015 6 2583 19 EPIGENETICS OF NICOTINE: ANOTHER NAIL IN THE COUGHING. IN A MOUSE MODEL, CHRONIC NICOTINE EXPOSURE BEFORE COCAINE USE EXACERBATED THE EPIGENETIC, GENE-EXPRESSION, ELECTROPHYSIOLOGICAL, AND BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS THAT OCCUR DURING THE TRANSITION FROM ACUTE TO CHRONIC RESPONSES TO COCAINE THAT HAVE BEEN LINKED WITH THE ADDICTIVE PROCESS. NICOTINE ENHANCEMENT OF THE EFFECTS CAN BE MIMICKED WITH AN INHIBITOR OF CHROMATIN-MODIFYING ENZYMES (CLASS I AND II HISTONE DEACETYLASES). THESE FINDINGS MAY SPUR THE DISCOVERY OF THERAPEUTICS FOR THE TREATMENT OF ADDICTION. 2011 7 313 22 ALCOHOL METABOLISM AND EPIGENETICS CHANGES. METABOLITES, INCLUDING THOSE GENERATED DURING ETHANOL METABOLISM, CAN IMPACT DISEASE STATES BY BINDING TO TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AND/OR MODIFYING CHROMATIN STRUCTURE, THEREBY ALTERING GENE EXPRESSION PATTERNS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE ACTIVITIES OF ENZYMES INVOLVED IN EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS DNA AND HISTONE METHYLATION AND HISTONE ACETYLATION, ARE INFLUENCED BY THE LEVELS OF METABOLITES SUCH AS NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD), ADENOSINE TRIPHOSPHATE (ATP), AND S-ADENOSYLMETHIONINE (SAM). CHRONIC ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION LEADS TO SIGNIFICANT REDUCTIONS IN SAM LEVELS, THEREBY CONTRIBUTING TO DNA HYPOMETHYLATION. SIMILARLY, ETHANOL METABOLISM ALTERS THE RATIO OF NAD+ TO REDUCED NAD (NADH) AND PROMOTES THE FORMATION OF REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES AND ACETATE, ALL OF WHICH IMPACT EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISMS. IN ADDITION TO ALTERED CARBOHYDRATE METABOLISM, INDUCTION OF CELL DEATH, AND CHANGES IN MITOCHONDRIAL PERMEABILITY TRANSITION, THESE METABOLISM-RELATED CHANGES CAN LEAD TO MODULATION OF EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. UNDERSTANDING THE NATURE OF THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES WILL HELP RESEARCHERS DESIGN NOVEL MEDICATIONS TO TREAT OR AT LEAST AMELIORATE ALCOHOL-INDUCED ORGAN DAMAGE. 2013 8 1839 27 EFFECTS OF PRENATAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE ON HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM IN OFFSPRING RATS AND ITS HEREDITABILITY. PRENATAL NICOTINE EXPOSURE (PNE) COULD INDUCE AN INCREASED SUSCEPTIBILITY TO MULTIPLE CHRONIC DISEASES IN ADULT OFFSPRING, THAT MAINLY CAUSED BY INTRAUTERINE MATERNAL GLUCOCORTICOID (GC) OVER-EXPOSURE. WE INVESTIGATED THE CHANGES AND INHERITABILITY OF HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM CAUSED BY PNE, TO DECIPHER THE POSSIBLE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING MECHANISM. PREGNANT WISTAR RATS WERE ADMINISTERED SUBCUTANEOUSLY WITH 2 MG/KG.D NICOTINE FROM GESTATIONAL DAY (GD) 9 APPROXIMATELY 20, AND SECOND-GENERATION (F2) WERE SET ACCORDING TO THE MATING BETWEEN CONTROL FEMALES AND PNE MALES. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT SERUM PHENOTYPES AND HEPATIC ENZYMES OF GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM WERE LOWER IN F1 FETAL RATS OF PNE BUT HIGHER IN THE F1 ADULT RATS. MEANWHILE, THE ACTIVATED STATES OF HEPATIC GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM, INCLUDING TYPE 1 AND TYPE 2 11BETA-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASES (HSD11B1/2), NUCLEAR RECEPTOR SUBFAMILY 3, GROUP C, MEMBER 1 (NR3C1) AND CCAAT ENHANCER BINDING PROTEIN ALPHA (CEBPA), WERE POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH SERUM CORTICOSTERONE LEVELS BUT NEGATIVELY CORRELATED WITH THE HISTONE ACETYLATION (H3K27AC) AND EXPRESSION LEVELS OF INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR 1 (IGF1) BEFORE AND AFTER BIRTH. FURTHERMORE, SERUM PHENOTYPES AND HEPATIC ENZYMES OF GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM WERE LOWER IN BOTH F2 FETAL AND ADULT RATS OF PNE, WHICH WERE CONSISTENT WITH THE HEPATIC CHANGES OF GC-IGF1 AXIS AND THE GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM. IN CONCLUSION, PNE COULD LEAD TO INHERITABLE CHANGES OF HEPATIC GLUCOSE AND LIPID METABOLISM, WHICH ARE RELATED TO THE INTRAUTERINE PROGRAMMING OF GC-IGF1 AXIS INDUCED BY THE GLUCOCORTICOID-ACTIVATION SYSTEM. 2020 9 4702 29 NICOTINE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS CONTRIBUTES TO EMT AND STEMNESS DURING NEOPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION THROUGH EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN HUMAN KIDNEY EPITHELIAL CELLS. NICOTINE IS A COMPONENT OF CIGARETTE SMOKE AND MOUNTING EVIDENCE SUGGESTS TOXICITY AND CARCINOGENICITY OF TOBACCO SMOKE IN KIDNEY. CARCINOGENICITY OF NICOTINE ITSELF IN KIDNEY AND THE UNDERLYING MOLECULAR MECHANISMS ARE NOT WELL-UNDERSTOOD. HENCE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE THE CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS OF CHRONIC NICOTINE EXPOSURE IN HK-2 HUMAN KIDNEY EPITHELIAL CELLS. THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE EXPOSURE ON THE EXPRESSION OF GENES FOR CELLULAR REPROGRAMMING, REDOX STATUS, AND GROWTH SIGNALING PATHWAYS WERE ALSO EVALUATED TO UNDERSTAND THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS. RESULTS REVEALED THAT CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO NICOTINE INDUCED GROWTH AND NEOPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION IN HK-2 CELLS. INCREASED LEVELS OF INTRACELLULAR REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS), ACQUIRED STEM CELL-LIKE SPHERE FORMATION, AND EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL-TRANSITION (EMT) CHANGES WERE OBSERVED IN NICOTINE EXPOSED CELLS. TREATMENT WITH ANTIOXIDANT N-ACETYL CYSTEINE (NAC) RESULTED IN ABROGATION OF EMT AND STEMNESS IN HK-2 CELLS, INDICATING THE ROLE OF NICOTINE-INDUCED ROS IN THESE MORPHOLOGICAL CHANGES. THE RESULT ALSO SUGGESTS THAT ROS CONTROLS THE STEMNESS THROUGH REGULATION OF AKT PATHWAY DURING EARLY STAGES OF CARCINOGENESIS. ADDITIONALLY, THE EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC REGULATORY GENES WAS ALTERED IN NICOTINE-EXPOSED CELLS AND THE CHANGES WERE REVERSED BY NAC. THE EPIGENETIC THERAPEUTICS 5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE AND TRICHOSTATIN A ALSO ABROGATED THE STEMNESS. THIS SUGGESTS THE NICOTINE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS CAUSED EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS CONTRIBUTING TO STEMNESS DURING NEOPLASTIC TRANSFORMATION. TO OUR KNOWLEDGE, THIS IS THE FIRST REPORT SHOWING THE ROS-MEDIATED EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS AS THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM FOR CARCINOGENICITY OF NICOTINE IN HUMAN KIDNEY EPITHELIAL CELLS. THIS STUDY FURTHER SUGGESTS THE POTENTIAL OF EPIGENETIC THERAPEUTICS FOR PHARMACOLOGICAL INTERVENTION IN NICOTINE-INDUCED KIDNEY CANCER. 2019 10 968 28 CHRONIC NICOTINE EXPOSURE SYSTEMICALLY ALTERS MICRORNA EXPRESSION PROFILES DURING POST-EMBRYONIC STAGES IN CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS. TOBACCO SMOKING IS ASSOCIATED WITH MANY DISEASES. ADDICTION IS OF THE MOST NOTORIOUS TOBACCO-RELATED SYNDROME AND IS MAINLY ATTRIBUTED TO NICOTINE. IN THIS STUDY, WE EMPLOYED CAENORHABDITIS ELEGANS AS A BIOLOGICAL MODEL TO SYSTEMICALLY INVESTIGATE THE EFFECT OF CHRONIC NICOTINE EXPOSURE ON MICRORNA (MIRNA) EXPRESSION PROFILE AND THEIR REGULATED BIOCHEMICAL PATHWAYS. NICOTINE TREATMENT (20 MICROM AND 20 MM) WAS LIMITED TO THE POST-EMBRYONIC STAGE FROM L1 TO L4 ( APPROXIMATELY 31 H) PERIOD AFTER WHICH WORMS WERE COLLECTED FOR GENOME-WIDE MIRNA PROFILING. OUR RESULTS SHOW THAT NICOTINE SIGNIFICANTLY ALTERED THE EXPRESSION PATTERNS OF 40 MIRNAS. THE EFFECT WAS PROPORTIONAL TO THE NICOTINE DOSE AND WAS EXPECTED TO HAVE AN ADDITIVE, MORE ROBUST RESPONSE. BASED ON PATHWAY ENRICHMENT ANALYSES COUPLED WITH NICOTINE-INDUCED MIRNA PATTERNS, WE INFERRED THAT MIRNAS AS A SYSTEM MEDIATES "REGULATORY HORMESIS", MANIFESTED IN BIPHASIC BEHAVIORAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOTYPES. WE PROPOSED A MODEL WHERE NICOTINE ADDICTION IS MEDIATED BY MIRNAS' REGULATION OF FOS-1 AND IS MAINTAINED BY EPIGENETIC FACTORS. THUS, OUR STUDY OFFERS NEW INSIGHTS FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE SENSITIVITY OF EARLY DEVELOPMENTAL STAGES TO NICOTINE. 2014 11 870 17 CHRONIC ALCOHOL BINGING INJURES THE LIVER AND OTHER ORGANS BY REDUCING NAD(+) LEVELS REQUIRED FOR SIRTUIN'S DEACETYLASE ACTIVITY. NAD(+) LEVELS ARE MARKEDLY REDUCED WHEN BLOOD ALCOHOL LEVELS ARE HIGH DURING BINGE DRINKING. THIS CAUSES LIVER INJURY TO OCCUR BECAUSE THE ENZYMES THAT REQUIRE NAD(+) AS A COFACTOR SUCH AS THE SIRTUIN DE-ACETYLASES CANNOT DE-ACETYLATE ACETYLATED PROTEINS SUCH AS ACETYLATED HISTONES. THIS PREVENTS THE EPIGENETIC CHANGES THAT REGULATE METABOLIC PROCESSES AND WHICH PREVENT ORGAN INJURY SUCH AS FATTY LIVER IN RESPONSE TO ALCOHOL ABUSE. HYPER ACETYLATION OF NUMEROUS REGULATORY PROTEINS DEVELOPS. SYSTEMIC MULTI-ORGAN INJURY OCCURS WHEN NAD(+) IS REDUCED. FOR INSTANCE THE CIRCADIAN CLOCK IS ALTERED IF NAD(+) IS NOT AVAILABLE. CELL CYCLE ARREST OCCURS DUE TO UP REGULATION OF CELL CYCLE INHIBITORS LEADING TO DNA DAMAGE, MUTATIONS, APOPTOSIS AND TUMORIGENESIS. NAD(+) IS LINKED TO AGING IN THE REGULATION OF TELOMERE STABILITY. NAD(+) IS REQUIRED FOR MITOCHONDRIAL RENEWAL. ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE IS PRESENT IN EVERY VISCERAL ORGAN IN THE BODY SO THAT THERE IS A SYSTEMIC REDUCTION OF NAD(+) LEVELS IN ALL OF THESE ORGANS DURING BINGE DRINKING. 2016 12 5117 28 POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF HIGH-DOSE NICOTINAMIDE: MECHANISMS AND SAFETY ASSESSMENT. NICOTINAMIDE (NAM) AT DOSES FAR ABOVE THOSE RECOMMENDED FOR VITAMINS IS SUGGESTED TO BE EFFECTIVE AGAINST A WIDE SPECTRUM OF DISEASES AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING NEUROLOGICAL DYSFUNCTIONS, DEPRESSION AND OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS, AND INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. RECENT INCREASES IN PUBLIC AWARENESS ON POSSIBLE PRO-LONGEVITY EFFECTS OF NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+)) PRECURSORS HAVE CAUSED FURTHER GROWTH OF NAM CONSUMPTION NOT ONLY FOR CLINICAL TREATMENTS, BUT ALSO AS A DIETARY SUPPLEMENT, RAISING CONCERNS ON THE SAFETY OF ITS LONG-TERM USE. HOWEVER, POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS AND THEIR MECHANISMS ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. HIGH-LEVEL NAM ADMINISTRATION CAN EXERT NEGATIVE EFFECTS THROUGH MULTIPLE ROUTES. FOR EXAMPLE, NAM BY ITSELF INHIBITS POLY(ADP-RIBOSE) POLYMERASES (PARPS), WHICH PROTECT GENOME INTEGRITY. ELEVATION OF THE NAD(+) POOL ALTERS CELLULAR ENERGY METABOLISM. MEANWHILE, HIGH-LEVEL NAM ALTERS CELLULAR METHYL METABOLISM AND AFFECTS METHYLATION OF DNA AND PROTEINS, LEADING TO CHANGES IN CELLULAR TRANSCRIPTOME AND PROTEOME. ALSO, METHYL METABOLITES OF NAM, NAMELY METHYLNICOTINAMIDE, ARE PREDICTED TO PLAY ROLES IN CERTAIN DISEASES AND CONDITIONS. IN THIS REVIEW, A COLLECTIVE LITERATURE SEARCH WAS PERFORMED TO PROVIDE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST OF POSSIBLE ADVERSE EFFECTS OF NAM AND TO PROVIDE UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR UNDERLYING MECHANISMS AND ASSESSMENT OF THE RAISED SAFETY CONCERNS. OUR REVIEW ASSURES SAFETY IN CURRENT USAGE LEVEL OF NAM, BUT ALSO FINDS POTENTIAL RISKS FOR EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC USE OF NAM AT HIGH DOSES. IT ALSO SUGGESTS DIRECTIONS OF THE FUTURE STUDIES TO ENSURE SAFER APPLICATION OF NAM. 2020 13 5719 19 SIRTUINS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES: AN UPDATE ON POTENTIAL MECHANISMS. SILENT INFORMATION REGULATOR 2 PROTEINS (SIRTUINS OR SIRTS) ARE A GROUP OF DEACETYLASES (OR DEACYLASES) WHOSE ACTIVITIES ARE DEPENDENT ON AND REGULATED BY NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD(+)). COMPELLING EVIDENCE SUPPORTS THAT SIRTUINS PLAY MAJOR ROLES IN MANY ASPECTS OF PHYSIOLOGY, ESPECIALLY IN PATHWAYS RELATED TO AGING - THE PREDOMINANT AND UNIFYING RISK FACTOR FOR NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE HIGHLIGHT THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE PROTECTIVE EFFECTS OF SIRTUINS IN NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES, FOCUSING ON PROTEIN HOMEOSTASIS, NEURAL PLASTICITY, MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION, AND SUSTAINED CHRONIC INFLAMMATION. WE WILL ALSO EXAMINE THE POTENTIAL AND CHALLENGES OF TARGETING SIRTUIN PATHWAYS TO BLOCK THESE PATHOGENIC PATHWAYS. 2013 14 4197 24 METABOLIC PROFILES IN OVINE CAROTID ARTERIES WITH DEVELOPMENTAL MATURATION AND LONG-TERM HYPOXIA. BACKGROUND: LONG-TERM HYPOXIA (LTH) IS AN IMPORTANT STRESSOR RELATED TO HEALTH AND DISEASE DURING DEVELOPMENT. AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS FROM FETUS TO ADULT, WE ARE EXPOSED TO HYPOXIC STRESS BECAUSE OF PLACENTAL INSUFFICIENCY, HIGH-ALTITUDE RESIDENCE, SMOKING, CHRONIC ANEMIA, PULMONARY, AND HEART DISORDERS, AS WELL AS CANCERS. INTRAUTERINE HYPOXIA CAN LEAD TO FETAL GROWTH RESTRICTION AND LONG-TERM SEQUELAE SUCH AS COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENTS, HYPERTENSION, CARDIOVASCULAR DISORDERS, DIABETES, AND SCHIZOPHRENIA. SIMILARLY, PROLONGED HYPOXIC EXPOSURE DURING ADULT LIFE CAN LEAD TO ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS, CHRONIC FATIGUE, CHRONIC HEADACHE, COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT, ACUTE CEREBRAL AND/OR PULMONARY EDEMA, AND DEATH. AIM: LTH ALSO CAN LEAD TO ALTERATION IN METABOLITES SUCH AS FUMARATE, 2-OXOGLUTARATE, MALATE, AND LACTATE, WHICH ARE LINKED TO EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF GENE EXPRESSION. IMPORTANTLY, DURING THE INTRAUTERINE LIFE, A FETUS IS UNDER A RELATIVE HYPOXIC ENVIRONMENT, AS COMPARED TO NEWBORN OR ADULT. THUS, THE CHANGES IN GENE EXPRESSION WITH DEVELOPMENT FROM FETUS TO NEWBORN TO ADULT MAY BE AS A CONSEQUENCE OF UNDERLYING CHANGES IN THE METABOLIC PROFILE BECAUSE OF THE HYPOXIC ENVIRONMENT ALONG WITH DEVELOPMENTAL MATURATION. TO EXAMINE THIS POSSIBILITY, WE EXAMINED THE METABOLIC PROFILE IN CAROTID ARTERIES FROM NEAR-TERM FETUS, NEWBORN, AND ADULT SHEEP IN BOTH NORMOXIC AND LONG-TERM HYPOXIC ACCLIMATIZED GROUPS. RESULTS: OUR RESULTS DEMONSTRATE THAT LTH DIFFERENTIALLY REGULATED GLUCOSE METABOLISM, MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM, NICOTINAMIDE COFACTOR METABOLISM, OXIDATIVE STRESS AND ANTIOXIDANTS, MEMBRANE LIPID HYDROLYSIS, AND FREE FATTY ACID METABOLISM, EACH OF WHICH MAY PLAY A ROLE IN GENETIC-EPIGENETIC REGULATION. 2015 15 5781 26 SPINAL SIRT1 ACTIVATION ATTENUATES NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN MICE. ABNORMAL HISTONE ACETYLATION OCCURS DURING NEUROPATHIC PAIN THROUGH AN EPIGENETIC MECHANISM. SILENT INFORMATION REGULATOR 1 (SIR2 OR SIRT1), A NAD-DEPENDENT DEACETYLASE, PLAYS COMPLEX SYSTEMIC ROLES IN A VARIETY OF PROCESSES THROUGH DEACETYLATING ACETYLATED HISTONE AND OTHER SPECIFIC SUBSTRATES. BUT THE ROLE OF SIRT1 IN NEUROPATHIC PAIN IS NOT WELL ESTABLISHED YET. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS INTENDED TO DETECT SIRT1 CONTENT AND ACTIVITY, NICOTINAMIDE (NAM) AND NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD) IN THE SPINAL CORD USING IMMUNOBLOTTING OR MASS SPECTROSCOPY OVER TIME IN MICE FOLLOWING CHRONIC CONSTRICTION INJURY (CCI) OR SHAM SURGERY. IN ADDITION, THE EFFECT OF INTRATHECAL INJECTION OF NAD OR RESVERATROL ON THERMAL HYPERALGESIA AND MECHANICAL ALLODYNIA WAS EVALUATED IN CCI MICE. FINALLY, WE INVESTIGATED WHETHER SIRT1 INHIBITOR EX-527 COULD REVERSE THE ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF NAD OR RESVERATROL. IT WAS FOUND THAT SPINAL SIRT1 EXPRESSION, DEACETYLASE ACTIVITY AND NAD/NAM DECREASED SIGNIFICANTLY 1, 3, 7, 14 AND 21 DAYS AFTER CCI SURGERY AS COMPARED WITH SHAM GROUP. IN ADDITION, DAILY INTRATHECAL INJECTION OF 5 MICROL 800 MM NAD 1 H BEFORE AND 1 DAY AFTER CCI SURGERY OR SINGLE INTRATHECAL INJECTION OF 5 MICROL 90 MM RESVERATROL 1 H BEFORE CCI SURGERY PRODUCED A TRANSIENT INHIBITORY EFFECT ON THERMAL HYPERALGESIA AND MECHANICAL ALLODYNIA IN CCI MICE. FINALLY, AN INTRATHECAL INJECTION OF 5 MICROL 1.2 MM EX-527 1 H BEFORE NAD OR RESVERATROL ADMINISTRATION REVERSED THE ANTI-NOCICEPTIVE EFFECT OF NAD OR RESVERATROL. THESE DATA INDICATE THAT THE REDUCTION IN SIRT1 DEACETYLASE ACTIVITY MAY BE A FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN IN CCI MICE. OUR FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE ENHANCEMENT OF SPINAL NAD/NAM AND/OR SIRT1 ACTIVITY MAY BE A POTENTIALLY PROMISING STRATEGY FOR THE PREVENTION OR TREATMENT OF NEUROPATHIC PAIN. 2014 16 128 25 A UNIFYING MECHANISM OF KETOGENIC DIET ACTION: THE MULTIPLE ROLES OF NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE. THE ABILITY OF A KETOGENIC DIET TO TREAT SEIZURES AND RENDER A NEURONAL NETWORK MORE RESISTANT TO STRONG ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY HAS BEEN OBSERVED FOR A CENTURY IN CLINICS AND FOR DECADES IN RESEARCH LABORATORIES. ALONGSIDE ONGOING EFFORTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS THERAPY WORKS TO STOP SEIZURES, METABOLIC HEALTH IS INCREASINGLY APPRECIATED AS CRITICAL BUFFER TO RESISTING AND RECOVERING FROM ACUTE AND CHRONIC DISEASE. ACCORDINGLY, LINKS BETWEEN METABOLISM AND HEALTH, AND THE BROADER EMERGING IMPACT OF THE KETOGENIC DIET IN IMPROVING DIVERSE METABOLIC, IMMUNOLOGICAL AND NEUROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, HAVE SERVED TO INTENSIFY THE SEARCH FOR ITS KEY AND/OR COMMON MECHANISMS. HERE WE REVIEW DIVERSE EVIDENCE FOR INCREASED LEVELS OF NAD(+), AND THUS AN ALTERED RATIO OF NAD(+)/NADH, DURING METABOLIC THERAPY WITH A KETOGENIC DIET. WE PROPOSE THIS AS A POTENTIAL UNIFYING MECHANISM, AND HIGHLIGHT SOME OF THE EVIDENCE LINKING ALTERED NAD(+)/NADH WITH REDUCED SEIZURES AND WITH A RANGE OF SHORT AND LONG-TERM CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF A KETOGENIC DIET. AN INCREASE IN NAD(+)/NADH IS CONSISTENT WITH MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE AND HYPOTHESES, AND THEREFORE WE SUGGEST THAT INCREASED NAD(+) MAY BE A COMMON MECHANISM UNDERLYING BENEFICIAL EFFECTS OF KETOGENIC DIET THERAPY. 2020 17 5380 28 RECENT UPDATES ON BIOMARKERS OF EXPOSURE AND SYSTEMIC TOXICITY IN E-CIGARETTE USERS AND EVALI. ELECTRONIC NICOTINE DELIVERY SYSTEMS (ENDS), OR E-CIGARETTES, ARE EMERGING TOBACCO PRODUCTS THAT PRODUCE AEROSOLS BY HEATING E-LIQUIDS, WHICH MOST OFTEN CONSIST OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL AND VEGETABLE GLYCERIN ALONG WITH VARIOUS FLAVORING COMPOUNDS, BYPASSING THE COMBUSTION THAT OCCURS IN THE USE OF TRADITIONAL TOBACCO CIGARETTES. THESE PRODUCTS HAVE SEEN A DRASTIC INCREASE IN POPULARITY IN RECENT YEARS BOTH AS SMOKING CESSATION DEVICES AS WELL AS AMONG YOUNGER GENERATIONS, DUE IN LARGE PART TO THE WIDESPREAD PERCEPTION AMONG CONSUMERS THAT E-CIGS ARE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS HARMFUL TO HEALTH THAN TRADITIONAL TOBACCO CIGARETTES. DUE TO THE NOVELTY OF ENDS AS WELL AS THEIR RAPIDLY INCREASING USE, RESEARCH INTO BIOMARKERS OF E-CIG EXPOSURE AND TOXICITY HAVE LAGGED BEHIND THEIR POPULARITY, LEAVING IMPORTANT QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR POTENTIAL TOXICITY UNANSWERED. RESEARCH INTO POTENTIAL BIOMARKERS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC E-CIG USE, AND E-CIGARETTE- OR VAPING-ASSOCIATED LUNG INJURY IS NECESSARY FOR INFORMING BOTH CLINICAL AND REGULATORY DECISION-MAKING. WE AIM TO PROVIDE AN UPDATED REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH INTO POTENTIAL CIRCULATING, GENOMIC, TRANSCRIPTOMIC, AND EPIGENETIC BIOMARKERS OF EXPOSURE TO AND TOXICITY OF E-CIGS. WE ADDITIONALLY HIGHLIGHT RESEARCH AREAS THAT WARRANT ADDITIONAL STUDY TO GAIN A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH ENDS USE, AS WELL AS TO PROVIDE VALIDATION OF EXISTING DATA AND METHODS FOR MEASURING AND ANALYZING E-CIG-ASSOCIATED BIOMARKERS IN HUMAN AND ANIMAL BIOFLUIDS, TISSUES, AND CELLS. THIS REVIEW ALSO HIGHLIGHTS ONGOING EFFORTS WITHIN THE WNY CENTER FOR RESEARCH ON FLAVORED TOBACCO FOR RESEARCH INTO NOVEL BIOMARKERS IN EXTRACELLULAR VESICLES THAT MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH SHORT- AND LONG-TERM ENDS USE. 2021 18 1852 27 ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES: THEIR CONSTITUENTS AND POTENTIAL LINKS TO ASTHMA. PURPOSE OF REVIEW: VAPING IS GAINING POPULARITY IN THE USA, PARTICULARLY AMONG TEENS AND YOUNG ADULTS. WHILE E-CIGS ARE COMMONLY REPRESENTED AS SAFER ALTERNATIVES TO TOBACCO CIGARETTES, LITTLE IS KNOWN REGARDING THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF THEIR SHORT- OR LONG-TERM USE, ESPECIALLY IN INDIVIDUALS WITH PRE-EXISTING RESPIRATORY DISEASES SUCH AS ASTHMA. FLAVORED E-CIG LIQUIDS (E-LIQUIDS) AND E-CIG AEROSOLS CONTAIN AIRWAY IRRITANTS AND TOXICANTS THAT HAVE BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS AND WORSENING OF LUNG DISEASES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL SUMMARIZE EXISTING DATA ON POTENTIAL HEALTH EFFECTS OF COMPONENTS PRESENT IN E-CIG AEROSOLS, SUCH AS PROPYLENE GLYCOL, VEGETABLE GLYCERIN, NICOTINE, AND FLAVORINGS, AND DISCUSS THEIR RELEVANCE IN THE CONTEXT OF ASTHMA. RECENT FINDINGS: RECENT SURVEY DATA INDICATE THAT ADOLESCENTS WITH ASTHMA HAD A HIGHER PREVALENCE OF CURRENT E-CIG USE (12.4%) COMPARED TO THEIR NON-ASTHMATICS PEERS (10.2%) AND CONVEYED POSITIVE BELIEFS ABOUT TOBACCO PRODUCTS, ESPECIALLY E-CIGS. SIMILARLY, A STUDY CONDUCTED AMONG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM ONTARIO, CANADA, INDICATED A GREATER LIKELIHOOD OF E-CIG USE IN ASTHMATICS AS COMPARED TO THEIR NON-ASTHMATIC PEERS. AVAILABILITY OF DIFFERENT FLAVORINGS IS OFTEN CITED AS THE MAIN REASON AMONG YOUTH/ADOLESCENTS FOR TRYING E-CIGS OR SWITCHING FROM CIGARETTES TO E-CIGS. OCCUPATIONAL INHALATION OF SOME COMMON FOOD-SAFE FLAVORING AGENTS IS REPORTED TO CAUSE OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA AND WORSEN ASTHMATIC SYMPTOMS. MOREOVER, WORKPLACE INHALATION EXPOSURES TO THE FLAVORING AGENT DIACETYL HAVE CAUSED IRREVERSIBLE OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE IN HEALTHY WORKERS. ADDITIONALLY, RECENT STUDIES REPORT THAT THERMAL DECOMPOSITION OF PROPYLENE GLYCOL (PG) AND VEGETABLE GLYCERIN (VG), THE BASE CONSTITUENTS OF E-LIQUIDS, PRODUCES REACTIVE CARBONYLS, INCLUDING ACROLEIN, FORMALDEHYDE, AND ACETALDEHYDE, WHICH HAVE KNOWN RESPIRATORY TOXICITIES. FURTHERMORE, RECENT NICOTINE STUDIES IN RODENTS REVEAL THAT PRENATAL NICOTINE EXPOSURES LEAD TO EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING IN THE OFFSPRING, ABNORMAL LUNG DEVELOPMENT, AND MULTIGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF ASTHMATIC-LIKE SYMPTOMS. COMPARISONS OF THE TOXICITY AND HEALTH EFFECTS OF E-CIGS AND CONVENTIONAL CIGARETTES OFTEN FOCUS ON TOXICANTS KNOWN TO BE PRESENT IN CIGARETTE SMOKE (CS) (I.E., FORMALDEHYDE, NITROSAMINES, ETC.), AS WELL AS SMOKING-ASSOCIATED CLINICAL ENDPOINTS, SUCH AS CANCER, BRONCHITIS, AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). HOWEVER, THIS APPROACH DISREGARDS POTENTIAL TOXICITY OF COMPONENTS UNIQUE TO FLAVORED E-CIGS, SUCH AS PG, VG, AND THE MANY DIFFERENT FLAVORING CHEMICALS, WHICH LIKELY INDUCE RESPIRATORY EFFECTS NOT USUALLY OBSERVED IN CIGARETTE SMOKERS. 2017 19 3115 26 GEROMETABOLITES: THE PSEUDOHYPOXIC AGING SIDE OF CANCER ONCOMETABOLITES. ONCOMETABOLITES ARE DEFINED AS SMALL-MOLECULE COMPONENTS (OR ENANTIOMERS) OF NORMAL METABOLISM WHOSE ACCUMULATION CAUSES SIGNALING DYSREGULATION TO ESTABLISH A MILIEU THAT INITIATES CARCINOGENESIS. IN A SIMILAR MANNER, WE PROPOSE THE TERM "GEROMETABOLITES" TO REFER TO SMALL-MOLECULE COMPONENTS OF NORMAL METABOLISM WHOSE DEPLETION CAUSES SIGNALING DYSREGULATION TO ESTABLISH A MILIEU THAT DRIVES AGING. IN AN INVESTIGATION OF THE PATHOGENIC ACTIVITIES OF THE CURRENTLY RECOGNIZED ONCOMETABOLITES R(-)-2-HYDROXYGLUTARATE (2-HG), FUMARATE, AND SUCCINATE, WHICH ACCUMULATE DUE TO MUTATIONS IN ISOCITRATE DEHYDROGENASES (IDH), FUMARATE HYDRATASE (FH), AND SUCCINATE DEHYDROGENASE (SDH), RESPECTIVELY, WE ILLUSTRATE THE FACT THAT METABOLIC PSEUDOHYPOXIA, THE ACCUMULATION OF HYPOXIA-INDUCIBLE FACTOR (HIFALPHA) UNDER NORMOXIC CONDITIONS, AND THE SUBSEQUENT WARBURG-LIKE REPROGRAMMING THAT SHIFTS GLUCOSE METABOLISM FROM THE OXIDATIVE PATHWAY TO AEROBIC GLYCOLYSIS ARE THE SAME MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH THE DECLINE OF THE "GEROMETABOLITE" NICOTINAMIDE ADENINE DINUCLEOTIDE (NAD)(+) REVERSIBLY DISRUPTS NUCLEAR-MITOCHONDRIAL COMMUNICATION AND CONTRIBUTES TO THE DECLINE IN MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION WITH AGE. FROM AN EVOLUTIONARY PERSPECTIVE, IT IS REASONABLE TO VIEW NAD(+)-DRIVEN MITOCHONDRIAL HOMEOSTASIS AS A CONSERVED RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN ENERGY SUPPLIES AND OXYGEN LEVELS. SIMILARLY, THE NATURAL ABILITY OF 2-HG TO SIGNIFICANTLY ALTER EPIGENETICS MIGHT REFLECT AN EVOLUTIONARILY ANCIENT ROLE OF CERTAIN METABOLITES TO SIGNAL FOR ELEVATED GLUTAMINE/GLUTAMATE METABOLISM AND/OR OXYGEN DEFICIENCY. HOWEVER, WHEN CHRONICALLY ALTERED, THESE RESPONSES BECOME CONSERVED CAUSES OF AGING AND CANCER. BECAUSE HIFALPHA-DRIVEN PSEUDOHYPOXIA MIGHT DRIVE THE OVERPRODUCTION OF 2-HG, THE INTRIGUING POSSIBILITY EXISTS THAT THE DECLINE OF GEROMETABOLITES SUCH AS NAD(+) COULD PROMOTE THE CHRONIC ACCUMULATION OF ONCOMETABOLITES IN NORMAL CELLS DURING AGING. IF THE SOLE ACTIVATION OF A WARBURG-LIKE METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING IN NORMAL TISSUES MIGHT BE ABLE TO SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE ENDOGENOUS PRODUCTION OF BONA FIDE ETIOLOGICAL DETERMINANTS IN CANCER, SUCH AS ONCOMETABOLITES, THIS UNDESIRABLE TRADE-OFF BETWEEN MITOCHONDRIAL DYSFUNCTION AND ACTIVATION OF ONCOMETABOLITES PRODUCTION MIGHT THEN PAVE THE WAY FOR THE EPIGENETIC INITIATION OF CARCINOGENESIS IN A STRICTLY METABOLIC-DEPENDENT MANNER. PERHAPS IT IS TIME TO DEFINITELY ADOPT THE VIEW THAT AGING AND AGING DISEASES INCLUDING CANCER ARE GOVERNED BY A PIVOTAL REGULATORY ROLE OF METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING IN CELL FATE DECISIONS. 2014 20 715 21 CAFFEINE INTAKE EXERTS DUAL GENOME-WIDE EFFECTS ON HIPPOCAMPAL METABOLISM AND LEARNING-DEPENDENT TRANSCRIPTION. CAFFEINE IS THE MOST WIDELY CONSUMED PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE IN THE WORLD. STRIKINGLY, THE MOLECULAR PATHWAYS ENGAGED BY ITS REGULAR CONSUMPTION REMAIN UNCLEAR. WE HEREIN ADDRESSED THE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH HABITUAL (CHRONIC) CAFFEINE CONSUMPTION IN THE MOUSE HIPPOCAMPUS USING UNTARGETED ORTHOGONAL OMICS TECHNIQUES. OUR RESULTS REVEALED THAT CHRONIC CAFFEINE EXERTS CONCERTED PLEIOTROPIC EFFECTS IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS AT THE EPIGENOMIC, PROTEOMIC, AND METABOLOMIC LEVELS. CAFFEINE LOWERED METABOLISM-RELATED PROCESSES (E.G., AT THE LEVEL OF METABOLOMICS AND GENE EXPRESSION) IN BULK TISSUE, WHILE IT INDUCED NEURON-SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC CHANGES AT SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION/PLASTICITY-RELATED GENES AND INCREASED EXPERIENCE-DRIVEN TRANSCRIPTIONAL ACTIVITY. ALTOGETHER, THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT REGULAR CAFFEINE INTAKE IMPROVES THE SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO DURING INFORMATION ENCODING, IN PART THROUGH FINE-TUNING OF METABOLIC GENES, WHILE BOOSTING THE SALIENCE OF INFORMATION PROCESSING DURING LEARNING IN NEURONAL CIRCUITS. 2022