Cuprizone intoxication is a common animal model used to test myelin regenerative therapies for the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Mice fed this copper chelator develop reversible, region-specific oligodendrocyte loss and demyelination. While the cellular changes influencing the demyelinating process have been explored in this model, there is no consensus about the biochemical mechanisms of toxicity in oligodendrocytes and about whether this damage arises from the chelation of copper in vivo. Here we have identified an oligodendroglial cell line that displays sensitivity to cuprizone toxicity and performed global metabolomic profiling to determine biochemical pathways altered by this treatment. We link these changes with alterations in brain metabolism in mice fed cuprizone for 2 and 6 weeks. We find that cuprizone induces widespread changes in one-carbon and amino acid metabolism as well as alterations in small molecules that are important for energy generation. We used mass spectrometry to examine chemical interactions that are important for copper chelation and toxicity. Our results indicate that cuprizone induces global perturbations in cellular metabolism that may be independent of its copper chelating ability and potentially related to its interactions with pyridoxal 5′-phosphate, a coenzyme essential for amino acid metabolism.

Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus is a neurological disease caused by abnormal cerebrospinal fluid flow and presents with symptoms such as dementia. Current therapy involves the removal of excess cerebrospinal fluid by shunting. Not all patients respond to this therapy and biomarkers are needed that could facilitate the characterization of patients likely to benefit from this treatment. Here, we measure brain metabolism in normal pressure hydrocephalus patients by performing a novel longitudinal metabolomic profiling study of cerebrospinal fluid. We find that the levels of brain metabolites correlate with clinical parameters, the amount of vascular endothelial growth factor in the cerebrospinal fluid, and environmental stimuli such as exercise. Metabolomic analysis of normal pressure hydrocephalus patients provides insight into changes in brain metabolism that accompany cerebrospinal fluid disorders and may facilitate the development of new biomarkers for this condition.

•DMF treatment significantly alters oligodendrocyte metabolism.•DMF induces upregulation of antioxidant responses after prolonged treatment and these are protective against oxidative insults.•Global metabolomics can provide insight into drug mechanism.Oxidative stress contributes to pathology associated with inflammatory brain disorders and therapies that upregulate antioxidant pathways may be neuroprotective in diseases such as multiple sclerosis. Dimethyl fumarate, a small molecule therapeutic for multiple sclerosis, activates cellular antioxidant signaling pathways and may promote myelin preservation. However, it is still unclear what mechanisms may underlie this neuroprotection and whether dimethyl fumarate affects oligodendrocyte responses to oxidative stress. Here, we examine metabolic alterations in oligodendrocytes treated with dimethyl fumarate by using a global metabolomic platform that employs both hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and shotgun lipidomics. Prolonged treatment of oligodendrocytes with dimethyl fumarate induces changes in citric acid cycle intermediates, glutathione, and lipids, indicating that this compound can directly impact oligodendrocyte metabolism. These metabolic alterations are also associated with protection from oxidant challenge. This study provides insight into the mechanisms by which dimethyl fumarate could preserve myelin integrity in patients with multiple sclerosis.Download high-res image (220KB)Download full-size image