Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40931339›Full record

ArticleCell communication and signaling : CCS2025

Caffeine mitigates ROS accumulation and attenuates motor neuron degeneration in the wobbler mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Aimo Samuel Christian Epplen, Maximilian Rothöft, Sarah Stahlke, Carsten Theiss, Veronika Matschke

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cell communication and signaling : CCS, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Aimo Samuel Christian EpplenDepartment of Cytology, Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Building MA 5/52, Bochum, 44801, Germany.
Maximilian RothöftDepartment of Cytology, Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Building MA 5/52, Bochum, 44801, Germany.
Sarah StahlkeDepartment of Cytology, Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Building MA 5/52, Bochum, 44801, Germany.
Carsten TheissDepartment of Cytology, Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Building MA 5/52, Bochum, 44801, Germany.
Veronika MatschkeDepartment of Cytology, Institute of Anatomy, Medical Faculty, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, Building MA 5/52, Bochum, 44801, Germany. veronika.matschke@rub.de.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9717-4485

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAmyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by oxidative stress and progressive motor neuron degeneration. This study evaluates the potential neuroprotective effects of caffeine in the Wobbler mouse, an established model of ALS.

methodsWobbler mice received caffeine supplementation (60 mg/kg/day) via drinking water, and key parameters, including muscle strength, NAD metabolism, oxidative stress, and motor neuron morphology, were assessed at critical disease stages.

resultsCaffeine delayed motor performance decline, as observed in grip strength tests during the early symptomatic phase. Histological analyses revealed that significantly fewer motor neurons were lost in caffeine-treated mice at p41, despite no changes in soma morphology. Biochemical assays demonstrated that caffeine significantly reduced ROS levels and restored NAD levels to wildtype-like values, although NMNAT2 protein expression remained unaffected. The data suggest that caffeine mitigates oxidative stress through alternative pathways, potentially involving enhanced mitochondrial function and antioxidative defenses.

conclusionsThese findings highlight the potential of caffeine as a protective agent for delaying motor neuron degeneration in ALS. Future studies should explore optimal dosing strategies, combinatorial treatment approaches, and the underlying molecular mechanisms, to enable translation of these findings to human ALS patients.

Indexed as

Amyotrophic Lateral SclerosisCaffeineMotor NeuronsNerve DegenerationNeuroprotective AgentsReactive Oxygen SpeciesAnimalsDisease Models, AnimalHumansMaleMiceNADOxidative StressCaffeineNADNeuroprotective AgentsReactive Oxygen SpeciesALSAntioxidative defenseMuscle strengthNADNeurodegenerative diseaseReactive oxygen species (ROS)

Identifiers

PMID40931339
PMCPMC12421768

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.