Temporal profile of cytochrome c and caspase-3 immunoreactivities and TUNEL staining after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

Although apoptotic pathways play important roles in ischemic neuronal injury, exact mechanism of apoptotic enzyme cascade has not been fully studied. Immunohistochemical stainings for cytochrome c and caspase-3, and histochemical staining for a terminal deoxynucleotidyl-transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling method (TUNEL) were examined in a rat model of permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Cytochrome c was strongly induced in neurons of the ischemic penumbra from 3 h after MCA occlusion, and caspase-3 began to be induced in the same area from 3 h with a peak at 8 h. Neuronal cells in MCA area became TUNEL positive at delayed time, reaching a peak at 24 h. Thus, the peak of induction of cytochrome c preceded that of caspase-3, and these two peaks were also precedence of the peak of DNA-fragmentation. Western blot analysis showed cytosolic expression of cytochrome c from mitochondria. This study demonstrated 1. Rapid release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to the cytosol, mainly in neurons of the cortex at 3 h after ischemia. 2. Subsequent peaks of caspase-3 and TUNEL in this order. These temporal profiles suggest a serial cascadic activation of apoptotic pathways in neuronal death after permanent MCA occlusion of rats.     

Neuroprotective effect of tacrolimus (FK506) on ischemic brain damage following permanent focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

We investigated the neuroprotective effect of tacrolimus (FK506) on the ischemic cell death with respect to cytochrome c translocation and DNA fragmentation, which are pivotal events in the necrotic and apoptotic signaling pathway, using permanent focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Immunohistochemically, cytochrome c was observed in the cytoplasm as early as 1 h after middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in the infarcted hemisphere. Cytosolic release of cytochrome c after MCA occlusion was also confirmed by Western blot analysis and enzyme immunoassay. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) showed DNA fragmentation evolving in the ipsilateral cortex and the caudate putamen after 3 and 6 h, respectively, following MCA occlusion. Tacrolimus (1 mg/kg, i.v.), administered immediately after MCA occlusion, significantly attenuated the release of cytochrome c in the ischemic region, the number of TUNEL-positive cells in the ischemic penumbra zone, and the size of cortical ischemic lesions. This study demonstrated that tacrolimus ameliorated the accumulation of cytochrome c in the cytosol and the increase of TUNEL-positive cells induced by cerebral ischemia, indicating that the neuroprotective action of tacrolimus on ischemic brain injury caused by permanent focal cerebral ischemia could partially be attributed to the attenuation of the activation of the apoptotic execution machinery.     

Both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent pathways may be involved in hippocampal CA1 neuronal death because of loss of cytochrome c From mitochondria in a rat forebrain ischemia model.

In a rat forebrain ischemia model, the authors examined whether loss of cytochrome c from mitochondria correlates with ischemic hippocampal CA1 neuronal death and how cytochrome c release may shape neuronal death. Forebrain ischemia was induced by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion with simultaneous hypotension for 10 minutes. After reperfusion, an early rapid depletion of mitochondrial cytochrome c and a late phase of diffuse redistribution of cytochrome c occurred in the hippocampal CA1 region, but not in the dentate gyrus and CA3 regions. Intracerebroventricular administration of Z-DEVD-FMK, a relatively selective caspase-3 inhibitor, provided limited but significant protection against ischemic neuronal damage on day 7 after reperfusion. Treatment with 3 minutes of ischemia (ischemic preconditioning) 48 hours before the 10-minute ischemia attenuated both the early and late phases of cytochrome c redistribution. In another subset of animals treated with cycloheximide, a general protein synthesis inhibitor, the late phase of cytochrome c redistribution was inhibited, whereas most hippocampal CA1 neurons never regained mitochondrial cytochrome c. Examination of neuronal survival revealed that ischemic preconditioning prevents, whereas cycloheximide only delays, ischemic hippocampal CA1 neuronal death. DNA fragmentation detected by terminal deoxytransferase-mediated dUTP-nick end labeling (TUNEL) in situ was largely attenuated by ischemic preconditioning and moderately reduced by cycloheximide. These results indicate that the loss of cytochrome c from mitochondria correlates with hippocampal CA1 neuronal death after transient cerebral ischemia in relation to both caspase-dependent and -independent pathways. The amount of mitochondrial cytochrome c regained may determine whether ischemic hippocampal CA1 neurons survive or succumb to late-phase death.     

Inhibition of caspase-8 attenuates neuronal death induced by limbic seizures in a cytochrome c-dependent and Smac/DIABLO-independent way

There is increasing evidence that neuronal cell death induced by seizures occurs via extrinsic (death receptors) and intrinsic (mitochondria) pathways. Caspase-8 cleaves Bid, which releases cytochrome c, bridging the "extrinsic" and "intrinsic" pathways. Cleavage of Bid may amplify caspase-8-induced neuronal cell death following seizures. In the present study, we explored the effect of an inhibitor of caspase-8 (z-IETD-fmk) on the release of Smac/DIABLO and cytochrome c from mitochondria. Rats received intra-amygdaloid injection of kainic acid (KA) to induce seizures for 1 h. The seizures were then terminated by diazepam (30 mg/kg). The damaged and surviving neurons in hippocampus were observed by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) and cresyl violet staining, the expression of caspase-8, Bid, XIAP, caspase-9, cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO were detected with immunofluorescence and Western blot. The cleavage of caspase-8 and Bid increased at 0 h, cytosolic fraction of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO increased by 2 h, cleavage of caspase-9 was detected by 4 h, TUNEL-positive neurons appeared at 8 h and reached a maximum at 24 h following administration of diazepam in the ipsilateral CA3 subfield of hippocampus. Inhibition of caspase-8 significantly decreased neuronal cell death, accompanied by reduction of t-Bid, cleaved caspase-9 and cytosol cytochrome c. Smac/DIABLO from mitochondria was not affected. These results suggest that seizures can lead the translocation of cytochrome c into the cytosol, and the activation of caspase-8 occurs upstream the mitochondria release of cytochrome c and Smac/DIABLO. Inhibition of caspase-8 attenuated neuronal cell death following seizures by decreasing mitochondria release of cytochrome c but not Smac/DIABLO.     

Inhibition of caspase-9 activation and apoptosis is involved in ischemic preconditioning-induced neuroprotection in rat brain

OBJECTIVES: Cerebral ischemic pre-conditioning (IPC) is capable of protecting hippocampal neurons from ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. In the current study, we investigated the role of activated caspase-9 in the protective process induced by IPC and related it to cytochrome c release and apoptosis. METHODS: I/R injury was induced by a four-vessel occlusion model in Wistar rats which were randomly divided into ischemia/reperfusion group (I/R), ischemic pre-conditioning + I/R group (IPC + I/R) and control group. Histologic changes in the pyramidal layer of the hippocampal CA1 region were determined by hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining. The relative proportion of apoptotic neurons in this area was assessed with TUNEL staining. The redistribution of cytochrome c and activation of caspase-9 were detected in the same area with immunohistochemistry and Western blotting respectively. RESULTS: Compared to the I/R group, IPC increased the number of surviving neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region (p<0.001), markedly reduced the number of apoptotic pyramidal neurons (p<0.001), inhibited the release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytoplasm (p<0.001 for positively stained neurons) and decreased the amount of activated caspase-9 (p<0.001). DISCUSSION: These findings confirm that IPC is capable of protecting neurons from injury by apoptosis. The release of cytochrome c to the cytosol demonstrates that the mitochondrial pathway was involved, and the reduction in this release caused by IPC was clearly associated with reduced caspase-9 activation. Together, these results suggest that IPC protects neurons via action on the mitochondrial/caspase-9 pathway of apoptosis.     

DNA fragmentation precedes aberrant expression of cell cycle-related protein in rat brain after MCA occlusion

Abstract

Recent experiments suggest that apoptotic mechanisms are involved in neuronal cell death after ischemic injury. Although the exact mechanism that triggers activation of apoptotic machinery remains uncertain, in vitro studies revealed that forced expression of cell cycle-related proteins induced apoptosis. Thus, aberrant expression of such proteins might be related to ischemic neuronal death. In the present experiment, we investigated expression of cell cycle-related proteins, i.e., cyclin B1, cyclin Dl, cdk4, and PCNA, in rat brain after transient MCA occlusion, and compared the temporal profile of the results with that of TUNEL study, which detects double strand breaks in DNA. There were no immunoreactivities for cyclin B1, cyclin Dl, and PCNA in the brain with and without ischemia. As for cdk4, however, it became present at 7 and 3 days of reperfusion after 2 h of ischemia. On the other hand, TUNEL positive cells appeared as early as 3h of reperfusion, which peaked at 1 and 3 days. These results indicate that aberrant expression of cdk4, but not cyclin 67, cyclin Dl or PCNA, actually takes place in the brain after MCA occlusion, but this is not the causative mechanism of apoptotic cell death in the brain with ischemia. [Neurol Res 1991; 21: 695–698]     

Recruitment of Several Neuroprotective Pathways after Permanent Focal Ischemia in Mice

After an ischemic episode induced by the electrocoagulation of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) in mouse, neurons within the damaged territory die either by an apoptotic or by a necrotic process. Most of the cortical neurons within the ischemic area display both morphological and biochemical signs of programmed cell death: nuclear condensation, DNA degradation, formation of apoptotic bodies, and glutathione depletion. In fact, apoptosis essentially contributes to the expansion of the ischemic lesion and the maximum of damaged territory is reached 24 h postocclusion. Several potentially neuroprotective pathways have been evidenced in different experimental models of ischemia including the activation of antioxidant enzyme activities and/or the recruitment of neurotrophic as well as antiapoptotic factors. In our model of permanent focal ischemia induced by MCA occlusion, we measured the temporal synthesis of nerve growth factor (NGF) and examined the status of antioxidant enzymes as well as Bcl-2 antiapoptotic product. We detected in both cortices a transient increase of NGF which peaks at 6 h. Moreover, we reported that glutathione peroxidase is recruited with a time course which parallels NGF synthesis. Finally, we observed the induction of Bcl-2 in safe neurons; this may represent a self-protective response against ischemia-induced apoptosis. We provide evidence that in a model of permanent focal ischemia, several neuroprotective pathways could be coactivated.     

Upregulation of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and mRNA, and selective sparing of nitric oxide synthase-containing neurons after local cerebral ischemia in rat

Nitric oxide synthase-containing neurons are presumed to be resistant to neurodegeneration and neurotoxicity, however this resistance has not been demonstrated after focal cerebral ischemia. We therefore measured the temporal profile of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS-I) mRNA and immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase reactivity over a one week period after permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in 48 male Wistar rats and compared these data to ischemic cell damage as evaluated on hematoxylin and eosin (H & E) stained sections by light microscopy. NOS-I mRNA increased as early as 15 min after MCA occlusion in the ipsilateral striatum and maximal expression of NOS-I was found in the ipsilateral cortex and striatum 1 h after MCA occlusion. The numbers of NOS-I-containing neurons in the ipsilateral cortex and striatum were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than NOS-I-containing neurons in the contralateral hemisphere at 2–48 h after the onset of ischemia. The number of NOS-I-containing neurons peaked at 4 h after MCA occlusion. Neurons exhibited shrinkage or were swollen at 1 to 4 h after MCA occlusion. At 24–48 h after ischemia, neurons in the ischemia lesion appeared to be eosinophilic or ghost like on H & E stained sections. However, some of these neurons retained morphological integrity on the NOS-I immunohistochemical sections. At 168 h after ischemia, all neurons within the lesion appeared necrotic on H & E stained sections; however, scatterred neurons expressed NOS-I and NADPH-diaphorase. The rapid upregulation of NOS-I and mRNA in the ischemic lesion suggests that NOS-I is involved in focal cerebral ischemic injury; the expression of NOS-I by neurons that retain their morphological structure in the area of the infarct suggests that NOS-I-containing neurons are more resistant to the ischemic insult. Our data also indicate a close association of NOS-I immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase reactivity in ischemic brain.     

Necrosis, apoptosis and hybrid death in the cortex and thalamus after barrel cortex ischemia in rats

Focal ischemia in the cerebral cortex results in acute and delayed cell death in the ischemic cortex and non-ischemic thalamus. We examined the hypothesis that neurons in ischemic and non-ischemic regions died from different mechanisms; specifically, we tested whether a mixed form of cell death containing both necrotic and apoptotic changes could be identified in individual cells.Focal barrel cortex ischemia in rats was induced by occlusion of small branches of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) corresponding to the barrel cortex, local blood flow was measured by quantitative autoradiography. Cell death was visualized by 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, the terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL), and caspase-3 staining 1 to 10 days after the ischemia. Electron microscopy was used for ultrastructural examination. Cell death occurred in the ipsilateral cortex 24 h after ischemia, followed by selective neuronal death in the ventrobasal (VB) thalamus 3 days later. TUNEL positive neurons were found in these two regions, but with striking morphological differences, designated as type I and type II TUNEL positive cells. The type I TUNEL positive cells in the ischemic cortex underwent necrotic changes. The type II TUNEL positive cells in the thalamus and the cortex penumbra region represented a hybrid death, featured by concurrent apoptotic and necrotic alterations in individual cells, including marked caspase-3 activation, nuclear condensation/fragmentation, but with swollen cytoplasm, damaged organelles and deteriorated membranes. Cell death in the thalamus and the cortex penumbra were attenuated by delayed administration of the caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethylketone (Z-VAD-FMK). Our data suggest that TUNEL staining should be evaluated with morphological changes, the hybrid death but not typical apoptosis occurs in the penumbra region and non-ischemic thalamus after cerebral ischemia.     

Induction of PML immunoreactivity in rat brain neurons after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

Abstract

Promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein is involved in apoptotic death of cultured neuronal cells, but its role in ischemic brain damage remains uncertain. In this study, we investigated change of immunoreactivity for PML protein in rat brain after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, and compared the results with that of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin in situ nick end labeling (TUNEL). Western blotting analysis revealed that PML immunoreactivity was only scant in the sham-control brain, but it increased at 1 h and 1 day after reperfusion, and decreased in density thereafter. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that nuclei of neurons were most densely stained. TUNEL positive cells appeared at 1 day and peaked at 3 days of reperfusion, indicating that PML protein induction preceded DNA fragmentation in neurons. The present results suggest that PML protein may be one of the key molecules in ischemic neuronal cell death. [Neurol Res 2001; 23: 772-776]     

Pinacidil抑制线粒体和死亡受体通路减少大鼠脑缺血再灌注后神经元凋亡(英文)

目的探讨ATP敏感性钾通道开放剂pinacidil对大鼠脑缺血再灌注后神经元凋亡的保护作用及信号转导机制。方法 100 只Wistar 雄性大鼠随机分为四组:A 组(假手术组)、B组 (缺血组)、C 组 (KATP开放剂处理组)及D组 (KATP开放剂和阻断剂处理组)。用线栓法制备大鼠大脑中动脉缺血(middle cerebral artery occlusion,MCAO)模型,用DNA断端末端标记法(terminal-deoxynucleotidytransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling,TUNEL)检测神经元凋亡,用原位杂交方法检测caspase-3、caspase-8及caspase-9 mRNA的表达。结果 (1) C组12 h、24 h、48 h、72 h 时间点的凋亡细胞数较 B、D 组显著减少(P<0.05 或 P<0.01) ;B 组和 D组之间无显著性差异(P>0.05)。(2) C 组 caspase-3 mRNA 和 caspase-8 mRNA 在各时间点及 caspase-9 mRNA 在 12 h、24 h、48 h、72h 时间点的表达显著少于B组和D组(P<0.01或P<0.05),B组和D组之间无显著性差异(P>0.05)。结论 KATP通道开放剂能显著减少大鼠脑缺血再灌注后的细胞凋亡及caspase-3、caspase-8及caspase-9 mRNA的表达。KATP通道开放剂可能通过抑制线粒体通路和死亡受体通路降低神经元凋亡,保护缺血再灌注损伤后的脑组织。     

树脑缺血后海马线粒体应激与神经元损伤机制研究

目的研究光化学诱导树脑缺血后不同时间海马神经元细胞色素C(CytC)表达及caspase mRNA含量的改变;探讨脑缺血时神经元线粒体应激导致海马继发性损伤的分子机制。方法免疫组化法检测树缺血后不同时间缺血侧海马神经元CytC蛋白表达;低温差速离心分离海马脑组织线粒体和细胞质部分,western blot法检测其CytC的含量变化;实时荧光PCR检测海马组织caspase-3及caspase-9 mRNA。结果光化学诱导树脑缺血后,海马神经元CytC于24h时由线粒体释放入胞质,而caspase-3、caspase-9 mRNA显著升高,caspase-3与caspase-9之间具有相关性。结论光化学诱导树脑缺血后,海马神经元线粒体应激,促凋亡蛋白CytC从线粒体释放入胞质,改变了空间分布,启动caspase级联反应,是脑缺血后海马神经元继发性损伤的病理生理机制之一。     

树鼩脑缺血后海马线粒体应激与神经元损伤机制研究

目的 研究光化学诱导树鼩脑缺血后不同时间海马神经元细胞色素C（Cyt C）表达及caspase mRNA含量的改变;探讨脑缺血时神经元线粒体应激导致海马继发性损伤的分子机制.方法 免疫组化法检测树鼩缺血后不同时间缺血侧海马神经元Cyt C蛋白表达;低温差速离心分离海马脑组织线粒体和细胞质部分,western blot法检测其Cyt C的含量变化;实时荧光PCR检测海马组织caspase-3及caspase-9 mRNA.结果 光化学诱导树鼩脑缺血后,海马神经元Cyt C于24h时由线粒体释放入胞质,而caspase-3、caspase-9 mRNA显著升高,caspase-3与caspase-9之间具有相关性.结论 光化学诱导树鼩脑缺血后,海马神经元线粒体应激,促凋亡蛋白CytC从线粒体释放入胞质,改变了空间分布,启动caspase级联反应,是脑缺血后海马神经元继发性损伤的病理生理机制之一.     

Intracellular Bax translocation after transient cerebral ischemia: implications for a role of the mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathway in ischemic neuronal death.

Activation of terminal caspases such as caspase-3 plays an important role in the execution of neuronal cell death after transient cerebral ischemia. Although the precise mechanism by which terminal caspases are activated in ischemic neurons remains elusive, recent studies have postulated that the mitochondrial cell death-signaling pathway may participate in this process. The bcl-2 family member protein Bax is a potent proapoptotic molecule that, on translocation from cytosol to mitochondria, triggers the activation of terminal caspases by increasing mitochondrial membrane permeability and resulting in the release of apoptosis-promoting factors, including cytochrome c. In the present study, the role of intracellular Bax translocation in ischemic brain injury was investigated in a rat model of transient focal ischemia (30 minutes) and reperfusion (1 to 72 hours). Immunochemical studies revealed that transient ischemia induced a rapid translocation of Bax from cytosol to mitochondria in caudate neurons, with a temporal profile and regional distribution coinciding with the mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and caspase-9. Further, in postischemic caudate putamen in vivo and in isolated brain mitochondria in vitro, the authors found enhanced heterodimerization between Bax and the mitochondrial membrane permeabilization-related proteins adenine nucleotide translocator (ANT) and voltage-dependent anion channel. The ANT inhibitor bongkrekic acid prevented Bax and ANT interactions and inhibited Bax-triggered caspase-9 release from isolated brain mitochondria in vitro. Bongkrekic acid also offered significant neuroprotection against ischemia-induced caspase-3 and caspase-9 activation and cell death in the brain. These results strongly suggest that the Bax-mediated mitochondrial apoptotic signaling pathway may play an important role in ischemic neuronal injury.     

Manganese Superoxide Dismutase Affects Cytochrome c Release and Caspase-9 Activation After Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Mice.

Release of cytochrome c from mitochondria to cytosol is a critical step in the mitochondrial-dependent signaling pathways of apoptosis. The authors have reported that manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) attenuated cytochrome c release and apoptotic cell death after focal cerebral ischemia (FCI). To investigate downstream to the cytochrome c-dependent pathway, the authors examined caspase-9 activation after transient FCI by immunohistochemistry and Western blotting in both wild-type and Sod2 -/+ mice. Mice were subjected to 60 minutes of middle cerebral artery occlusion followed by 1, 2, 4, or 24 hours of reperfusion. Two hours after reperfusion, cytochrome c and caspase-9 were observed in the cytosol and significantly increased in Sod2 -/+ mutants compared with wild-type mice as shown by Western blotting. Immunofluorescent double labeling for cytochrome c and caspase-9 showed cytosolic cytochrome c 1 hour after transient FCI. Cleaved caspase-9 first appeared in the cytosol at 2 hours and colocalized with cytochrome c. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated uridine 5;-triphosphate-biotin nick and labeling (TUNEL) showed significant increase of positive cells in Sod2 -/+ mice compared with the wild-type in the cortex, but not in the caudate putamen. The current study revealed Mn-SOD might affect cytochrome c translocation and downstream caspase activation in the mitochondrial-dependent cell death pathway after transient FCI.     

Induction of activated caspase-3-immunoreactivity and apoptosis in the trigeminal ganglion neurons by neonatal peripheral nerve injury

Immunohistochemistry for activated caspase-3 and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferease-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) was performed on the trigeminal ganglion after infraorbital nerve transection in newborn rats. The injury induced caspase-3-immunoreactivity and DNA fragmentation in neuronal cell bodies in the maxillary division of the ganglion ipsilateral to the injury. Starting at 16 h post-injury the immunoreactive and TUNEL-positive neurons increased and reached the peak at 24 h (7.9% and 8.9%, respectively). Thereafter they decreased and returned to the normal control level (<1%) by 72 h. A double staining procedure revealed coexpression of caspase-3-immunoreactivity and DNA fragmentation. 75.5% (114/151) of TUNEL-positive neurons expressed the immunoreactivity, while 84.4% (114/135) of immunoreactive neurons exhibited DNA fragmentation signal. These results suggest that caspase-3 plays an important role in apoptotic elimination of neonatally axotomized rodent primary neurons.     

DNA fragmentation precedes aberrant expression of cell cycle-related protein in rat brain after MCA occlusion.

Recent experiments suggest that apoptotic mechanisms are involved in neuronal cell death after ischemic injury. Although the exact mechanism that triggers activation of apoptotic machinery remains uncertain, in vitro studies revealed that forced expression of cell cycle-related proteins induced apoptosis. Thus, aberrant expression of such proteins might be related to ischemic neuronal death. In the present experiment, we investigated expression of cell cycle-related proteins, i.e., cyclin B1, cyclin D1, cdk4, and PCNA, in rat brain after transient MCA occlusion, and compared the temporal profile of the results with that of TUNEL study, which detects double strand breaks in DNA. There were no immunoreactivities for cyclin B1, cyclin D1, and PCNA in the brain with and without ischemia. As for cdk4, however, it became present at 1 and 3 days of reperfusion after 2 h of ischemia. On the other hand, TUNEL positive cells appeared as early as 3 h of reperfusion, which peaked at 1 and 3 days. These results indicate that aberrant expression of cdk4, but not cyclin B1, cyclin D1 or PCNA, actually takes place in the brain after MCA occlusion, but this is not the causative mechanism of apoptotic cell death in the brain with ischemia.     

Cytochrome c release and caspase activation after traumatic brain injury

Experimental traumatic brain injury (TBI) results in a rapid and significant necrosis of cortical tissue at the site of injury. In the ensuing hours and days, secondary injury exacerbates the primary damage resulting in significant neurological dysfunction. The identification of cell death pathways that mediate this secondary traumatic injury have not been elucidated, however recent studies have implicated a role for apoptosis in the neuropathology of traumatic brain injury. The present study utilized a controlled cortical impact model of brain injury to assess the involvement of apoptotic pathways: release of cytochrome c from mitochondria and the activation of caspase-1- and caspase-3-like proteases in the injured cortex at 6, 12 and 24 h post-injury. Collectively, these results demonstrate cytochrome c release from mitochondria and its redistribution into the cytosol occurs in a time-dependent manner following TBI. The release of cytochrome c is accompanied by a time-dependent increase in caspase-3-like protease activity with no apparent increase in caspase-1-like activity. However, pretreatment with a general caspase inhibitor had no significant effect on the amount of cortical damage observed at 7 days post-injury. Our data suggest that several pro-apoptotic events occur following TBI, however the translocation of cytochrome c itself and/or other events upstream of caspase activation/inhibition may be sufficient to induce neuronal cell death.     

Increase in p53 protein expression following cortical infarction in the spontaneously hypertensive rat

Using stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive (SH-SP) rats with permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA), we investigated the expression of wild type p53 (wt-p53) protein and the occurrence of DNA fragmentation in cerebral neurons after ischemia. Three days following MCA occlusion, terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL staining) revealed a distinct pattern of nuclear staining in many neurons around the ischemic core. On the lesioned side of the cerebral cortex one day after MCA occlusion, wt-p53 immunoreactivity was observed specifically in the cortical neurons, in the same regions as the TUNEL staining. Mutant type p53 (mt-p53) immunoreactivity was not observed at any time following MCA occlusion. These findings suggest that wt-p53 dependent cell death of cortical neurons occurred in the ischemic periphery following cerebral ischemia and that this pathway for the induction of cell death may play an important role in the exaggeration of cerebral ischemic injury.     

boc-Aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone attenuates mitochondrial release of cytochrome c and delays brain tissue loss after traumatic brain injury in rats.

The pathobiology of traumatic brain injury (TBI) includes activation of multiple caspases followed by cell death with a spectrum of apoptotic phenotypes. There are initiator (e.g. caspase-2, -8, and -9) and effector (e.g. caspase-3 and -7) caspases. Recently, caspase-2 and -8 have been shown to regulate cell death via provoking cytochrome c release from the mitochondria upstream of caspase-9. Here, we show that an intracerebral injection of the pan-caspase inhibitor boc-Aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone (BAF; 1 micromol) 1 min after TBI in rats reduces caspase-3-like activity, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and tissue damage, and cytochrome c release in ipsilateral cortex at 24 h versus vehicle. To investigate whether either caspase-2 and/or caspase-8 activation may contribute to cytochrome release, the effect of BAF treatment on caspase-2 and caspase-8 proteolysis was also examined. boc-aspartyl(OMe)-fluoromethylketone treatment inhibited proteolysis of caspase-2 but not caspase-8 24 h after TBI in rats versus vehicle. However, BAF with or without nerve growth factor (12.5 ng/h x 14 days intracerebrally via osmotic pump) did not result in differences in motor function, Morris water maze performance, hippocampal neuron survival, nor contusion volume at 14 days. These data suggest that BAF treatment reduces acute cell death after TBI by inhibiting mitochondrial release of cytochrome c, possibly via a mechanism involving initiator caspases; however, BAF appears to delay cell death, rather than result in permanent protection.