Hippocampal programmed cell death after status epilepticus: evidence for NMDA-receptor and ceramide-mediated mechanisms

PURPOSE: Status epilepticus (SE) can result in acute neuronal injury with subsequent long-term age-dependent behavioral and histologic sequelae. To investigate potential mechanisms that may underlie SE-related neuronal injury, we studied the occurrence of programmed cell death (PCD) in the hippocampus in the kainic acid (KA) model. METHODS: In adult rats, KA-induced SE resulted in DNA fragmentation documented at 30 h after KA injection. Ceramide, a known mediator of PCD in multiple neural and nonneural tissues, increased at 2-3 h after KA intraperitoneal injection, and then decreased to control levels before increasing again from 12 to 30 h after injection. MK801 pretreatment prevented KA-induced increases in ceramide levels and DNA fragmentation, whether there was reduction in seizure severity or not (achieved with 5 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg of MK801, respectively). RESULTS: Both ceramide increases and DNA fragmentation were observed after KA-induced SE in adult and in P35 rats. Ceramide did not increase after KA-induced SE in P7 pups, which also did not manifest any DNA fragmentation. Intrahippocampal injection of the active ceramide analogue C2-ceramide produced widespread DNA fragmentation, whereas the inactive ceramide analogue C2-dihydroceramide did not. CONCLUSIONS: Our data support the hypotheses that (a) N-methyl-d-aspartate-receptor activation results in ceramide increases and in DNA fragmentation; (b) ceramide is a mediator of PCD after SE; and (c) there are age-related differences in PCD and in the ceramide response after SE. Differences in the ceramide response could, potentially, be responsible for observed age-related differences in the response to SE.     

Mu-calpain mediates hippocampal neuron death in rats after lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus

Status epilepticus (SE) is a severe clinical manifestation of epilepsy which causes brain damage. The pathological process and underlying mechanisms involved in the programmed cell death (PCD) are still not fully clear. In the current study, rats were induced SE by lithium–pilocarpine administration. Our data showed hippocampal neurons death appeared at 6 h after SE and sustained for 7 days. By blotting the activation of μ-calpain and its specific cleavage of nonerythroid -spectrin (SpII) (145 kDa) was evident at 1 and 3 days after SE, which coincided with Bid activation, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) translocation and cytochrome c release from mitochondria, whereas, activated caspase-3 and caspase-3-specific fragments of SpII (120 kDa) predominantly appeared at 5 and 7 days after SE. Moreover, MDL-28170, a calpain inhibitor, partially rescued the neuron death and attenuated the expression of activated μ-calpain, cleavage of Bid (15 kDa), AIF translocation and cytochrome c release. Taken together, our study indicated that μ-calpain mediated hippocampal neuron PCD is prior to caspase-3 activation. It functioned via translocation of Bid, AIF and cytochrome c release.     

Expression time course and spatial distribution of activated caspase-3 after experimental status epilepticus: contribution of delayed neuronal cell death to seizure-induced neuronal injury

Pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (PCSE) is a widely used model to study neurodegeneration in limbic structures after prolonged epileptic seizures. However, mechanisms mediating neuronal cell death in this model require further characterization. Examining the expression time course and spatial distribution of activated caspase-3, we sought to determine the role of apoptosis in PCSE-mediated neuronal cell death. Expression of activated caspase-3, predominantly located in neurons, was detected 24 h (amygdala; piriform and temporal cortex) and 7 days (hippocampus; amygdala; piriform, temporal and parietal cortex; thalamus) after PCSE with strongest induction being observed in the amygdala, the piriform cortex, and the hippocampus. Further analysis revealed TUNEL positivity (24 h and 7 days after SE) and a significant, progressive neuronal cell loss in all brain regions displaying caspase-3 activation. Corresponding to high levels of activated caspase-3 expression, neuronal cell loss was most pronounced in the amygdala, piriform cortex, and dorsal CA-1 hippocampus. These results demonstrate that apoptosis contributes significantly to PCSE-induced neuronal cell death.     

海人藻酸致痫大鼠海马Caspase-3酶活性变化

目的：检测KA致痫后鼠海马Caspase-3酶活性动态变化。方法：运用FIENA法特异性体外检测Caspase-3的活性，结果：KA致痫后6h，鼠海马即有Caspase-3活性显增高，一周内保持高水平，10天开始下降，而正常鼠海马几乎无活性Caspase-3检出。结论：Caspase-3参与癫痫后神经细胞的凋亡损害，特异性Caspase-3酶抑制剂能预防癫痫后凋亡的发生。     

红藻氨酸致癫痫持续状态大鼠海马neuropilin-2 mRNA及其蛋白表达的研究

目的研究轴索导向分子NPN-2mRNA及其蛋白对癫痫持续状态(SE)后大鼠海马内神经纤维外向性生长和突触重建中的调控作用。方法采用侧脑室内注射红藻氨酸(KA)制作TLE大鼠模型,用Nissl染色、原位杂交和免疫组织化学的方法,分别检测致SE后1d、1w、2w、3w、4w大鼠海马齿状回(DG)、CA1区、CA3区、门区神经元丢失程度以及NPN-2mRNA及其蛋白的表达。结果 KA致SE后1d开始出现神经元丢失,至4w神经元丢失明显增多。KA致SE后1d,NPN-2mRNA及其蛋白在DG和CA1区表达明显下降,持续至3w(P0.01),4w恢复至正常(P0.05);NPN-2mRNA及其蛋白在门区、CA3区表达实验组与对照组无明显差别(P0.05)。结论 KA致SE后,海马DG及CA1区神经元下调NPN-2mRNA及其蛋白的表达,促进DG及CA1区神经纤维外向性生长和突触的重建。     

Age-dependent cyclooxygenase-2 induction and neuronal damage after status epilepticus in the postnatal rat hippocampus

PURPOSE: Epileptic seizures lead to age-dependent neuronal damage in the developing brain, particularly in the hippocampus, but the mechanisms involved have remained poorly elucidated. In this study, we investigated the contribution of apoptosis and inflammatory processes to neuronal damage after status epilepticus (SE) in postnatal rats. METHODS: SE was induced by an intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid (KA) in 21- and 9-day-old (P21 and P9) rats. The expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and caspase-3, markers for apoptosis, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an indicator for activation of inflammatory processes, were studied from 6 h up to 1 week after SE by Western blotting and immunocytochemistry. Neuronal damage was verified by Fluoro-Jade B staining. RESULTS: In P21 rats, SE resulted in neuronal damage in the CA1 neurons of the hippocampus. COX-2 expression was extensively, but transiently, increased and its immunoreactivity pronouncedly enhanced in several hippocampal subregions, amygdala, and piriform cortex by 24 h after SE. The expression of Bax and caspase-3 remained unchanged, whereas the antiapoptotic factor Bcl-2 transiently decreased by 24 h. Single caspase-3 positive neurons appeared in the CA1 region of both control and KA-treated rats. In P9 rats, no neuronal death was detected, and COX-2 expression and immunoreactivity remained at the control level. DISCUSSION: Our results suggest that SE provokes age-specific effects on COX-2 expression. This together with the activation of putative inflammatory processes may contribute to neuronal cell death in the hippocampus of postnatal rats, whereas caspase-dependent apoptosis seems not to be involved in the death process.     

Complex partial status epilepticus induced by a microinjection of kainic acid into unilateral amygdala in dogs and its brain damage

OBJECTIVE: In order to investigate kainic acid (KA)-induced amygdaloid seizure and seizure-induced brain damage in dogs, and to compare these findings with that in other species, a KA-induced seizure model in dogs was produced. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Normal beagle dogs were used. A Teflon cannula for KA injection was inserted into the left amygdala, and cortical or depth electrodes were positioned. One week after surgery, 1.5 microg of KA was microinjected into the left amygdala. EEGs and the behavior of the animals were monitored for 2 months after KA injection. In addition, neuron-specific enolase levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF-NSE) were measured intermittently. At 2 months after the injection, histopathological studies were performed. RESULTS: KA-treated dogs showed limbic seizures that started from the left amygdala within 30 min after injection. The seizures developed into complex partial status epilepticus (CPSE), and started independently from the bilateral amygdala during the CPSE. The CPSE lasted for 1-3 days, and the animals showed no spontaneous seizures during the 2-month observation period. A significant increase in CSF-NSE was observed immediately after CPSE. Histopathologically, extensive necrosis, which formed large cavity lesions, was observed around the bilateral amygdala. SUMMARY: A microinjection of KA into unilateral amygdala in dogs induced CPSE. The seizures elicited independently from bilateral amygdala, and bilateral limbic structures suffered extensive injury. In addition, CSF-NSE was demonstrated as a useful marker of acute neuronal damage.     

Strain differences in seizure-induced cell death following pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus

Mouse strains differ from one another in their susceptibility to seizure-induced excitotoxic cell death. Previously, we have demonstrated that mature inbred strains of mice show remarkable genetic differences in susceptibility to the neuropathological consequences of seizures in the kainate model of status epilepticus. At present, while the cellular mechanisms underlying strain-dependent differences in susceptibility remain unclear, some of this variation is assumed to have a genetic basis. However, it remains unclear whether strain differences in susceptibility to seizure-induced cell death observed following kainate administration are observed following systemic administration of other chemoconvulsants. In rodents, the cholinomimetic convulsant pilocarpine is widely used to induce status epilepticus (SE), followed by hippocampal damage and spontaneous recurrent seizures, resembling temporal lobe epilepsy. This model has initially been described in rats, but is increasingly used in mice. We characterized neuronal pathologies after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) in eight inbred strains of mice focusing on the hippocampus. A ramping-up dose protocol for pilocarpine was used and behavior was monitored for 4-5 h. While we did not observe any significant differences in seizure latency or duration to pilocarpine among the inbred strains, we did observe a significant difference in susceptibility to the neuropathological consequences of pilocarpine-induced SE. Of the eight genetically diverse mouse strains screened for pilocarpine-induced status, BALB/cJ and BALB/cByJ were the only two strains that were resistant to the neuropathological consequences of seizure-induced cell death. Additional studies of these murine strains may be useful for investigating genetic influences on pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus.     

The role of MMP-9 in integrin-mediated hippocampal cell death after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus

Recent studies demonstrate that matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) is closely involved in the pathogenesis of epilepsy. This study investigated the role of MMP-9 in hippocampal cell death after pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE). We showed that MMP-9 expression and activity significantly increased and β1-integrin levels decreased on day 3 after SE. β1-integrin degradation was also observed in hippocampal ex vivo extracts incubated with recombinant active MMP-9. Treatment with a selective MMP-9 inhibitor attenuated MMP-9 up-regulation, β1-integrin degradation, the reduction of ILK activity and Akt phosphorylation, and subsequent hippocampal damage after SE. However, co-treatment with anti-β1-integrin antibody almost completely blocked the protective effects of the MMP-9 inhibitor on both integrin-mediated survival signaling and hippocampal cell death. Our study demonstrates that MMP-9 induces apoptotic hippocampal cell death by interrupting integrin-mediated survival signaling after SE and suggests that MMP-9 may be a promising target for a neuroprotective approach to preventing seizure-induced hippocampal damage.     

Fate of newborn dentate granule cells after early life status epilepticus

PURPOSE: To determine the fate of newborn dentate granule cells (DGCs) after lithium-pilocarpine-induced status epilepticus (SE) in an immature rat. METHODS: Postnatal day 20 (P20) rats were injected with lithium and pilocarpine to induce SE, and then with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) 4, 6, and 8 days later (P24, 26, and 28), and killed 1 day (P29), 1 week (P34), and 3 weeks (P50) after the last dose of BrdU for cell counts. Immunohistochemistry and TUNEL staining were performed to assess the fate of newborn DGCs. RESULTS: Pilocarpine-treated animals had significantly more BrdU-labeled DGCs than did littermate controls at all times. The day after the final BrdU injection (P29), sixfold more cells were found in pilocarpine-treated animals than in controls, which was reduced to threefold, 3 weeks later. A decrease in the BrdU-labeled cell density was noted from P29 to P50 in the control and pilocarpine-treated animals. Evidence of DGC cell death was seen in pilocarpine and control animals, with threefold more TUNEL-positive cells in the pilocarpine-treated than in the control animals at P29. The surviving newborn DGCs became mature neurons; expressing the neuronal marker NeuN in both control and pilocarpine-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that SE during postnatal development increases the birth and death of DGCs. A subset of the newborn DGCs survive and mature into dentate granule neurons, resulting in an increased population of immature DGCs after SE that may affect hippocampal physiology.     

Changes in microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2) expression during development and after status epilepticus in the immature rat hippocampus

In this study, we analyzed the spatiotemporal expression patterns of the high-molecular weight (MAP2a and b) and low-molecular weight (MAP2c and d) cytoskeletal microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP2) isoforms with Western blotting, and the cellular localization of the high-molecular weight MAP2 isoforms with immunocytochemistry in the hippocampi of 1- to 21-day-old rats. Moreover, the temporal profile (from 30 min to 1 week) of MAP2 isoform reactivity to kainic acid-induced status epilepticus was studied in P9 rats. During development, the expression of the high-molecular weight MAP2 isoforms significantly increased, while the low-molecular weight isoforms decreased, the most prominent changes occurring during the second postnatal week. This developmental increase in the high-molecular weight MAP2 expression was also confirmed with immunocytochemistry, which showed increased immunoreactivity, particularly in the molecular layers of the dentate gyrus, and in CA1 and CA3 stratum radiatum. In 9-day-old rats, status epilepticus resulted in a rapid transient increase (about 210%) in the high-molecular weight MAP2 expression, without any effect on the low-molecular weight MAP2. Moreover, disturbed dendritic structure in the CA1 and CA3 stratum radiatum was manifested as formation of varicosities 3h after the kainic acid treatment. The strictly developmentally regulated MAP2 isoform expression suggests different functional roles for these proteins during the postnatal development in the rat hippocampus. Moreover, high-molecular weight MAP2s may play a role in nerve cell survival during cell stress.     

Neonatal status epilepticus due to lamination disorder without significant cell death

Background: Malformations of the cerebral cortex may be associated with severe epilepsy and status epilepticus. It has been shown that status epilepticus models induce excitotoxic cell death. In humans, very few data are available. Case and results: We report a case of a multifocal disorder of the lamination diagnosed in a neonate, borne at 30 weeks’ gestation, who died from a refractory status epilepticus at two months and half. This abnormality was not detected by repeated MRI studies. Only microscopic investigations permitted to identify this disorder of the lamination. We found also little cell death or cell loss. Discussion: Our report highlights the possible false negative results of MRI in a newborn. We can also discuss that immature human brain maybe less sensitive to neuronal injury than mature as described in animal models.     

Effects of status epilepticus early in life on susceptibility to ischemic injury in adulthood

PURPOSE: Status epilepticus (SE) commonly occurs in children, whereas ischemic stroke is the most frequent neurologic insult in adults. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of SE induced in immature (15 days old; PN15) male rats, on susceptibility to subsequent transient focal cerebral ischemia induced in adulthood. METHODS: SE was induced by flurothyl ether (FE) or kainic acid (KA). Rats that did not develop seizures after FE or KA served as controls. Five weeks later, the now-adult rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) for 1 or 2 h by using the intraluminal filament technique. The extent of the infarct volume was evaluated 24 h later. RESULTS: In rats submitted to 1-h-long FE-SE, the volume of infarction was significantly reduced compared with that in rats exposed to FE without SE. Longer duration of FE-SE was acutely lethal. KA-SE induced prolonged behavioral SE (156 +/- 17.5 min). In these rats, the volume of infarction was significantly larger compared with that in rats that did not show any electrographic seizures after KA administration. Comparison of FE and KA groups revealed that differences in the size of infarction were confined into cortical areas served by the MCA. Neither type of SE induced any obvious histologic changes in these neocortical regions before stroke induction. CONCLUSIONS: Early in life, SE can influence the outcome of a subsequent focal ischemic insult in adulthood. The extent of the infarct is related to the duration and cause of SE. Prolonged SE induced by KA worsens the outcome, whereas FE-SE has a neuroprotective effect.     

不同潜伏期致痫大鼠海马神经元线粒体损伤及Fas、Bax、caspase-3的表达

目的观察不同潜伏期致癫痫状态大鼠海马CA3区神经元线粒体超微结构损伤及Fas、Bax、cas-pase-3的表达变化。方法分别采用海人酸腹腔注射(A组)和尾静脉注射(B组)诱发不同潜伏期的大鼠癫痫持续状态(SE)。于SE终止后不同时点取海马,电镜观察线粒体的超微结构,半定量RT-PCR检测Fas、Bax的mRNA水平,免疫组化检测caspase-3蛋白的表达。结果A组潜伏期为97±11min,线粒体肿胀,神经元呈凋亡征;B组潜伏期为48±13min,线粒体肿胀且伴膜的崩解,神经元呈坏死表现。对照组及B组未检测到Fas及Bax mRNA;A组Fas及Bax的mRNA表达均于SE后6h出现,24h增加,48h达高峰,并持续至72h。两组动物均在SE后6h出现caspase-3表达增高(P<0.001),24h达顶峰(P<0.001);A组高表达持续至72h,B组在48h点急剧降低。结论不同潜伏期的SE导致了不同程度的线粒体损伤,进而决定了神经元死亡的分子机制。     

Kainate-induced status epilepticus leads to a delayed increases in various specific glutamate metabotropic receptor responses in the hippocampus

Neuronal loss and gliosis were detected in the rat hippocampus soon after unilateral intra-amygdala injection of kainate (KA) (2.5 nmol) while solid mossy fiber sprouting could be seen only fourteen days after this injection. Using this experimental model, we examined the metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-induced inositol phosphate (IP) formation in hippocampal synaptoneurosomes and slices. In synaptoneurosomes prepared from ipsilateral hippocampi fourteen days following injection, there were no significant changes in mGluR- and carbachol(CARB)-stimulated IPs syntheses when sham-operated and KA-injected animals were compared. In the corresponding hippocampal slices, significant increases of the mGluR responses mediated by ibotenate (IBO) and aminocyclopentane-trans-1,3-dicar☐ylate (t-ACPD) were noted after KA application. The net stimulation values respectively expressed in a pair-wise fashion for buffer-injected control and KA-treated animals were IBO: 1,947 ± 457 and 10,553 ± 1,242; t-ACPD: 1,557 ± 662 and 9,449 ± 2,251 dpm/mg protein respectively. Significantly augmented mGluR responses in hippocampal slices were also measured at 7,42 and 92 days after KA injection. There were, however, no significant increases in CARB-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in the hippocampal slices at all time-intervals after KA administration. These findings show that there are differences between the mGluR responses in hippocampal synaptoneurosome and slice preparations, suggesting the presence of two distinct populations of mGluR in each of these two models. The large specific increases in certain mGluR activities after KA-induced status epilepticus in hippocampal slices could represent one of the molecular mechanisms which underlie the profound morphological changes, in particular gliosis or mossy fiber sprouting, which follow the KA-induced status epilepticus.     

匹罗卡品致痫大鼠海马calpain活性变化和其对神经元死亡的影响

目的探讨在匹罗卡品致痫的癫痫持续状态（SE）大鼠模型中,钙蛋白酶在大鼠海马组织中的活性,及钙蛋白酶对神经元坏死、凋亡产生的影响。方法雄性成年wistar大鼠,应用匹罗卡品致痫产生SE后60min后终止发作,24h后取材,行HE染色及tunel染色,观察海马神经元的坏死及凋亡情况,以及western blot检测钙蛋白酶1（μ-calpain）的活性。结果癫痫持续状态后24h,海马组织HE染色神经元数量减少,tunel阳性细胞数增加,钙蛋白酶1出现76ku条带。结论大鼠癫痫持续状态后24h,钙蛋白酶1在海马组织神经元活性增加,海马神经元出现坏死及凋亡。钙蛋白酶1与神经元的死亡存在着正相关。     

海人酸致癫癎持续状态大鼠海马神经元线粒体损伤及caspase-3表达

目的观察海人酸诱导的癫痫间持续状态(status ep ilepticus,SE)大鼠海马CA3区神经元线粒体损伤及caspase-3的表达。方法用海人酸诱导大鼠SE 2 h;于SE终止后第3、6、24 h取海马,光镜观察神经元的变化,并用电镜进一步观察线粒体的超微结构;免疫组化方法检测caspase-3的表达。结果SE终止后3h电镜下可见到线粒体嵴的肿胀和膜的崩解;SE后24 h神经元呈坏死样改变;caspase-3的表达在SE后6 h开始增加(与对照组比较,P<0.05),于第24 h明显增高(P<0.01)。结论在实验性SE模型中早期即出现线粒体超微结构的损伤,其后出现caspase-3的表达增高及神经元形态的改变,提示线粒体的损伤是SE后神经元损伤的关键环节。