Increased mitochondrial DNA oxidative damage after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

Oxidative stress and DNA oxidation play important roles in the induction of ischemic neuronal cell death. However, the subcellular source of oxidized DNA detected by 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) after ischemia has not been clarified although it is known to increase in the brain after ischemia. One-hour transient ischemia of the middle cerebral artery was induced in mice utilizing an intraluminal filament. The occurrence of superoxide anion as an ethidium (Et) signal, 8-OHdG, cytochrome c release and neuronal cell death were examined using immunohistological and biochemical techniques in sham-operated control (0h) and 1, 3, 6, 24, or 96h after reperfusion. Et signals were prominent in the cortical neurons of ipsilateral hemisphere 3h after reperfusion. Strong 8-OHdG immunoreactivity was observed 3-6h after reperfusion. Immunoassays after cell fractionation revealed a significant increase of 8-OHdG in mitochondria 6h after reperfusion. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the 8-OHdG immunoreactivity colocalized with a neuronal marker, microfilament 200 and a mitochondrial marker, cytochrome oxidase subunit I. Cytochrome c rose in cytoplasm at 6h and TUNEL-positive neurons noted 6-24h after ischemia. The present results suggest the possibility that the mitochondrial damage including mitochondrial DNA oxidation might be responsible for the induction of ischemic neuronal cell death.     

Expression of neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase in neuronal and glial cells after transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery

We presently investigated the time-course of neuronal nitric oxide synthase and inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and content in the rat striatum up to 6 days after ischemia induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion, a condition that potentially allows functional recovery, with the aim to identify the cell types expressing these two enzymes and to correlate neuronal nitric oxide synthase and inducible nitric oxide synthase changes in order to verify whether and how these changes are related to tissue damage, motor-sensory performances and survival. Before and after surgery, the animals underwent neurological evaluation. The results demonstrated that the rats with a score > or = 12 at the neurological evaluation 24 h after ischemia showed a significant increase in neuronal nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurones and absence of inducible nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive cells and survived up to the sixth day; conversely, the rats with a score < 12 at the neurological evaluation 24 h after ischemia showed a progressive significant decrease in neuronal nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurones and appearance of inducible nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive cells and none of the rats survived up to the sixth day. Microglia cells were activated in both groups but only in the latter did these cells express inducible nitric oxide synthase. Measurement of the infarct area demonstrated that it occupied a similar territory in both groups of rats but in those with a score < 12 the edema was more extended. In conclusion, we demonstrated that a neurotoxic insult such as ischemia can induce neuronal nitric oxide synthase expression in the neurones and that when neuronal nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurones increase in number, microglia activation is less extended, inducible nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive cells are absent, tissue damage reduced and the rats survive longer. Conversely, when there is a significant decrease of neuronal nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive neurones, microglia cells are intensely activated, inducible nitric oxide synthase-immunoreactive cells appear and the animal survival is shortened.     

G-CSF enhances stem cell proliferation in rat hippocampus after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) enhances the survival and stimulates the proliferation of neutrophil progenitors. Recently, the neurogenerative effect of G-CSF has been intensely investigated. In this study, we explored the possibility that G-CSF enhanced the cell proliferation in the rat dentate gyrus (DG) after focal cerebral ischemia, using a rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) model. At 7 days after tMCAO, the number of 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-positive cells in the G-CSF-treated group was significantly increased compared with that in the vehicle-treated group in the ipsilateral SGZ (16.6 ± 5.5/mm² in the vehicle-treated group versus 33.0 ± 7.2/mm² in the G-CSF-treated group, **p < 0.01) and in the ipsilateral GCL (14.2 ± 2.8/mm² in the vehicle-treated group versus 21.0 ± 3.8/mm² in the G-CSF-treated group, *p < 0.05). This result showed the possibility of a neurogenerative role of G-CSF after tMCAO in rats.     

Morphology of tissue damage caused by permanent occlusion of middle cerebral artery in mice.

In two series of experimental occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in mice, the time course and the evolution of morphological changes were followed. Both series comprised control animals used in experiments for the screening of neuroprotective and therapeutic effects after focal ischemia. In both series the left MCA was permanently occluded and the animals were sacrificed by perfusion fixation at certain time intervals following occlusion. In the first series the follow up was continued until the 30th day after ischemia. In the second, the observation period was extended to two months. The general question was addressed, whether or not such experimental settings can contribute to the understanding of cellular (necrosis vs apoptosis) and tissue (resorption vs scar) reaction. In the two series the technical procedures were only slightly different. Nevertheless, the development of morphological sequelae was at variance. Differences in tissue reaction in both sets revealed features that were rarely observed in previous protocols. In the first series, infarct areas were different in size, often a central part near the meninges was preserved and gave rise to a prominent mesenchymal reaction. In the second series, infarcts had almost constant size and mesenchymal reaction changes were minimal. The end product in both series, however, was a shallow groove much smaller than the primary well-demarcated defect. We conclude that minor technical variations of MCA occlusion in the mouse demonstrate the variability of occlusion sequelae due to collateral irrigation known from human cerebral pathology. On the cellular level, neuronal death is obviously completed during the first 24 hours in the infarct core. Thus, the mechanism of neuronal damage can only be best observed by morphology at the transition between completed territorial necrosis and unchanged tissue: shrunken neuronal perikarya develop into pycnotic nuclei, that may be interpreted as apoptosis. A second area of partial damage is marked by gliosis. Astrocytic reaction extended far beyond the infarct border, even to the contralateral hemisphere and could represent a component of size compensation.     

Free radicals and brain damage due to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion: the effect of dimethylthiourea

The objective of this study was to assess whether dimethylthiourea (DMTU), an established free radical scavenger, ameliorates ischaemic damage due to 2–3 h of transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, induced by an intraluminal filament. A major point adressed was whether DMTU given before MCA occlusion only delayed the maturation of the damage, or if it had a lasting effect on infarct size. The end point was morphological, and either encompassed triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining of tissue slices after 24 h or 48 h of recovery, or histopathological assessment of infarct size after 7 days of recovery. In a preliminary series of experiments, rats were subjected to 3 h of MCA occlusion, and infarct volume was assessed by TTC staining after 24 h of recovery. DMTU in a dose of 750 mg/kg reduced infarct volume by more than 50%. However, due to a high mortality rate, that protocol was not subsequently pursued. When the ischaemia duration was reduced to 2 h and the DMTU dose to 400 mg/kg, a similar amelioration of the tissue damage was observed. However, since DMTU reduced a spontaneous rise in body temperature to 39.0–39.5°C, DMTU-treated animals in the main series of experiments with 24 and 48 h of recovery were treated so that they had the same temperature rise as the saline controls. Under such constant temperature conditions, the effect of DMTU at 24 h of recovery was borderline (P= 0.052) and at 48 h it was nil. The lack of a lasting effect of DMTU was supported by the findings on evaluation of infarct area after 7 days of recovery. The results raise the important question whether DMTU, and perhaps other free radical scavengers, delay rather than ameliorate the ischaemic lesion developing after transient MCA occlusion.     

Activation of caspase-12 by endoplasmic reticulum stress induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

We sought to clarify the involvement of caspase-12, a representative molecule related to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress-induced cell-death signaling pathways, in neuronal death resulting from ischemia/reperfusion in mice. Transient focal cerebral ischemia (1 h) was produced by intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). We assessed the expression patterns of caspase-12, Bip/GRP78, an ER-resident molecular chaperone whose expression serves as a good marker of ER stress, and caspase-7 by Western blotting and/or immunohistochemistry. Double-fluorescent staining of caspase-12 immunohistochemistry and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated DNA nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was performed to clarify the involvement of caspase-12 in cell death. We confirmed that ER stress was induced during reperfusion in our model, as witnessed by up-regulated Bip/GRP78 expression in the MCA territory. Western blot analysis revealed that caspase-12 activation occurred at 5-23 h of reperfusion, and immunoreactivity for caspase-12 was enhanced mainly in striatal neurons on the ischemic side at the same time points. We found the co-localization of caspase-12 immunoreactivity and DNA fragmentation detectable by the TUNEL method. We did not detect the presence of caspase-7 in the ER fraction at the period of caspase-12 cleavage. Our results imply that cerebral ischemia/reperfusion induces ER stress and that caspase-12 activation concurred with ER stress. Caspase-12 seems to be involved in neuronal death induced by ischemia/reperfusion. Caspase-7 is not likely to contribute to the cleavage of caspase-12 in our experimental model.     

Post-treatment of a BiP inducer prevents cell death after middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

We previously reported the effect of a selective inducer of BiP (a BiP inducer X; BIX) after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in mice. However, in acute stroke, almost all drugs have been used clinically after the onset of events. We evaluated the effect of post-treatment of BIX after permanent MCAO in mice, and examined its neuroprotective properties in in vivo mechanism. BIX (intracerebroventricular injection at 20 μg) administered either at 5 min or 3 h after occlusion reduced both infarct volume and brain swelling, but at 6 h after occlusion there was no reduction. BIX protected against the decrease in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore, BIX reduced the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells induced by the ischemia in ischemic penumbra. These findings indicate that post-treatment with BIX after ischemia has neuroprotective effects against acute ischemic neuronal damage in mice even when given up to 3 h after MCAO. BIX may therefore be a potential drug for stroke.     

Nuclear translocation of endonuclease G in degenerating neurons after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

Endonuclease G (EndoG) is a mitochondrial enzyme, known to be involved in caspase-independent cell death following translocation to the cellular nucleus. Nuclear translocation of EndoG has been observed in the ischemic area following transient occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in mice, but not after permanent MCA occlusion. In this study we investigated the cellular and temporal expression of EndoG in infarcted cortex during the first 24 h after permanent MCA occlusion in mice, using immunohistochemistry, quantitative rt-PCR and cell specific immunoflourescence markers. EndoG translocated from the cytoplasm to the nucleus as early as 4 h and with a significant increase in the number of EndoG positive nuclei at 12 and 24 h after MCA occlusion. Nuclear translocation of EndoG was observed in degenerating NeuN positive neurons that were evenly distributed throughout the developing infarct. Translocation of EndoG was supported by unaltered EndoG mRNA levels. EndoG was neither expressed in GFAP positive astrocytes nor in CD11b positive microglia/macrophages. In contrast, CD11b positive microglia, but not infiltrating CD11b positive bone marrow-derived macrophages, were shown to express activated caspase-3. The translocation of EndoG to the nucleus of neurons in the infarct implicates EndoG in ischemic neuronal degeneration after permanent MCA occlusion in mice. Increased knowledge about EndoG involvement in ischemic neuronal cell death in mice might offer a promise to control processes involved in neuronal cell death pathways in stroke.     

构建大脑中动脉阻塞脑缺血模型大鼠的类型分析

背景：线栓法造成短暂性大脑中动脉阻塞是研究大鼠局灶性脑缺血普遍使用的模型制作方法。但制作大鼠脑缺血模型的类型存在一定差异,可能导致实验结果的偏差。 目的：分析大脑中动脉阻塞线栓法制作大鼠脑缺血模型的类型及其影响因素。 方法：雄性SD大鼠166只,参照Longa线栓法造模,术后24 h行MRI扫描,根据扫描结果将大鼠分成皮质梗死组、皮质下梗死组及无梗死组,分析造模时线栓插入的深度。 结果与结论：皮质梗死组、皮质下梗死组和无梗死组大鼠的线栓插入深度分别为(19.9±0.9),(19.0±1.1)和(17.7±1.3) mm,皮质梗死组大鼠的线栓插入最深,而无梗死组的线栓插入最浅(P < 0.01)。提示插入深度不同导致的大鼠脑梗死的类型也不同,线栓插入越深,皮质梗死的概率可能越大。     

大鼠脑缺血后IFN-γ mRNA的表达

目的：检测SD大鼠脑缺血后缺血脑组织和外周免疫淋巴细胞干扰素-γ（IFN-γ）mRNA的表达，探讨IFN-γ在脑缺血中的作用。方法：用线拴封闭大脑中动脉的方法制作脑缺血动物模型，采用原位杂交的方法检测缺血脑组织及外周淋巴组织中IFN-γ mRNA动态的变化情况。采用免疫组织化学方法检测缺血脑组织中浸润的T淋巴细胞数量。结合免疫组化和寡核苷酸探针杂交方法，检测T细胞表达IFN-γ。结果：①缺血脑半球IFN-γ mRNA含量较假手术组明显增高（P〈0．001），且随着脑缺血时间延长其表达量增加；②IFN-γ mRNA表达数量随损伤面积扩大而增加（R=0．9780，P〈0．001）；③缺血组外周血单核细胞IFN-γ mRNA水平较假手术组明显增高，12小时达高峰（P〈0．001），而脾淋巴细胞、淋巴结细胞IFN-γ mRNA水平也均比假手术组明显增高，且随着脑缺血时间延长表达量增加（P〈0．05、P〈0．01、P〈0．001）；④随着脑缺血时间的延长，脑内浸润的T细胞数量显著增加（P〈0．05、P〈0．01、P〈0．001）。结论：IFN-γ mRNA表达主要参与大脑损伤后期反应过程，可能加重脑缺血后期的炎症反应。     

大鼠大脑中动脉缺血后海马星形胶质细胞反应的研究

目的:观察大鼠大脑中动脉缺血后皮层损伤侧海马星形胶质细胞反应的变化。方法:采用大鼠大脑中动脉阻塞再灌流模型,应用免疫印迹和免疫组织化学方法测定脑缺血后3 d、7 d以及30 d皮层损伤侧海马胶质纤维酸性蛋白(GFAP)以及增殖细胞核抗原(PCNA)蛋白的表达,观察星形胶质细胞增殖的变化。结果: GFAP免疫组化结果显示,脑缺血后7d皮层损伤侧海马CA1、CA2区星形胶质细胞数量较假手术组增加且胞体增大;脑缺血后30 d皮层损伤侧海马CA1、CA2区呈胶质疤痕样改变。同时,免疫印迹法显示脑缺血后7 d皮层损伤侧海马GFAP表达增强;脑缺血后30 d皮层损伤侧海马GFAP表达增高更加明显。此外,免疫印迹法显示脑缺血后3 d皮层损伤侧海马PCNA蛋白表达水平升高;脑缺血后7 d PCNA蛋白表达水平达到峰值;脑缺血后30 d,PCNA蛋白表达水平降低,但仍高于假手术组。结论: 大鼠大脑中动脉缺血后可引起其皮层损伤侧海马星形胶质细胞过度反应和增殖。     

Copolymer-1 (Cop-1) improves neurological recovery after middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

The damage in ischemic stroke is caused by two events: (i) the ischemic phenomenon by itself; (ii) the self-destructive mechanisms developed as a consequence of ischemia. The inflammatory response is one of these destructive phenomena that accompanies and exacerbates the developing injury. Since it has been suggested that immune cells participate in neuroprotective and restorative processes, modulation rather than elimination of this inflammatory response could be a strategy to improve the neurological outcome. The immune modulator copolymer-1 (Cop-1), a synthetic basic random copolymer of amino acids, is a potent inducer of Th2 regulatory cells which, aside from exerting modulatory actions, is capable of releasing neurotrophic factors. There is evidence that Cop-1-specific T cells exert neuroprotective and even restorative effects in diverse neurodegenerative diseases. In order to test the ability of Cop-1 to prevent ischemic injury in a model of transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion, two groups of rats were treated either with Cop-1 or with saline solution (SS). Seven days after occlusion, Cop-1 treated rats presented a significant improvement in neurological function compared to SS-treated animals (1.2+/-0.4 and 2.8+/-0.5 mean+/-S.D., respectively; p=0.008). Histological findings showed that the percentage of infarct volume was smaller in Cop-1 treated rats (4.8+/-1.5), in comparison with those receiving SS (32.2+/-8.6; p=0.004). Cop-1 constitutes a promising therapy for stroke; thereby, the enforcement of further experimental investigation is encouraged in order to be able to formulate the best strategy.     

Expression of heparanase in nestin-positive reactive astrocytes in ischemic lesions of rat brain after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

Heparanase is an enzyme that cleaves heparan sulfate proteoglycans, an important component of the extracellular matrix to generate heparan sulfate fragments, leading to the remodeling of the extracellular matrix and the basement membrane particularly during cancer metastasis. A growing body of evidence suggests that heparanase serves multiple functions in normal tissues including the central nervous system. In this study, we showed that heparanase is expressed in reactive astrocytes in the peri-infarct lesion of a rat brain whose middle cerebral artery was transiently occluded for 90 min. RT-PCR and Western blot analyses revealed that heparanase expression was markedly upregulated during the subacute phase of ischemia (from 3 to 7 days post-reperfusion (dpr)). As revealed by immunohistochemical study, heparanase was localized in astrocytes located in the peri-infarct region. Heparanase+ astrocytes expressed nestin that is known as a marker of reactive astrocytes. Infiltrated neutrophils were weakly heparanase+. After 7 dpr, the expression level of heparanase+ astrocytes considerably decreased. Therefore, the maximum expression of heparanase by astrocytes may correlate with the time of migration of reactive astrocytes toward the ischemic core, which may result in astrogliosis. These findings suggest a novel role of heparanase in the pathophysiology of brain ischemia.     

Long-term functional outcome following transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat: correlation between brain damage and behavioral impairment

The assessment of both histological and functional long-term outcomes after cerebral ischemia is increasingly recommended for preclinical studies. Whereas correlations between behavioral impairments and primary ischemic lesion are documented, little is known about their relationships with remote nonischemic regions that undergo secondary degeneration, such as the thalamus. Anesthetized rats were subjected to mild (30 min) or severe (60 min) occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Two months after ischemia, sensorimotor behavior was assessed according to the neurological score, limb-placing, adhesive-removal, and staircase tests; the final histological lesion was measured after this assessment. Cortical damage was correlated to all transient and long-lasting sensorimotor deficits, whereas striatal lesion was more consistently reflected by the forelimb-placing reflexes and adhesive-removal motor deficits. By contrast, the thalamic atrophy was not correlated to early neurological impairment, but rather to the late sensory deficit at the adhesive-removal test and to the skilled forepaw reaching alteration at the staircase test. This suggests that thalamus contributes, albeit moderately, to the ischemia-induced long-lasting sensorimotor deficits, some of which represent relevant targets for therapeutic interventions.     

Minimosymptomatic occlusion of the middle cerebral artery

Minimosymptomatic occlusion of the MCA before the origin of the perforating branches is an exceedingly rare occurrence. We report two cases of MCA occlusion at its origin, the second case proven by the CT scan in vivo. Published work rules out the possibility of a functionally effective deep collateral circulation in the distribution of the capsular rami of the MCA. In view of this we argue that there may be cases — admittedly very rare — in which, given the individual variability of the vascular supply, the MCA may be of negligïble functional importance to the circulation of the internal capsule. In such cases occlusion of the MCA would be relatively well tolerated.     

Expression of CD200 by macrophage-like cells in ischemic core of rat brain after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

Brain ischemia causes the death of neurons and glial cells. Such brain cells are believed to inevitably undergo degeneration in the core of ischemic lesions, whereas neurons and glial cells may survive in the region surrounding the core that is often referred to as the ischemic penumbra. However, many cells, particularly immune cells infiltrate and survive in the core. In this study, we characterized macrophage-like cells that accumulated in the ischemic core of a rat brain whose right middle cerebral artery was transiently occluded for 90 min. At 7 days post-reperfusion, we observed macrophage-like cells expressing CD200, a cell surface glycoprotein belonging to an immunoglobulin superfamily and that elicits suppressive effects on myeloid cells including microglia by interacting with the CD200 receptor (CD200R). RT-PCR and immunoblot analyses revealed the presence of CD200-mRNA and protein in the ischemic core as well as in the contralateral region. As revealed by immunohistochemistry, CD200 is located on the cell membrane of spherical Iba1(+) cells with many cytoplasmic granules. CD200(-)/Iba1(+) macrophage-like cells were also present, which have a more irregular shape than CD200(+)/Iba1(+) cells. CD200 was detected in isolated spherical Iba1(+) macrophage-like cells. Thus, CD200 is expressed in some populations of macrophage-like cells that may be responsible for the suppression of CD200R(+) myeloid cell functions in the ischemic core.     

Potentiation of Akt and suppression of caspase-9 activations by electroacupuncture after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

Apoptosis is thought to be implicated in delayed neuronal cell death following transient forebrain ischemia. Recently, apoptosis in neurons induced by an inhibitor of serine/threonine (ser/thr) protein phosphatases (PPs) has been reported. In this study, we investigated the effect of transient forebrain ischemia on the expression of ser/thr PPs in the brain of Mongolian gerbils. At 24 h after 5-min bilateral carotid artery occlusion, Northern blotting analysis revealed the increase of PP1 mRNA expression in the vulnerable CA1 region of the hippocampus and striatum, but not in the cortex and CA3 region. In contrast, the protein level of PP1 detected by Western blotting analysis decreased in all regions. We conclude that the inhibition in PPs expression in the vulnerable regions may affect cell death after transient forebrain ischemia.     

Temporal and spatial changes of free cholesterol and neutral lipids in rat brain after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion

In order to examine lipid metabolism in relation to neural process following brain ischemia, we investigated temporal and spatial changes of free cholesterol (FC) and neutral lipids (NLs) after 90 min of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Filipin and Nile Red stainings were performed to detect mainly FC and NLs, respectively. Double stainings for Nile Red plus ED1, MAP2, or GFAP were performed in order to identify cell type of positive stainings. Filipin stanining decreased during 1-7 day and lost at 21 day after transient MCAO in the ischemic core, but did not change in the penumbra. Nile Red positive droplets reached the maximum at 7 day after transient MCAO and gradually decreased in the core, while the peak time delayed in the penumbra. MAP2 immunoreactivity lost at 7 day in the core, and increased in the penumbra during 7-56 day. Most Nile Red positive droplets were double positive for ED1 in the core, and were localized within GFAP positive cells in the penumbra. These results suggest that changes of FC and NLs are different temporally and spatially between the core and penumbra in relation to degenerative and regenerative neural processes following brain ischemia.     

Parecoxib is neuroprotective in spontaneously hypertensive rats after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion: a divided treatment response?

Background  

Anti-inflammatory treatment affects ischemic damage and neurogenesis in rodent models of cerebral ischemia. We investigated the potential benefit of COX-2 inhibition with parecoxib in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAo).