GM_1对大鼠脑缺血再灌注后bcl-2、bax表达的影响

目的:探讨神经节苷脂GM_1对大鼠急性局灶性脑缺血再灌注损伤后凋亡相关基因bcl-2、bax表达的影响。方法:用线栓法制成大鼠大脑中动脉(MCA)闭塞及再通模型,利用免疫组化,观察一侧MCA缺血30分钟,再灌注5小时后病变侧海马CA1区bcl-2、bax表达的情况以及GM_1对其表达的影响。结果:假手术对照组海马区CAI可见bcl-2及少量bax表达。缺血/再灌注后,该区bcl-2及bax表达增加(分别P<0.01),且以bax表达明显占优势,bax染色阳性细胞以小体积,核固缩的凋亡细胞为主。应用GM_1后bcl-2表达进一步增加(P<0.01),而bax蛋白水平变化不明显,bcl-2与bax蛋白比值增加,bax染色阳性细胞胞体趋于正常,但核仍大而圆。结论:GM_1确实可以通过调节脑局灶性缺血/再灌注后bcl-2、bax表达而发挥神经保护作用。     

mDll1 and mDll3 expression in the developing mouse brain: role in the establishment of the early cortex

The Delta/Notch signalling system is involved in several developmental processes. During fly neurogenesis, Delta expression defines the fate of neuronal precursors and inhibits neighboring Notch-expressing cells from acquiring a neural fate, a process known as lateral inhibition. In vertebrates, recent evidence demonstrates that Notch activation can positively determine cell fate and affect neuronal process extension. Nevertheless, Delta-like expression patterns during brain development are relatively unknown. Using a transgenic mouse, which expresses LacZ under the mDll1 promoter, we show by immunofluorescence that in the developing telencephalon mDll1 is expressed in undifferentiated cells in close contact with radial glial cells. Based on in situ hybridization data on mDll1 and mDll3 mRNA expression and on the immunohistochemical detection of beta-galactosidase in the Dll1-lacZ transgenic mouse, we suggest that mDll1 and mDll3 are involved in the establishment of the early cortical plate and that mDll1-expressing cells are in close contact with radial glial cells, thereby modulating the latter population, which is known to express Notch1. Furthermore, we suggest that the decrease in mDll1 mRNA found toward the end of gestation could be related, first, to the slowing of neurogenesis and, second, to the differentiation of the radial glial cell population into astrocytes.     

Mechanisms of electroacupuncture effects on acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injur y:possible association with upregulation of transforming growth factor beta 1

Electroacupuncture at the head acupoints Baihui(GV20) and Shuigou(GV26) improves recovery of neurological function following ischemic cerebrovascular events,but its mechanism remains incompletely understood.We hypothesized that the action of electroacupuncture at these acupoints is associated with elevated serum levels of transforming growth factor beta 1(TGF-β1).To test this,we established a rat model of cerebral ischemia by middle cerebral artery occlusion.Electroacupuncture was performed at Baihui and Shuigou with a dispersedense wave at an alternating frequency of 2 and 150 Hz,and at a constant intensity of 3 m A.Each electroacupuncture session lasted 30 minutes and was performed every 12 hours for 3 days.Neurological severity scores were lower in injured rats after acupuncture than in those not subjected to treatment.Furthermore,serum level of TGF-β1 was greater after electroacupuncture than after no treatment.Our results indicate that electroacupuncture at Baihui and Shuigou increases the serum level of TGF-β1 in rats with acute cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury,and exerts neuroprotective effects.     

Stem/progenitor cell proliferation factors FGF-2, IGF-1, and VEGF exhibit early decline during the course of aging in the hippocampus: role of astrocytes

Dentate neurogenesis, important for learning and memory, declines dramatically by middle age. Although studies have shown that this age-related decrease can be reversed to some extent by exogenous applications of mitogenic factors, it is unclear whether one or more of these factors exhibits decline by middle age. We hypothesize that multiple stem/progenitor cell proliferation factors exhibit early decline during the course of aging in the hippocampus, and some of these declines are linked to age-related alterations in hippocampal astrocytes. We measured the concentrations of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the hippocampus of young, middle-aged, and aged F344 rats, using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In addition, we quantified the total number of FGF-2 immunopositive (FGF-2+) and glial fibrillary acidic protein immunopositive (GFAP+) cells in the dentate gyrus and the entire hippocampus. Our results provide new evidence that the concentrations of FGF-2, IGF-1, and VEGF decline considerably by middle age but remain steady between middle age and old age. Further, decreased concentrations of FGF-2 during aging are associated with decreased numbers of FGF-2+ astrocytes. Quantification of GFAP+ cells, and GFAP and FGF-2 dual immunostaining analyses, reveal that aging does not decrease the total number of astrocytes but fractions of astrocytes that express FGF-2 decline considerably by middle age. Thus, dramatically decreased dentate neurogenesis by middle age is likely linked to reduced concentrations of FGF-2, IGF-1, and VEGF in the hippocampus, as each of these factors can individually influence the proliferation of stem/progenitor cells in the dentate gyrus. Additionally, the results demonstrate that decreased FGF-2 concentration during aging is a consequence of age-related impairment in FGF-2 synthesis by astrocytes.