Apoptosis In Rat Cerebral Cortex Research Articles

Mailuoning oral liquid attenuates convalescent cerebral ischemia by inhibiting AMPK/mTOR-associated apoptosis and promoting CREB/BDNF-mediated neuroprotection

Ethnopharmacological relevanceIschemic stroke is divided into acute, subacute and convalescent phases according to the time of onset. Clinically, Mailuoning oral liquid (MLN O) is a traditional Chinese patent medicine for treating ischemic stroke. Previous studies have shown that MLN O could prevent acute cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. However, its underlying mechanism remains unclear. Aim of the studyTo investigate the relationship between neuroprotection and apoptosis for clarifying MLN O mechanism in the recovery phase of ischemic stroke. Materials and methodsWe imitated stroke using middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R) in vivo and oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) in vitro models. The infarct volume, neurological deficit scores, HE staining, Nissl staining, TUNEL staining, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot were correspondingly performed to find pathological changes and detect neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex. The contents of LDH, Cyt-c, c-AMP and BDNF in rat plasma and cerebral cortex were detected by ELISA. Cell viability was measured by CCK8 assay. Cell morphology, Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin-V-Alexa Fluor 647/PI staining were performed to assess neuronal apoptosis. The expression levels of proteins were evaluated by western blotting. ResultsMLN O obviously reduced brain infarct volume and neurological deficit scores in MCAO rats. MLN O inhibited inflammatory cell infiltration and neuronal apoptosis, but promoted gliosis, neuronal survival, and neuroprotection in the cortical region of MCAO rats. Additionally, MLN O decreased the amount of LDH and cytochrome c, while increasing the expression of c-AMP in the plasma and ischemic cerebral cortex of MCAO rats, and promoting the expression of BDNF in the cortical tissue of MCAO rats. Besides, MLN O improved cell viability, restored cell morphology, while attenuating cell damage, inhibiting neuronal apoptosis following OGD/R in PC-12 cells. Moreover, MLN O inhibited apoptosis by suppressing the expression of pro-apoptotic-associated proteins, including Bax, cytochrome c, Cleaved caspase 3 and HIF-1α, whereas accelerating the expression of Bcl-2 in vivo and in vitro. Furthermore, MLN O inhibited the activity of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), but activated the signaling pathway of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB)/brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in MCAO rats and OGD/R-stimulated PC-12 cells. ConclusionsThese results demonstrated that MLN O inhibited AMPK/mTOR to affect apoptosis associated with mitochondria, leading to improve CREB/BDNF-mediated neuroprotection in the recovery period of ischemic stroke in vivo and in vitro.

The effects of mTOR or Vps34-mediated autophagy on methylmercury-induced neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a environmental contaminant, which can induce neurotoxic effects. So far, the exact molecular mechanisms of autophagy and its effect on apoptosis in MeHg-induced neurotoxicity have not been elucidated. Here, rats were exposed to MeHg (4, 8, or 12 μmol/kg) for 4 weeks to evaluate the dose-effect relationship between MeHg and apoptosis, or autophagy in cerebral cortex. On this basis, rapamycin (Rapa) or 3-methyladenine (3-MA) was administrated to further explore the regulatory mechanisms of autophagy on MeHg-induced neuronal apoptosis. The pathological changes, autophagy or apoptosis levels, expression of autophagic or apoptotic-associated factors such as mTOR, S6K1, 4EBP1, Vps34, Beclin1, p62, LC3, Bcl-2/Bax, caspase, or MAPKs were investigated. Results showed that MeHg dose-dependently induced pathological changes in cerebral cortex, and the levels of autophagy and apoptosis were increased. Furthermore, Rapa pretreatment antagonized MeHg-induced apoptosis, whereas 3-MA further aggravated apoptosis, which were supported by findings that Rapa activated mTOR-mediated autophagy while 3-MA inhibited Vps34-related autophagy, further affect neuronal apoptosis through regulation of apoptotic factors mentioned above. In conclusion, the findings indicated that MeHg dose-dependently induced autophagy or apoptosis, and mTOR or Vps34 may play important roles in mediating autophagy, which further regulated apoptosis through MAPKs or mitochondrial apoptosis pathways.

Oxidative stress accelerates synaptic glutamate dyshomeostasis and NMDARs disorder during methylmercury-induced neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxin,which leads to a wide range of intracellular effects. The molecular mechanismsassociated to MeHg-induced neurotoxicity have not been fully understood.Oxidative stress, as well as synaptic glutamate (Glu) dyshomeostasis have beenidentified as two critical mechanisms during MeHg-mediated cytotoxicity. Here,we developed a rat model of MeHg poisoning to evaluate its neurotoxic effectsby focusing on cellular oxidative stress and synaptic Glu disruption. Inaddition, we investigated the neuroprotective role of alpha-lipoic acid (α-LA), a natural antioxidant, todeeply explore the underlying interaction between them. Fifty-six rats wererandomly divided into four groups: saline control, MeHg treatment (4 or 12μmol/kg MeHg), and α-LApre-treatment (35 μmol/kg α-LA+12μmol/kg MeHg). Rats exposed to 12 μmol/kg MeHg induced neuronal oxidativestress, with ROS accumulation and cellular antioxidant system impairment. Nrf2 andxCT pathways were activated with MeHg treatment. The enzymatic or non-enzymaticof cellular GSH synthesis were also disrupted by MeHg. On the other hand, the abnormalactivities of GS and PAG disturbed the "Glu-Gln cycle", leading to NMDARsover-activation, Ca2+ overload, and the calpain activation, which acceleratedNMDARs degradation. Meanwhile, the high expressions of phospho-p44/42 MAPK,phospho-p38 MAPK, phospho-CREB, and the high levels of caspase 3 and Bax/Bcl-2 finallyindicated the neuronal apoptosis after MeHg exposure. Pre-treatment with α-LA significantly preventedMeHg-induced neurotoxicity. In conclusion, the oxidative stress and synapticGlu dyshomeostasis contributed to MeHg-induced neuronal apoptosis. Alpha-LAattenuated these toxic effects through mechanisms of anti-oxidation andindirect Glu dyshomeostasis prevention.

Endoplasmic reticulum rather than mitochondria plays a major role in the neuronal apoptosis induced by polybrominated diphenyl ether-153

Polybrominated diphenyl ether-153 (BDE-153) has been demonstrated to induce neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex and primary neurons, however, the roles of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) remain unclear in the BDE-153-induced neuronal apoptosis. To this purpose, we observed the mitochondria and ER ultrastructure changes in the neuronal apoptosis in rats following BDE-153 treatment, detected the mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activity, and the changes of mitochondria and ER apoptosis related molecules in rat cerebral cortex and in primary neurons following BDE-153 treatment. Results showed that compared to the control group, neuronal apoptosis was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in rat cerebral cortex and in primary neurons following BDE-153 treatment. In comparison with control, BDE-153 treatment induced remarkable ultrastructural changes in ER rather than in mitochondria, and the severity of ER damage was worse with the increasing BDE-153 dose. Meanwhile, ER apoptosis related molecules including caspase-12 (at mRNA level), cleaved caspase-12 (at protein level), and Tmem132a (at mRNA and protein levels) were significantly increased in the cerebral cortex in rats following BDE-153 treatment, while procaspase-12 protein was significantly decreased, comparing with control. In contrast, mitochondria apoptosis related molecules (MMP, Ca2+-Mg2+-ATP enzyme activity, cyt-C protein, caspase-3, 8, 9 mRNA, caspase-8, 9 enzyme activities) did not significantly changed in the cerebral cortex of rats or in primary neurons following BDE-153 treatment, except for the elevated caspase-3 mRNA and enzyme activity. Therefore, we conclude that BDE-153 induced neuronal apoptosis was dependent on p53, and mediated more by ER than mitochondria in the cerebral cortex of rats and in primary neurons. The findings suggest that ER is a potential sensitive target of BDE-153 neurotoxicity, providing a scientific evidence for the mechanism and intervention study on PBDE’s neurotoxicity.

Neurotrophins and cholinergic enzyme regulated by calpain-2: New insights into neuronal apoptosis induced by polybrominated diphenyl ether-153

Polybrominated diphenyl ether-153 (BDE-153) has been demonstrated to induce neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex and primary neurons. Neurotrophins and cholinergic enzymes play critical roles in the neuronal survival, maintenance, synaptic plasticity and learning memory, however, their roles in neuronal apoptosis following the BDE-153 treatment remain unclear. In this study, we firstly explored the possible predominant pathway underlying the neuronal apoptotic induced by the BDE-153 treatment in rat cerebral cortex, by measuring expression levels (mRNA and protein) of p53, caspase-3, 8, 9, calpain-1, and calpain-2, detected the levels (protein contents and mRNA) of neurotrophins including brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), and measured acetylcholinesterase (AchE) and choline acetyltransferase (ChaT) activities in rat cerebral cortex and primary neurons following BDE-153 treatment with or without pretreatment with inhibitors. Results showed that the neuronal apoptosis induced by BDE-153 was dependent on p53, and dependent on more calpain-2 than caspase-3 in the cerebral cortex of rats. Following the BDE-153 treatment, the protein contents and mRNA levels of BDNF, GDNF, NGF, NT-3, and NT-4, as well as the AchE and ChaT activities were significantly decreased in the cerebral cortex and primary neurons when compared to the untreated group. When pretreated primary neurons with calpain inhibitor PD150606 or cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk5, the downstream complex of calpain) inhibitor Roscovitine, the neurotrophins contents and activities of ChaT and AchE were reverted, along with the improvement of neuron survival compared with BDE-153 treatment alone. We conclude that neurotrophins and cholinergic enzymes were regulated by the calpain-2 activation and its downstream cdk5 pathway, and which was involved in the neuronal apoptosis induced by the BDE-153 treatment.

Acute administration of methionine and/or methionine sulfoxide impairs redox status and induces apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex

High plasma levels of methionine (Met) and its metabolites such as methionine sulfoxide (MetO) may occur in several genetic abnormalities. Patients with hypermethioninemia can present neurological dysfunction; however, the neurotoxicity mechanisms induced by these amino acids remain unknown. The aim of the present work was to study the effects of Met and/or MetO on oxidative stress, genotoxicity, cytotoxicity and to evaluate whether the cell death mechanism is mediated by apoptosis in the cerebral cortex of young rats. Forty-eight Wistar rats were divided into groups: saline, Met 0.4 g/Kg, MetO 0.1 g/Kg and Met 0.4 g/Kg + MetO 0.1 g/Kg, and were euthanized 1 and 3 h after subcutaneous injection. Results showed that TBARS levels were enhanced by MetO and Met+MetO 1 h and 3 h after treatment. ROS was increased at 3 h by Met, MetO and Met+MetO. SOD activity was increased in the Met group, while CAT was reduced in all experimental groups 1 h and 3 h after treatment. GPx activity was enhanced 1 h after treatment by Met, MetO and Met+MetO, however it was reduced in the same experimental groups 3 h after administration of amino acids. Caspase-3, caspase-9 and DNA damage was increased and cell viability was reduced by Met, MetO and Met+MetO at 3 h. Also, Met, MetO and Met+MetO, after 3 h, enhanced early and late apoptosis cells. Mitochondrial electrochemical potential was decreased by MetO and Met+MetO 1 h and 3 h after treatment. These findings help understand the mechanisms involved in neurotoxicity induced by hypermethioninemia.

1400 W ameliorates acute hypobaric hypoxia/reoxygenation-induced cognitive deficits by suppressing the induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase in rat cerebral cortex microglia

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in neuronal modifications, and overproduction of NO contributes to memory deficits after acute hypobaric hypoxia-reoxygenation. This study investigated the ability of the iNOS inhibitor 1400W to counteract spatial memory deficits following acute hypobaric hypoxia-reoxygenation, and to affect expression of NOS, NO, 3-NT and MDA production, and apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex. We also used primary rat microglia to investigate the effect of 1400W on expression of NOS, NO, 3-NT and MDA production, and apoptosis. Acute hypobaric hypoxia-reoxygenation impaired spatial memory, and was accompanied by activated microglia, increased iNOS expression, NO, 3-NT and MDA production, and neuronal cell apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex one day post-reoxygenation. 1400W treatment inhibited iNOS expression without affecting nNOS or eNOS. 1400W also reduced NO, 3-NT and MDA production, and prevented neuronal cell apoptosis in cerebral cortex, in addition to reversing spatial memory impairment after acute hypobaric hypoxia-reoxygenation. Hypoxia-reoxygenation activated primary microglia, and increased iNOS and nNOS expression, NO, 3-NT, and MDA production, and apoptosis. Treatment with 1400W inhibited iNOS expression without affecting nNOS, reduced NO, 3-NT and MDA production, and prevented apoptosis in primary microglia. Based on the above findings, we concluded that the highly selective iNOS inhibitor 1400W inhibited iNOS induction in microglial cells, and reduced generation of NO, thereby mitigating oxidative stress and neuronal cell apoptosis in the rat cerebral cortex, and improving the spatial memory dysfunction caused by acute hypobaric hypoxia-reoxygenation.

Riluzole prevents morphine-induced apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex

Neuronal apoptosis has been shown to be associated with the development of tolerance to morphine. In the present study, we investigated the effect of intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of an inhibitor of glutamate release, riluzole, on morphine-induced apoptosis in the rat cerebral cortex. Various groups of rats received either morphine (intraperitoneally, ip) and vehicle (icv) or morphine (ip) and different doses of riluzole (icv) once per day for 8 days. An in situ terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end-labeling (TUNEL) method was used as an apoptosis assay. Levels of the anti-apoptotic factors Bcl-2 and HSP70 and the pro-apoptotic agent caspase-3 were evaluated by immunoblotting. The glutamate concentration in the cerebral cortex was measured by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results showed that icv administration of riluzole decreased the number of apoptotic cells in the cerebral cortex compared with the control group, which was treated with morphine (ip) and 1% Tween 80 in 0.9% normal saline (icv). The levels of the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and HSP70 were higher in the riluzole groups than in the control. Furthermore, co-administration of riluzole with morphine significantly decreased caspase-3 protein levels and glutamate content of the cerebral cortex compared with the control. In conclusion, we found that icv administration of riluzole attenuates morphine-induced apoptosis in the cerebral cortex after the development of morphine tolerance.

Minocycline Prevents Morphine-Induced Apoptosis in Rat Cerebral Cortex and Lumbar Spinal Cord: A Possible Mechanism for Attenuating Morphine Tolerance

Tolerance to the chronic administration of opioids such as morphine reduces the utility of these drugs in pain management. Despite significant investigation, the precise cellular mechanisms underlying opioid tolerance and dependence remain elusive. It has been indicated that tolerance to the analgesic effect of morphine is associated with apoptosis in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of the intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of minocycline (a second-generation tetracycline) on morphine-induced apoptosis in the cerebral cortex and lumbar spinal cord of rats after morphine-induced tolerance. Different groups of rats received either morphine (ip) and distilled water (icv) or morphine and different doses of minocycline (icv) or minocycline alone once per day. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) method was used to analyze apoptosis. The anti-apoptotic factors, Bcl-2 and HSP 70 and the pro-apoptotic element caspase-3 were evaluated by immunoblotting. The results indicated that minocycline attenuated the number of apoptotic cells in both the cerebral cortex and lumbar spinal cord. Immunoblotting findings showed that the amounts of anti-apoptotic agents (Bcl-2 and HSP 70) were greater in the treatment groups than in the controls in both regions. Although minocycline did not change the level of caspase-3 at the doses used with morphine but the minocycline treated rats showed a significantly lower increase in caspase-3 activity than did in the control. In conclusion, minocycline decreased the number of TUNEL-positive cells and increased the amount of anti-apoptotic factors (Bcl-2 and HSP 70), but did not change the caspase-3 content.

Effect of caspase-3 inhibitor in neuronal apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex after ischemia-reperfusion injury

To investigate the effect of z-DEVD-fmk, a caspase-3 inhibitor on the neuronal apoptosis in ischemia-reperfusion region (IRR) of rat cerebral cortex. Rats prepared by middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion were used as the research model. The animals were divided into A group (untreated), B group (DMSO control) and C group (treated with z-DEVD-fmk). Before reperfusion, z-DEVD-fmk (7 microg/kg) was injected into the ischemic side of ventriculus cerebri of C group rats. The expression and activation of caspase-3, expression and cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), and apoptotic neurons in the temporal-parietal cortex IRRs (SPAB method) of all the rats were studied using Western blotting, in situ apoptotic detection (TUNEL method) and immunohistochemistry. In the cerebral IRRs of A, B, C groups reperfused for 1 h and 24 h, the quantities of caspase-3 precursor were 16.7 +/- 3.0, 11.5 +/- 3.0 and 47.5 +/- 3.5, and 76.1 +/- 3.5, 71.3 +/- 6.4 and 88.2 +/- 5.5, respectively; the caspase-3 fragments (12,000) 8.2 +/- 2.3, 9.4 +/- 1.2 and 4.3 +/- 1.6, and 59.0 +/- 6.3, 60.5 +/- 7.2 and 17.3 +/- 2.8, respectively; the PARP 12.6 +/- 3.0, 13.9 +/- 2.0 and 53.7 +/- 4.1, and 67.5 +/- 8.6, 61.1 +/- 6.6 and 93.6 +/- 4.1, respectively; the PARP fragments (24,000) 6.0 +/- 0.7, 6.6 +/- 1.2, 3.6 +/- 1.1, and 27.4 +/- 2.6, 25.8 +/- 3.2, 12.1 +/- 2.8 (relative quantity, x+/- s); the densities of apoptotic neurons 83.3 +/- 7.5, 84.3 +/- 5.7 and 45.7 +/- 4.0, and 197.4 +/- 11.8, 185.2 +/- 11.2 and 99.1 +/- 5.8 (cell number/0.1 mm(2), x+/- s). These results showed that in the cerebral IRRs of both A and B groups, all caspase-3 expression and activation, PARP expression and cleavage, and neuronal apoptosis were increased relevantly along with prolongation of the reperfusion time (P < 0.05 - 0.001). At each time point of the reperfusion, caspase-3 activation, PARP cleavage and neuronal apoptosis in the cerebral IRR of C group were significantly less than those of the former two groups (P < 0.05 - 0.001). The variations of the 5 parameters of A, B and C groups correlated positively with one another (r = 0.630 - 0.942, P < 0.01). The cells expressing PARP were mainly neurons in the cerebral IRRs of all the animals, but the difference of their number was not distinct among the 3 groups. It is an important mechanism resulting in apoptosis of the injured neurons in the cerebral IRR that caspase-3 expression and activation abnormally increased by the reperfusion have more PARP rapidly inactivated by over-cleavage. z-DEVD-fmk may decrease PARP cleavage by inhibiting activity and auto-activation of caspase-3, and prevent the injured neurons from apoptosis.