ARGININE VASOPRESSIN GENE EXPRESSION IN SUPRAOPTIC NUCLEUS AND PARAVENTRICULAR NUCLEUS OF HYPOTHALAMOUS FOLLOWING CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA AND REPERFUSION

Background. Our previous studies indicated that the increased arginine vasopressin(AVP) in ischemic brain regions of gerbils could exacerbate the ischemic brain edema. This experiments is further clarify the relation between AVP and cerebral ischemia at the molecular level. Methods. The contents of AVP, AVP mRNA, AVP immunoreactive(ir) neurons in supraoptic nucleus(SON) and paraventricular nucleus(PVN) after cerebral ischemia and reperfusion were respectively determined by radioimmunoassay(RIA), immunocytochemistry(ⅡC), situ hybridization and computed image pattern analysis. Results. The contents of AVP in SON, PVN were increased, and the AVP ir positive neurons in SON and PVN were also significantly increased as compared with the controls after ischemia and reperfusion. And there were very light staining of AVP ir positive neurons in the other brain areas such as suprachiasmatic nucleus (SC) and periventricular hypothalamic nucleus (PE), but these have no significant changes as compared with the controls. During different periods of cerebral ischemia (30～120 min) and reperfusion (30 min), AVP mRNA expression in SON and PVN were more markedly increased than the controls. Conclusions. The transcription of AVP gene elevated, then promoting synthesis and release of AVP in SON, PVN. Under the specific condition of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion, the activity and contents of central AVP increased abnormally is one of the important factors which causes ischemia brain damage.

Protective Effect of Tetrandrine and Fructose-1,6-diphos phate on the Model of Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

The effect of tetrandrine (Tet) on the infarction area and volume of rat brain induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was investigated. The treatment with Tet 7.5, 12.0 or 15.0 mg·kg 1 , or with fructose 1,6 diphosphate (FDP) 200 and 350 mg·kg 1 ip immediately after MCAO, respectively, significantly reduced the infarction area and volume in a dose dependent manner. MK801 and FDP also displayed a protective effect on brain ischemia. A combination of Tet and FDP administered immediately after MCAO, produced a more potent protective effect than those treated with Tet or FDP alone. When Tet or FDP was administered 1 h and 2 h after MCAO, respectively, they could still significantly reduce the infarction area and volume of brain tissue. But, there was no significant protective effect when these two compounds were given 3 h after MCAO.

Buyang Huanwu decoction increases vascular endothelial growth factor expression and promotes angiogenesis in a rat model of local cerebral ischemia

Angiogenesis in the infarct periphery can improve blood flow. Vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） has been considered a potential therapeutic target for stroke. Buyang Huanwu decoction （BYHWD） is a classic traditional formula in traditional Chinese medicine and is used to treat stroke; in addition, the promotion effects on VEGF protein expression have been confirmed. However, little is known about how BYHWD regulates angiogenesis, or about the effects of BYHWD on VEGF mRNA expression. For this reason, the present study measured microvessel density in rats with cerebral ischemia using immunohistochemistry. In addition, VEGF expression was measured by re-verse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to determine the effects of BYHWD on angiogenesis and VEGF expression in rats with cerebral ischemia. Results demonstrated that microvessel density, as well as VEGF mRNA and protein expression, increased after 7 and 14 days of BYHWD treatment, which suggests that BYHWD promoted angiogenesis following cerebral ischemia and upregulated VEGF mRNA and protein expression in ischemic cerebral regions.

Nimodipine Modulates Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA Expression after Cerebral Ischemia

In order to explore whether the member of Bcl-2 gene family, for example, Bcl-2 and Bax, are induced after cerebral ischemia, and whether expression of genes can be modulated by calcium-antagonist, the rat cerebral ischemic models were made by occluding left middle cerebral artery. The expression of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA was measured by RT-PCR method. After middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), the expression of both Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA were induced. Level of Bcl-2 mRNA increased steadily and level of Bax mRNA increased gradually at first, reached a peak after 24 h, then decreased slowly. After administration of nimodipine, Bcl-2 mRNA was up-regulated in the hippocampus 6 and 24h after ischemia, while Bax mRNA was down-regulated 6 and 24 h after ischemia. Focal cerebral ischemia can induce proto-oncogenes to express, which was associated with apoptosis. Calcium-antagonist can up-regulate Bcl-2 mRNA and down-regulate Bax mRNA. The increased ratio of Bcl-2 and Bax mRNA may contribute to the anti-apoptic effect of nimodipine. The study indicates that pharmacological modulation of Bcl-2 family member expression could become a new strategy to manage neuronal damage.

PROLIFERATION AND MIGRATION OF EPENDYMAL CELLS IN THE BRAIN OF ADULT RATS AFTER PERMANENT FOCAL CEREBRAL ISCHEMIA

Objective Ependymal cells are thought to be the primary source of neural stem cells in the adult central nervous system. The purpose of this study is to examine spatial and temporal profiles of ependymal cell proliferation and migration after focal cerebral ischemia. Methods Eighty male Sprague Dawley rats underwent permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion after injection of 10 μL of 0.2% Dil into the lateral ventricle. Rats were sacrificed and brain sections were acquired for pathological evaluation and laser confocal imaging at day 1,3,7,11,14,21 and 28 after ischemia. Results The density of Dil-labeled cells in the ischemic ipsilateral subventricular zone was significantly higher than that in the control group and these labeled cells dispersed in the ischemic ipsilateral subventricular zone and/or were located in ependyma from day 1 to 11. In the ischemic ipsilateral cortex, some Dil-labeled cells occurred in peri-infarction and infarction of parietal region at day14 and peaked at day 21 when some Dil-labeled cell nodules were found in this region. During postischemic day 14-28, a significant decrease in labeled cell density in the ischemic ipsilateral subventricular zone was coincident with a significant increase in labeled cells density in the cortex (peri-infarction and infarction). Conclusion The results indicate that ependymal cells proliferate and migrate after focal cerebral ischemia in the adult rat brain.

Treatment with β-sitosterol ameliorates the effects of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing cholesterol overload, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis

β-Sitosterol is a type of phytosterol that occurs naturally in plants.Previous studies have shown that it has anti-oxidant,anti-hyperlipidemic,anti-inflammatory,immunomodulatory,and anti-tumor effects,but it is unknown whetherβ-sitosterol treatment reduces the effects of ischemic stroke.Here we found that,in a mouse model of ischemic stroke induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion,β-sitosterol reduced the volume of cerebral infarction and brain edema,reduced neuronal apoptosis in brain tissue,and alleviated neurological dysfunction;moreover,β-sitosterol increased the activity of oxygen-and glucose-deprived cerebral cortex neurons and reduced apoptosis.Further investigation showed that the neuroprotective effects ofβ-sitosterol may be related to inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by intracellular cholesterol accumulation after ischemic stroke.In addition,β-sitosterol showed high affinity for NPC1L1,a key transporter of cholesterol,and antagonized its activity.In conclusion,β-sitosterol may help treat ischemic stroke by inhibiting neuronal intracellular cholesterol overload/endoplasmic reticulum stress/apoptosis signaling pathways.

Cav3.2 channel regulates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury:a promising target for intervention

Calcium influx into neurons triggers neuronal death during cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Various calcium channels are involved in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Cav3.2 channel is a main subtype of T-type calcium channels.T-type calcium channel blockers,such as pimozide and mibefradil,have been shown to prevent cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced brain injury.However,the role of Cav3.2 channels in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury remains unclear.Here,in vitro and in vivo models of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury were established using middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice and high glucose hypoxia/reoxygenation exposure in primary hippocampal neurons.The results showed that Cav3.2 expression was significantly upregulated in injured hippocampal tissue and primary hippocampal neurons.We further established a Cav3.2 gene-knockout mouse model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Cav3.2 knockout markedly reduced infarct volume and brain water content,and alleviated neurological dysfunction after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Additionally,Cav3.2 knockout attenuated cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury-induced oxidative stress,inflammatory response,and neuronal apoptosis.In the hippocampus of Cav3.2-knockout mice,calcineurin overexpression offset the beneficial effect of Cav3.2 knockout after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.These findings suggest that the neuroprotective function of Cav3.2 knockout is mediated by calcineurin/nuclear factor of activated T cells 3 signaling.Findings from this study suggest that Cav3.2 could be a promising target for treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

A matrix metalloproteinase-responsive hydrogel system controls angiogenic peptide release for repair of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Vascular endothelial growth factor and its mimic peptide KLTWQELYQLKYKGI(QK)are widely used as the most potent angiogenic factors for the treatment of multiple ischemic diseases.However,conventional topical drug delivery often results in a burst release of the drug,leading to transient retention(inefficacy)and undesirable diffusion(toxicity)in vivo.Therefore,a drug delivery system that responds to changes in the microenvironment of tissue regeneration and controls vascular endothelial growth factor release is crucial to improve the treatment of ischemic stroke.Matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)is gradually upregulated after cerebral ischemia.Herein,vascular endothelial growth factor mimic peptide QK was self-assembled with MMP-2-cleaved peptide PLGLAG(TIMP)and customizable peptide amphiphilic(PA)molecules to construct nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK.PA-TIMP-QK was found to control the delivery of QK by MMP-2 upregulation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and had a similar biological activity with vascular endothelial growth factor in vitro.The results indicated that PA-TIMP-QK promoted neuronal survival,restored local blood circulation,reduced blood-brain barrier permeability,and restored motor function.These findings suggest that the self-assembling nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK may provide an intelligent drug delivery system that responds to the microenvironment and promotes regeneration and repair after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury:PERK as a potential target for intervention

Several studies have shown that activation of unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress plays a crucial role in severe cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Autophagy occurs within hours after cerebral ischemia,but the relationship between ER stress and autophagy remains unclear.In this study,we established experimental models using oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation in PC12 cells and primary neurons to simulate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.We found that prolongation of oxygen-glucose deprivation activated the ER stress pathway protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit alpha(e IF2α)-activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)-C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),increased neuronal apoptosis,and induced autophagy.Furthermore,inhibition of ER stress using inhibitors or by si RNA knockdown of the PERK gene significantly attenuated excessive autophagy and neuronal apoptosis,indicating an interaction between autophagy and ER stress and suggesting PERK as an essential target for regulating autophagy.Blocking autophagy with chloroquine exacerbated ER stress-induced apoptosis,indicating that normal levels of autophagy play a protective role in neuronal injury following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Findings from this study indicate that cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury can trigger neuronal ER stress and promote autophagy,and suggest that PERK is a possible target for inhibiting excessive autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AR113 alleviates microbiota dysbiosis of tongue coating and cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rat

Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.However,information on stroke-related tongue coating microbiome(TCM)is limited,and whether TCM modulation could benefit for stroke prevention and rehabilitation is unknown.Here,TCM from stroke patients(SP)was characterized using molecular techniques.The occurrence of stroke resulted in TCM dysbiosis with significantly reduced species richness and diversity.The abundance of Prevotella,Leptotrichia,Actinomyces,Alloprevotella,Haemophilus,and TM7_[G-1]were greatly reduced,but common infection Streptococcus and Pseudomonas were remarkably increased.Furthermore,an antioxidative probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum AR113 was used for TCM intervention in stroke rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R).AR113 partly restored I/R induced change of TCM and gut microbiota with significantly improved neurological deficit,relieved histopathologic change,increased activities of antioxidant enzymes,and decreased contents of oxidative stress biomarkers.Moreover,the gene expression of antioxidant-related proteins and apoptosis-related factors heme oxygenase-1(HO-1),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2(Nrf2),NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase-1(NQO-1),and Bcl-2 was significantly increased,but cytochrome C,cleaved caspase-3,and Bax were markedly decreased in the brain by AR113 treatment.The results suggested that AR113 could ameliorate cerebral I/R injury through antioxidation and anti-apoptosis pathways,and AR113 intervention of TCM may have the application potential for stroke prevention and control.

Investigation multi-target synergistic mechanism of Choerospondias axillaris in the treat of cerebral ischemia based on systems pharmacology and experimental verification

Background:Choerospondias axillaris(CA)is a traditional Mongolian medicine that has been proven to have a good therapeutic effect on cerebrovascular disease.Cerebral Ischemia(CI)is a severe and life-threatening cerebrovascular disease.However,the specific mechanism of action of CA in the treatment of CI is still unclear.Methods:In this study,the related targets and pathways of CA in the treatment of CI were first predicted by system pharmacology and then verified by relevant experiments.Results:The results showed that 12 active ingredients and 208 targets were selected.Further validation through protein-protein interaction(PPI)network analysis and active ingredients-target-pathway(A-T-P)network analysis has confirmed the pivotal roles of the main bioactive constituents,including quercetin,kaempferol,naringin,β-sitosterol,and gallic acid.These components exert their anti-ischemic effects by modulating key targets such as IL6,TNF,MAPK3,and CASP3,thereby regulating the PI3K-Akt,HIF-1,and MAPK signaling pathways,which are integral to processes like inflammation,apoptosis,and oxidative stress.More importantly,through experimental verification,this study confirmed our prediction that CAE significantly reduced neurological function scores,infarct volume,and the percentage of apoptosis neurons.Conclusion:This indicates that CA acts on CI through multi-target synergistic mechanism,and this study provides theoretical basis for the clinical application of CA.

Vav1 promotes inflammation and neuronal apoptosis in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by upregulating microglial and NLRP3 inflammasome activation

Microglia,which are the resident macrophages of the central nervous system,are an important part of the inflammatory response that occurs after cerebral ischemia.Vav guanine nucleotide exchange factor 1(Vav1) is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor that is related to microglial activation.However,how Vav1 participates in the inflammato ry response after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion inj ury remains unclea r.In this study,we subjected rats to occlusion and repe rfusion of the middle cerebral artery and subjected the BV-2 mic roglia cell line to oxygen-glucose deprivatio n/reoxygenation to mimic cerebral ischemia/repe rfusion in vivo and in vitro,respectively.We found that Vav1 levels were increased in the brain tissue of rats subjected to occlusion and reperfusion of the middle cerebral arte ry and in BV-2 cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation.Silencing Vav1 reduced the cerebral infarct volume and brain water content,inhibited neuronal loss and apoptosis in the ischemic penumbra,and im p roved neurological function in rats subjected to occlusion and repe rfusion of the middle cerebral artery.Further analysis showed that Vav1 was almost exclusively localized to microglia and that Vav1 downregulation inhibited microglial activation and the NOD-like receptor pyrin 3(NLRP3) inflammasome in the ischemic penumbra,as well as the expression of inflammato ry facto rs.In addition,Vov1 knoc kdown decreased the inflammatory response exhibited by BV-2 cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxyge nation.Taken together,these findings show that silencing Vav1 attenuates inflammation and neuronal apoptosis in rats subjected to cerebral ischemia/repe rfusion through inhibiting the activation of mic roglia and NLRP3 inflammasome.

Ischemic accumulation of succinate induces Cdc42 succinylation and inhibits neural stem cell proliferation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

Ischemic accumulation of succinate causes cerebral damage by excess production of reactive oxygen species. However, it is unknown whether ischemic accumulation of succinate affects neural stem cell proliferation. In this study, we established a rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. We found that succinate levels increased in serum and brain tissue(cortex and hippocampus) after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation stimulated primary neural stem cells to produce abundant succinate. Succinate can be converted into diethyl succinate in cells. Exogenous diethyl succinate inhibited the proliferation of mouse-derived C17.2 neural stem cells and increased the infarct volume in the rat model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Exogenous diethyl succinate also increased the succinylation of the Rho family GTPase Cdc42 but repressed Cdc42 GTPase activity in C17.2 cells. Increasing Cdc42 succinylation by knockdown of the desuccinylase Sirt5 also inhibited Cdc42 GTPase activity in C17.2 cells. Our findings suggest that ischemic accumulation of succinate decreases Cdc42 GTPase activity by induction of Cdc42 succinylation, which inhibits the proliferation of neural stem cells and aggravates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Selective ischemic-hemisphere targeting Ginkgolide B liposomes with improved solubility and therapeutic efficacy for cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury(CI/RI)remains the main cause of disability and death in stroke patients due to lack of effective therapeutic strategies.One of the main issues related to CI/RI treatment is the presence of the blood-brain barrier(BBB),which affects the intracerebral delivery of drugs.Ginkgolide B(GB),a major bioactive component in commercially available products of Ginkgo biloba,has been shown significance in CI/RI treatment by regulating inflammatory pathways,oxidative damage,and metabolic disturbance,and seems to be a candidate for stroke recovery.However,limited by its poor hydrophilicity and lipophilicity,the development of GB preparations with good solubility,stability,and the ability to cross the BBB remains a challenge.Herein,we propose a combinatorial strategy by conjugating GB with highly lipophilic docosahexaenoic acid(DHA)to obtain a covalent complex GB-DHA,which can not only enhance the pharmacological effect of GB,but can also be encapsulated in liposomes stably.The amount of finally constructed Lipo@GB-DHA targeting to ischemic hemisphere was validated 2.2 times that of free solution in middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO)rats.Compared to the marketed ginkgolide injection,Lipo@GB-DHA significantly reduced infarct volume with better neurobehavioral recovery in MCAO rats after being intravenously administered both at 2 h and 6 h post-reperfusion.Low levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS)and high neuron survival in vitro was maintained via Lipo@GB-DHA treatment,while microglia in the ischemic brain were polarized from the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype to the tissue-repairing M2 phenotype,which modulate neuroinflammatory and angiogenesis.In addition,Lipo@GB-DHA inhibited neuronal apoptosis via regulating the apoptotic pathway and maintained homeostasis by activating the autophagy pathway.Thus,transforming GB into a lipophilic complex and loading it into liposomes provides a promising nanomedicine strategy with excellent CI/RI therapeutic efficacy and industrialization prospects.

Whole-brain CT Perfusion at Admission and During Delayed Time-window Detects the Delayed Cerebral Ischemia in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Objective To evaluate the utility of computed tomography perfusion(CTP)both at admission and during delayed cerebral ischemia time-window(DCITW)in the detection of delayed cerebral ischemia(DCI)and the change in CTP parameters from admission to DCITW following aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.Methods Eighty patients underwent CTP at admission and during DCITW.The mean and extreme values of all CTP parameters at admission and during DCITW were compared between the DCI group and non-DCI group,and comparisons were also made between admission and DCITW within each group.The qualitative color-coded perfusion maps were recorded.Finally,the relationship between CTP parameters and DCI was assessed by receiver operating characteristic(ROC)analyses.Results With the exception of cerebral blood volume(P=0.295,admission;P=0.682,DCITW),there were significant differences in the mean quantitative CTP parameters between DCI and non-DCI patients both at admission and during DCITW.In the DCI group,the extreme parameters were significantly different between admission and DCITW.The DCI group also showed a deteriorative trend in the qualitative color-coded perfusion maps.For the detection of DCI,mean transit time to the center of the impulse response function(Tmax)at admission and mean time to start(TTS)during DCITW had the largest area under curve(AUC),0.698 and 0.789,respectively.Conclusion Whole-brain CTP can predict the occurrence of DCI at admission and diagnose DCI during DCITW.The extreme quantitative parameters and qualitative color-coded perfusion maps can better reflect the perfusion changes of patients with DCI from admission to DCITW.

Upregulation of CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 can inhibit ferroptosis,which has been associated with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion,in individuals with head and neck cancer.Therefore,CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 may be implicated in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.To validate this hypothesis in the present study,we established mouse models of occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and HT22 cell models of oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation to mimic cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in vivo and in vitro,respectively.We found remarkably decreased CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 expression in the mouse brain tissue and HT22 cells.When we used adeno-associated virus and plasmid to up-regulate CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 expression in the brain tissue and HT22 cell models separately,mouse neurological dysfunction was greatly improved;the cerebral infarct volume was reduced;the survival rate of HT22 cells was increased;HT22 cell injury was alleviated;the expression of ferroptosis-related glutathione peroxidase 4,cystine-glutamate antiporter,and glutathione was increased;the levels of malondialdehyde,iron ions,and the expression of transferrin receptor 1 were decreased;and the expression of nuclear-factor E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 was increased.Inhibition of CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 upregulation via the nuclear-factor E2-related factor 2 inhibitor ML385 in oxygen-glucose deprived and reoxygenated HT22 cells blocked the neuroprotective effects of CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 up-regulation and the activation of the nuclear-factor E2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 pathway.Our data indicate that the up-regulation of CDGSH iron sulfur domain 2 can attenuate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury,thus providing theoretical support from the perspectives of cytology and experimental zoology for the use of this protein as a therapeutic target in patients with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Activation of cerebral Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate(Rac) 1 promotes post-ischemic stroke functional recovery in aged mice

Brain functional impairment after stroke is common;however,the molecular mechanisms of post-stroke recovery remain unclear.It is well-recognized that age is the most important independent predictor of poor outcomes after stroke as older patients show poorer functional outcomes following stroke.Mounting evidence suggests that axonal regeneration and angiogenesis,the major forms of brain plasticity responsible for post-stroke recovery,diminished with advanced age.Previous studies suggest that Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate(Rac)1 enhances stroke recovery as activation of Rac1 improved behavior recovery in a young mice stroke model.Here,we investigated the role of Rac1 signaling in long-term functional recovery and brain plasticity in an aged(male,18 to 22 months old C57BL/6J)brain after ischemic stroke.We found that as mice aged,Rac1 expression declined in the brain.Delayed overexpression of Rac1,using lentivirus encoding Rac1 injected day 1 after ischemic stroke,promoted cognitive(assessed using novel object recognition test)and sensorimotor(assessed using adhesive removal tests)recovery on days 14–28.This was accompanied by the increase of neurite and proliferative endothelial cells in the periinfarct zone assessed by immunostaining.In a reverse approach,pharmacological inhibition of Rac1 by intraperitoneal injection of Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766 for 14 successive days after ischemic stroke worsened the outcome with the reduction of neurite and proliferative endothelial cells.Furthermore,Rac1 inhibition reduced the activation of p21-activated kinase 1,the protein level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor,and increased the protein level of glial fibrillary acidic protein in the ischemic brain on day 28 after stroke.Our work provided insight into the mechanisms behind the diminished plasticity after cerebral ischemia in aged brains and identified Rac1 as a potential therapeutic target for improving functional recovery in the older adults after stroke.

A molecular probe carrying anti-tropomyosin 4 for early diagnosis of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

In vivo imaging of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury remains an important challenge.We injected porous Ag/Au@SiO_(2) bimetallic hollow nanoshells carrying anti-tropomyosin 4 as a molecular probe into mice with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and observed microvascular changes in the brain using photoacoustic imaging with ultrasonography.At each measured time point,the total photoacoustic signal was significantly higher on the affected side than on the healthy side.Twelve hours after reperfusion,cerebral perfusion on the affected side increased,cerebrovascular injury worsened,and anti-tropomyosin 4 expression increased.Twenty-four hours after reperfusion and later,perfusion on the affected side declined slowly and stabilized after 1 week;brain injury was also alleviated.Histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations confirmed the brain injury tissue changes.The nanoshell molecular probe carrying anti-tropomyosin 4 has potential for use in early diagnosis of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and evaluating its progression.

Exercise preconditioning alleviates ischemia-induced memory deficits by increasing circulating adiponectin

Cerebral ischemia is a major health risk that requires preventive approaches in addition to drug therapy.Physical exercise enhances neurogenesis and synaptogenesis,and has been widely used for functional rehabilitation after stroke.In this study,we determined whether exercise training before disease onset can alleviate the severity of cerebral ischemia.We also examined the role of exercise-induced circulating factors in these effects.Adult mice were subjected to 14 days of treadmill exercise training before surgery for middle cerebral artery occlusion.We found that this exercise pre-conditioning strategy effectively attenuated brain infarct area,inhibited gliogenesis,protected synaptic proteins,and improved novel object and spatial memory function.Further analysis showed that circulating adiponectin plays a critical role in these preventive effects of exercise.Agonist activation of adiponectin receptors by Adipo Ron mimicked the effects of exercise,while inhibiting receptor activation abolished the exercise effects.In summary,our results suggest a crucial role of circulating adiponectin in the effects of exercise pre-conditioning in protecting against cerebral ischemia and supporting the health benefits of exercise.

SOX2/DRD2 signaling pathway facilitates astrocytic dedifferentiation in cerebral ischemic mice

Objective:To explore the effects of dopamine receptor D2(DRD2)on astrocytic dedifferentiation based on SOX2-regulated genes in neural stem cells(NSCs)and astrocytes.Methods:Immunofluorescence staining and SOX2-GFP mice were used to examine the lineage differentiation of SOX2-positive cells during the development of cerebral cortex.Primary NSCs/astrocytes culture,ChIP-seq and Western Blot were adopted to analyze and verify the expression of candidate genes.Pharmacological manipulation,neurosphere formation,photochemical ischemia,immunofluorescence staining and behavior tests were adopted to evaluate the effects of activating DRD2 signaling on astrocytic dedifferentiation.Results:Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated the NSC-astrocyte switch of SOX2-expression in the normal development of cerebral cortex.ChIP-seq revealed enrichment of DRD2 signaling by SOX2-bound enhancers in NSCs and SOX2-bound promoters in astrocytes.Western Blot and immunofluorescence staining verified the expression of DRD2 in NSCs and reactive astrocytes.Application of quinagolide hydrocholoride(QH),an agonist of DRD2,significantly promoted astrocytic dedifferentiation both in vitro and in vivo following ischemia.In addition,quinagolide hydrocholoride treatment improved locomotion recovery.Conclusion:Activating DRD2 signaling facilitates astrocytic dedifferentiation and may be used to treat ischemic stroke.