Sylvia F. Chen

Human copper-zinc superoxide dismutase transgenic mice are highly resistant to reperfusion injury after focal cerebral ischemia.

Background and Purpose We have demonstrated in a previous study that superoxide radicals play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction, using a transgenic mouse model of distal middle cerebral artery occlusion, permanent ipsilateral cerebral carotid artery occlusion, and 1-hour contralateral cerebral carotid artery occlusion that produced infarction only in the cortex. However, the role of superoxide radicals in reperfusion injury in transgenic mice overexpressing superoxide dismutase (SOD) is unknown. Using a mouse model of intraluminal blockade of middle cerebral artery that produced both cortical and striatal infarction, we now further examined the role of superoxide radicals in ischemic cerebral infarction after reperfusion in transgenic mice overexpressing human CuZn-SOD activity. Methods Transgenic mice of strain Tg HS/SF-218, carrying human SOD-1 genes, and nontransgenic littermates were anesthetized with chloral hydrate (350 mg/kg IP) and xylazine (4 mg/kg IP). Physiological parameters were maintained at a normal range using a 30% O2/70% N2O gas mixture inserted via an inhalation mask. Body temperature was maintained at 37±0.5°C by using a heating pad throughout the studies. The middle cerebral artery occlusion was achieved with a 5-0 rounded nylon suture placed within the internal cerebral artery for 3 hours followed by the removal of the suture to allow reperfusion for another 3 hours. Cerebral infarct size in brain slices and infarct volume, neurological deficit, cortical blood flow, and glutathione levels were measured in both transgenic and nontransgenic mice. Results Compared with the nontransgenic mice, the infarcted areas were significantly decreased in coronal slices from transgenic mice. The infarct volume (in cubic millimeters) was reduced by 26% in transgenic mice after ischemia and reperfusion. This decrease in the infarct volume in transgenic mice closely paralleled the reduced neurological deficits. Introduction of the suture to block blood supply to the middle cerebral artery territory produced a rapid decrease in the relative surface blood flow in the ipsilateral core and the peri-ischemic (penumbra) areas. There were no significant differences in the local cerebral blood flow in the ischemic core or the penumbra areas between the transgenic and nontransgenic groups. However, the level of reduced glutathione in the penumbra area was significantly higher in transgenic mice than in nontransgenic mice, whereas there was no difference in the reduced glutathione levels in the ischemic core between these two groups. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that superoxide radicals play a major role in the pathogenesis of cerebral infarction in reperfusion injury after a focal stroke. The reduction in infarct volume and neurological deficits is not dependent on the changes in cerebral blood flow but rather correlate with reduced oxidative stress in the ischemic brain tissue, which was indicated by the relatively high levels of endogenous reduced glutathione in transgenic mice.

Specific caspase interactions and amplification are involved in selective neuronal vulnerability in Huntington's disease

AbstractHuntingtons disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant progressive neurodegenerative disorder resulting in selective neuronal loss and dysfunction in the striatum and cortex. The molecular pathways leading to the selectivity of neuronal cell death in HD are poorly understood. Proteolytic processing of full-length mutant huntingtin (Htt) and subsequent events may play an important role in the selective neuronal cell death found in this disease. Despite the identification of Htt as a substrate for caspases, it is not known which caspase(s) cleaves Htt in vivo or whether regional expression of caspases contribute to selective neuronal cells loss. Here, we evaluate whether specific caspases are involved in cell death induced by mutant Htt and if this correlates with our recent finding that Htt is cleaved in vivo at the caspase consensus site 552. We find that caspase-2 cleaves Htt selectively at amino acid 552. Further, Htt recruits caspase-2 into an apoptosome-like complex. Binding of caspase-2 to Htt is polyglutamine repeat-length dependent, and therefore may serve as a critical initiation step in HD cell death. This hypothesis is supported by the requirement of caspase-2 for the death of mouse primary striatal cells derived from HD transgenic mice expressing full-length Htt (YAC72). Expression of catalytically inactive (dominant-negative) forms of caspase-2, caspase-7, and to some extent caspase-6, reduced the cell death of YAC72 primary striatal cells, while the catalytically inactive forms of caspase-3, -8, and -9 did not. Histological analysis of post-mortem human brain tissue and YAC72 mice revealed activation of caspases and enhanced caspase-2 immunoreactivity in medium spiny neurons of the striatum and the cortical projection neurons when compared to controls. Further, upregulation of caspase-2 correlates directly with decreased levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the cortex and striatum of 3-month YAC72 transgenic mice and therefore suggests that these changes are early events in HD pathogenesis. These data support the involvement of caspase-2 in the selective neuronal cell death associated with HD in the striatum and cortex.

Neuroglobin-overexpressing transgenic mice are resistant to cerebral and myocardial ischemia.

Neuroglobin (Ngb), a protein related to myoglobin and hemoglobin but expressed predominantly in the brain, is induced by neuronal hypoxia and cerebral ischemia and protects against hypoxic or ischemic neuronal injury. We engineered transgenic mice that overexpress murine Ngb under the control of a chicken β-actin promoter, resulting in enhanced Ngb expression in multiple cell types and multiple tissues, including brain and heart. In Ngb-overexpressing transgenic mice compared with wild-type littermates, the volume of cerebral infarcts after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was reduced by ≈30%, and the volume of myocardial infarcts produced by occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery was reduced by ≈25%. Ngb overexpression was associated with enhanced expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in vascular endothelial cells. These findings extend prior evidence for cytoprotection by Ngb and suggest both direct (parenchymatous) and indirect (vasomotor) protective mechanisms.

Mitochondrial-Dependent Ca2+ Handling in Huntington's Disease Striatal Cells: Effect of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors

Evidence suggests that neuronal dysfunction in Huntingtons disease (HD) striatum involves deficits in mitochondrial function and in Ca2+ handling. However, the relationship between mitochondria and Ca2+ handling has been incompletely studied in intact HD striatal cells. Treatment with histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors reduces cell death in HD models, but the effects of this promising therapy on cellular function are mostly unknown. Here, we use real-time functional imaging of intracellular Ca2+ and mitochondrial membrane potential to explore the role of in situ HD mitochondria in Ca2+ handling. Immortalized striatal (STHdh) cells and striatal neurons from transgenic mice, expressing full-length mutant huntingtin (Htt), were used to model HD. We show that (1) active glycolysis in STHdh cells occludes the mitochondrial role in Ca2+ handling as well as the effects of mitochondrial inhibitors, (2) STHdh cells and striatal neurons in the absence of glycolysis are critically dependent on oxidative phosphorylation for energy-dependent Ca2+ handling, (3) expression of full-length mutant Htt is associated with deficits in mitochondrial-dependent Ca2+ handling that can be ameliorated by treatment with HDAC inhibitors (treatment with trichostatin A or sodium butyrate decreases the proportion of STHdh cells losing Ca2+ homeostasis after Ca2+-ionophore challenging, and accelerates the restoration of intracellular Ca2+ in striatal neurons challenged with NMDA), and (4) neurons with different response patterns to NMDA receptor activation exhibit different average somatic areas and are differentially affected by treatment with HDAC inhibitors, suggesting subpopulation or functional state specificity. These findings indicate that neuroprotection induced by HDAC inhibitors involves more efficient Ca2+ handling, thus improving the neuronal ability to cope with excitotoxic stimuli.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in Huntington's disease : the bioenergetics of isolated and in situ mitochondria from transgenic mice

Mitochondrial dysfunction is believed to participate in Huntington’s disease (HD) pathogenesis. Here we compare the bioenergetic behavior of forebrain mitochondria isolated from different transgenic HD mice (R6/2, YAC128 and Hdh150 knock‐in) and wild‐type littermates with the first determination of in situ respiratory parameters in intact HD striatal neurons. We assess the Ca2+‐loading capacity of isolated mitochondria by steady Ca2+‐infusion. Mitochondria from R6/2 mice (12–13 weeks) and 12 months YAC128, but not homozygous or heterozygous Hdh150 knock‐in mice (15–17 weeks), exhibit increased Ca2+‐loading capacity when compared with respective wild‐type littermates. In situ mitochondria in intact striatal neurons show high respiratory control. Moreover, moderate expression of full‐length mutant huntingtin (in Hdh150 knock‐in heterozygotes) does not significantly impair mitochondrial respiration in unstimulated neurons. However, when challenged with energy‐demanding stimuli (NMDA‐receptor activation in pyruvate‐based media to accentuate the mitochondria role in Ca2+‐handling), Hdh150 neurons are more vulnerable to Ca2+‐deregulation than neurons from their wild‐type littermates. These results stress the importance of assessing HD mitochondrial function in the cellular context.

Excitotoxicity is Required for Induction of Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis in Mouse Striatum by the Mitochondrial Toxin, 3-Nitropropionic Acid

Excitotoxicity is implicated in the pathogenesis of several neurologic diseases, such as chronic neurodegenerative diseases and stroke. Recently, it was reported that excitotoxicity has a relationship to apoptotic neuronal death, and that the mitochondrial toxin, 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), could induce apoptosis in the striatum. Although striatal lesions produced by 3-NP could develop through an excitotoxic mechanism, the exact relationship between apoptosis induction and excitotoxicity after 3-NP treatment is still not clear. The authors investigated the role of excitotoxicity and oxidative stress on apoptosis induction within the striatum after intraperitoneal injection of 3-NP. The authors demonstrated that removal of the corticostriatal glutamate pathway reduced superoxide production and apoptosis induction in the denervated striatum of decorticated mice after 3-NP treatment. Also, the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK-801, prevented apoptosis in the striatum after 3-NP treatment for 5 days, whereas the non-NMDA receptor antagonist, 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulphamoyl-benzo(F)quinoxaline, was ineffective. The authors also evaluated the initial type of neuronal death by 3-NP treatment for different durations from 1 to 5 days. In early striatal damage, apoptotic neuronal death initially occurred after 3-NP treatment. Our data show that excitotoxicity related to oxidative stress initially induces apoptotic neuronal death in mouse striatum after treatment with 3-NP.

Mild intraischemic hypothermia suppresses consumption of endogenous antioxidants after temporary focal ischemia in rats

Oxidative damage by free radicals has been proposed as a mechanism of cerebral injury due to ischemia and reperfusion. Hypothermia protects against ischemic necrosis; however, its effect on oxidative stress has not been investigated. In this study, the effects of hypothermia on oxidative stress were studied by determining consumption of endogenous antioxidants after temporary focal ischemia in rats. Thirty-two Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with 1.5% isoflurane underwent 3 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion under hypothermic (33 degrees C) or normothermic (37 degrees C) conditions followed by 3 h of normothermic reperfusion. In the first study (n = 8 per group), intraischemic hypothermia suppressed the reduction of tissue concentrations of endogenous antioxidants, ascorbate (P < or = 0.05), and glutathione (P < or = 0.05) in ischemic cortex but not in caudoputamen. In a parallel study (n = 8 per group), hypothermia reduced tissue damage in ischemic frontoparietal cortex (P < or = 0.05), but not in caudoputamen. Laser-Doppler estimates of cortical blood flow showed that intraischemic hypothermia significantly attenuated early postischemic hyperperfusion (P < or = 0.01) and delayed postischemic hypoperfusion (P < or = 0.01). These results demonstrate that intraischemic mild hypothermia reduces oxidative stress and cell injury after prolonged focal ischemia followed by reperfusion. The reduction of oxidative stress by hypothermia may be related indirectly to attenuation of postischemic blood flow changes.

Induction of Intracellular Superoxide Radical Formation by Arachidonic Acid and by Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Primary Astrocytic Cultures

Abstract: The effects of arachidonic acid and other polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on both oxidative and metabolic perturbation were studied in primary cultures of rat cerebral cortical astrocytes. In the presence of 0.1 mM arachidonic acid, the rate of the reduction of nitroblue tetrazoiium (NBT) to nitroblue formazan (NBF) was stimulated from 0.65 ± 0.10 to 1.43 ± 0.15 and from 0.092 ± 0.006 to 0.162 ± 0.009 nmol/min/mg protein in intact and broken cell preparations, respectively. The rate of superoxide radical formation, as measured by the superoxide dismutase (SOD)‐inhibitable NBT reduction was 0.042 nmol/mg protein in broken cells and was negligible in intact cells. The latter is due to the impermeability of SOD into the intact cell preparation. NBF formation in intact astrocytes stimulated by arachidonic acid was both time‐ and dosedependent. Other PUFAs, including linoleic acid, linolenic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid, were also effective in stimulating NBF formation in astrocytes, whereas saturated palmitic acid and monounsaturated oleic acid were ineffective. Similar effects of these PUFAs were observed in ma‐londialdehyde formation in cells and lactic acid accumulation in incubation medium. These data indicate that both membrane integrity and cellular metabolism were perturbed by arachidonic acid and by other PUFAs. The sites of superoxide radical formation appeared to be intracellular and may be associated with membrane phospholipid domains, because liposome‐entrapped SOD, which was taken up by intact astrocytes, reduced the level of superoxide radicals and lactic acid content, whereas free SOD was not effective.

Caspase cleavage of members of the amyloid precursor family of proteins

The synapse loss and neuronal cell death characteristic of Alzheimers disease (AD) are believed to result in large part from the neurotoxic effects of β‐amyloid peptide (Aβ), a 40–42 amino acid peptide(s) derived proteolytically from β‐amyloid precursor protein (APP). However, APP is also cleaved intracellularly to generate a second cytotoxic peptide, C31, and this cleavage event occurs in vivo as well as in vitro and preferentially in the brains of AD patients ( Lu et al. 2000 ). Here we show that APPC31 is toxic to neurons in primary culture, and that like APP, the APP family members APLP1 and possibly APLP2 are cleaved by caspases at their C‐termini. The carboxy‐terminal peptide derived from caspase cleavage of APLP1 shows a degree of neurotoxicity comparable to APPC31. Our results suggest that even though APLP1 and APLP2 cannot generate Aβ, they may potentially contribute to the pathology of AD by generating peptide fragments whose toxicity is comparable to that of APPC31.

Cellular and molecular effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids in brain ischemia and injury

Publisher Summary This chapter explains that free polyenoic fatty acids (PUFAs), especially arachidonic acid and docosahexaenoic acid are rapidly released following ischemia, electroconvulsive seizures, and various pathological insults. Free PUFAs and arachidonic acid in particular, have both physiological and pathological effects on cellular systems. It has been described that free arachidonic acid readily intercalates into the membrane and produces significant changes in the packing of the lipid molecules. PUFA-induced membrane fluidity has been associated with the stimulation of chloride transport in corneal epithelium; it enhanced activities of both membrane-associated adenylate cyclase, and guanylate cyclase. The molecular mechanisms of PUFA-induced cellular edema are studied further in the in vitro cortical slices system. The studies have suggested that PUFAs, especially arachidonic acid, play a key role in membrane damage and the development of edema following ischemia and injury.