Hypothermia protects somatostatinergic neurons in rat dentate hilus from zinc accumulation and cell death after cerebral ischemia

Zinc in the Brain: Friend or Foe?

Zinc is a trace metal ion in the central nervous system that plays important biological roles, such as in catalysis, structure, and regulation. It contributes to antioxidant function and the proper functioning of the immune system. In view of these characteristics of zinc, it plays an important role in neurophysiology, which leads to cell growth and cell proliferation. However, after brain disease, excessively released and accumulated zinc ions cause neurotoxic damage to postsynaptic neurons. On the other hand, zinc deficiency induces degeneration and cognitive decline disorders, such as increased neuronal death and decreased learning and memory. Given the importance of balance in this context, zinc is a biological component that plays an important physiological role in the central nervous system, but a pathophysiological role in major neurological disorders. In this review, we focus on the multiple roles of zinc in the brain.

Prophylactic Zinc and Therapeutic Selenium Administration Increases the Antioxidant Enzyme Activity in the Rat Temporoparietal Cortex and Improves Memory after a Transient Hypoxia-Ischemia

In the cerebral hypoxia-ischemia rat model, the prophylactic administration of zinc can cause either cytotoxicity or preconditioning effect, whereas the therapeutic administration of selenium decreases the ischemic damage. Herein, we aimed to explore whether supplementation of low doses of prophylactic zinc and therapeutic selenium could protect from a transient hypoxic-ischemic event. We administrated zinc (0.2 mg/kg of body weight; ip) daily for 14 days before a 10 min common carotid artery occlusion (CCAO). After CCAO, we administrated sodium selenite (6 μg/kg of body weight; ip) daily for 7 days. In the temporoparietal cerebral cortex, we determined nitrites by the Griess method and lipid peroxidation by the Gerard-Monnier assay. qPCR was used to measure mRNA of nitric oxide synthases, antioxidant enzymes, chemokines, and their receptors. We measured the enzymatic activity of SOD and GPx and protein levels of chemokines and their receptors by ELISA. We evaluated long-term memory using the Morris-Water maze test. Our results showed that prophylactic administration of zinc caused a preconditioning effect, decreasing nitrosative/oxidative stress and increasing GPx and SOD expression and activity, as well as eNOS expression. The therapeutic administration of selenium maintained this preconditioning effect up to the late phase of hypoxia-ischemia. Ccl2, Ccr2, Cxcl12, and Cxcr4 were upregulated, and long-term memory was improved. Pyknotic cells were decreased suggesting prevention of neuronal cell death. Our results show that the prophylactic zinc and therapeutic selenium administration induces effective neuroprotection in the early and late phases after CCAO.

Investigating the mechanisms underlying neuronal death in ischemia using in vitro oxygen-glucose deprivation: potential involvement of protein SUMOylation

It is well established that brain ischemia can cause neuronal death via different signaling cascades. The relative importance and interrelationships between these pathways, however, remain poorly understood. Here is presented an overview of studies using oxygen-glucose deprivation of organotypic hippocampal slice cultures to investigate the molecular mechanisms involved in ischemia. The culturing techniques, setup of the oxygen-glucose deprivation model, and analytical tools are reviewed. The authors focus on SUMOylation, a posttranslational protein modification that has recently been implicated in ischemia from whole animal studies as an example of how these powerful tools can be applied and could be of interest to investigate the molecular pathways underlying ischemic cell death.

The role of zinc in cerebral ischemia

Ischemic stroke is one of the most pervasive life-threatening neurological conditions for which there currently exists limited therapeutic intervention beyond prevention. As calcium-focused neuroprotective strategies have met with limited clinical success, it is imperative that alternative therapeutic targets be considered in the attempt to antagonize ischemic-mediated injury. As such, zinc, which is able to function both as a signaling mediator and neurotoxin, has been implicated in cerebral ischemia. While zinc was first purported to have a role in cerebral ischemia nearly twenty years ago, our understanding of how zinc mediates ischemic injury is still in its relative infancy. Within this review, we examine some of the studies by which zinc has exerted either neuroprotective or neurotoxic effects during global and focal cerebral ischemia.

The role of zinc in cerebral ischemia

Ischemic stroke is one of the most pervasive life-threatening neurological conditions for which there currently exists limited therapeutic intervention beyond prevention. As calcium-focused neuroprotective strategies have met with limited clinical success, it is imperative that alternative therapeutic targets be considered in the attempt to antagonize ischemic-mediated injury. As such, zinc, which is able to function both as a signaling mediator and neurotoxin, has been implicated in cerebral ischemia. While zinc was first purported to have a role in cerebral ischemia nearly twenty years ago, our understanding of how zinc mediates ischemic injury is still in its relative infancy. Within this review, we examine some of the studies by which zinc has exerted either neuroprotective or neurotoxic effects during global and focal cerebral ischemia.

Concentrations of extracellular free zinc (pZn)e in the central nervous system during simple anesthetization, ischemia and reperfusion

"Free Zn2+" (rapidly exchangeable Zn2+) is stored along with glutamate in the presynaptic terminals of specific specialized (gluzinergic) cerebrocortical neurons. This synaptically releasable Zn2+ has been recognized as a potent modulator of glutamatergic transmission and as a key toxin in excitotoxic neuronal injury. Surprisingly (despite abundant work on bound zinc), neither the baseline concentration of free Zn2+ in the brain nor the presumed co-release of free Zn2+ and glutamate has ever been directly observed in the intact brain in vivo. Here, we show for the first time in dialysates of rat and rabbit brain and human CSF samples from lumbar punctures that: (i) the resting or "tonic" level of free Zn2+ signal in the extracellular fluid of the rat, rabbit and human being is approximately 19 nM (95% range: 5-25 nM). This concentration is 15,000-fold lower than the "300 microM" concentration which is often used as the "physiological" concentration of free zinc for stimulating neural tissue. (ii) During ischemia and reperfusion in the rabbit, free zinc and glutamate are (as has often been presumed) released together into the extracellular fluid. (iii) Unexpectedly, Zn2+ is also released alone (without glutamate) at a variable concentration for several hours during the reperfusion aftermath following ischemia. The source(s) of this latter prolonged release of Zn2+ is/are presumed to be non-synaptic and is/are now under investigation. We conclude that both Zn2+ and glutamate signaling occur in excitotoxicity, perhaps by two (or more) different release mechanisms.

Neurotoxic zinc translocation into hippocampal neurons is inhibited by hypothermia and is aggravated by hyperthermia after traumatic brain injury in rats

Hypothermia reduces excitotoxic neuronal damage after seizures, cerebral ischemia and traumatic brain injury (TBI), while hyperthermia exacerbates damage from these insults. Presynaptic release of ionic zinc (Zn2+), translocation and accumulation of Zn2+ ions in postsynaptic neurons are important mechanisms of excitotoxic neuronal injury. We hypothesized that temperature-dependent modulation of excitotoxicity is mediated in part by temperature-dependent changes in the synaptic release and translocation of Zn2+. In the present studies, we used autometallographic (AMG) and fluorescent imaging of N-(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-para-toluenesulfonamide (TSQ) staining to quantify the influence of temperature on translocation of Zn2+ into hippocampal neurons in adult rats after weight drop-induced TBI. The central finding was that TBI-induced Zn2+ translocation is strongly influenced by brain temperature. Vesicular Zn2+ release was detected by AMG staining 1 h after TBI. At 30 degrees C, hippocampus showed almost no evidence of vesicular Zn2+ release from presynaptic terminals; at 36.5 degrees C, the hippocampus showed around 20% to 30% presynaptic vesicular Zn2+ release; and at 39 degrees C vesicular Zn2+ release was significantly greater (40% to 60%) than at 36.5 degrees C. At 6 h after TBI, intracellular Zn2+ accumulation was detected by the TSQ staining method, which showed that Zn2+ translocation also paralleled the vesicular Zn2+ release. Neuronal injury, assessed by counting eosinophilic neurons, also paralleled the translocation of Zn2+, being minimal at 30 degrees C and maximal at 39 degrees C. We conclude that pathological Zn2+ translocation in brain after TBI is temperature-dependent and that hypothermic neuronal protection might be mediated in part by reduced Zn2+ translocation.

Ischemic preconditioning decreases intracellular zinc accumulation induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation in gerbil hippocampal CA1 neurons

In normal gerbils, intracellular zinc ions ([Zn2+]i) and calcium ions ([Ca2+]i) accumulate in hippocampal CA1 neurons after global ischemia. We examined whether ischemic preconditioning modifies these changes in gerbil hippocampal slices. In normal slices, large increases in [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i were observed in the stratum radiatum of the CA1 area after oxygen-glucose deprivation. In preconditioned slices, there were significantly decreased peak levels of [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i in CA1. However, there were no differences in the peak levels of these ions in CA3 and dentate gyrus. These results suggest that modified [Zn2+]i and [Ca2+]i accumulation after an ischemic insult might be important for the mechanisms of ischemic tolerance induced by preconditioning.

Zinc translocation accelerates infarction after mild transient focal ischemia

Excess release of chelatable zinc (Zn(2+)) from central synaptic vesicles may contribute to the pathogenesis of selective neuronal cell death following transient forebrain ischemia, but a role in neurodegeneration after focal ischemia has not been defined. Adult male Long-Evans rats subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 30 min followed by reperfusion developed delayed cerebral infarction reaching completion 3 days after the insult. One day after the insult, many degenerating cerebral neurons exhibited increased intracellular Zn(2+), and some labeled with the antibody against activated caspase-3. I.c.v. administration of the Zn(2+) chelator, EDTA saturated with equimolar Ca(2+) (CaEDTA), 15 min prior to ischemia attenuated subsequent Zn(2+) translocation into cortical neurons, and reduced infarct volume measured 3 days after ischemia. Although the protective effect of CaEDTA at this endpoint was substantial (about 70% infarct reduction), it was lost when insult severity was increased (from 30 to 60 min MCAO), or when infarct volume was measured at a much later time point (14 days instead of 3 days after ischemia). These data suggest that toxic Zn(2+) translocation, from presynaptic terminals to post-synaptic cell bodies, may accelerate the development of cerebral infarction following mild transient focal ischemia.

Prolonged drug-induced hypothermia in experimental stroke

In experimental and human stroke, hypothermia is strongly related to a favorable outcome. Previous attempts to manipulate the core temperature in focal cerebral ischemia have been based on mechanical cooling. The purpose of the study is to establish a model for long-term drug-induced hypothermia in focal ischemia by pharmacological alteration of the central thermoregulatory set-point. We tested the hypothesis that the dopaminergic agonist Talipexole, which induces hypothermia, reduces infarct size. Body temperature was monitored by a radio-pill-implant. Rats had reversible occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCAO) for 30 minutes. Thirty minutes after reflow, the experimental group of rats (n = 10) received an intravenous bolus injection of Talipexole followed by a continuous infusion of Talipexole during the following 24 hours. The control group of rats (n = 10) received a similar treatment regimen with saline only. All rats were killed 7 days after MCAO. Infarct volume was quantified stereologically. The mean body temperature (35.6 + 1.0 degrees C) during 24 hours after bolus injection of Talipexole was significantly lower than in control rats (37.3 +/- 0.5 degrees C), P < .05. Infarct volumes were significantly lower in the Talipexole group (4.7 +/- 1.9 mm3) than in the control group (8.8 +/- 4.7 mm3), P < .04. In the Talipexole treated rats we also observed a significant hypokalemia (P = .001) and a significantly lower index of relative degree of movement (P < .02). Our study shows that the core body temperature was reduced by 1.7 degrees C for 24 hours after MCAO in rats treated with Talipexole. This treatment induced a significant reduction of infarct volume at 7 days after focal ischemia by 47%. We suggest that the reduction in infarct volume is related to drug-induced hypothermia. The hypokalemia in the hypothermic rats is possibly explained by the observed lower degree of movement.

Mild hypothermia reduces zinc translocation, neuronal cell death, and mortality after transient global ischemia in mice

The authors sought to determine whether Zn translocation associated with neuronal cell death occurs after transient global ischemia (TGI) in mice, as has been previously shown in rats, and to determine the effect of mild hypothermia on this reaction. To validate the TGI model, carbon-black injection and laser-Doppler flowmetry were compared in three strains of mice (C57BL/6, SV129, and HSP70 transgenic mice) to assess posterior communicating artery (PcomA) development and cortical perfusion. In C57BL/6 mice, optimal results were obtained when subjected to 20-minute TGI. Brain and rectal temperature measurements were compared to monitor hypothermia. Results of TGI were compared in normothermia (NT; 37 degrees C) and mild hypothermia groups (HT; 33 degrees C) by staining with Zn -specific fluorescent dye, -(6-methoxy-8-quinolyl)-para-toluenesulfonamide (TSQ) and hematoxylin-eosin 72 hours after reperfusion. The Zn translocation observed in hippocampus CA1, CA2, and Hilus 72 hours after 20 minutes of TGI was significantly reduced by mild hypothermia. The number of degenerating neurons in the HT group was significantly less than in the NT group. Mild hypothermia reduced mortality significantly (7.1% in HT, 42.9% in NT). Results suggest that mild hypothermia may reduce presynaptic Zn release in mice, which protects vulnerable hippocampal neurons from ischemic necrosis. Future studies may further elucidate mechanisms of Zn -induced ischemic injury.

Zinc inhibits p75NTR-mediated apoptosis in chick neural retina

It has previously been documented that Zn2+ inhibits TrkA-mediated effects of NGF. To evaluate the ability of Zn2+ to attenuate the biological activities of NGF mediated by p75NTR, we characterized the effects of this transition metal cation on both binding and the pro-apoptotic properties of the NGF-p75NTR interaction. Binding of NGF to p75NTR displayed higher affinity in embryonic chick retinal cells than in PC12 cells. NGF induced apoptosis in dissociated cultures of chick neural retina. The addition of 100 microM Zn2+ inhibited binding and chemical cross-linking of 125I-NGF to p75NTR, and also attenuated apoptosis mediated by this ligand-receptor interaction. These studies lead to the conclusion that Zn2+ antagonizes NGF/p75NTR-mediated signaling, suggesting that the effect of this transition metal cation can be either pro- or anti-apoptotic depending on the cellular context.

Localization of somatostatin receptors at the light and electron microscopial level by using antibodies raised against fusion proteins

Somatostatin mediates its multiple biological effects via specific plasma membrane receptors belonging to the family of G-protein coupled receptors with seven putative membrane-spanning domains. Five somatostatin receptor subtypes (sst1-sst5) have been cloned in human, mouse, and rat. We have raised specific antibodies against the five human somatostatin receptors by using the fusion protein technique. DNA sequences encoding C-terminal parts of the somatostatin receptors were inserted into a pGEX-2T plasmid vector. E. coli bacteria were transformed with the recombinant plasmid and fusion proteins were expressed and purified using the glutathione S-transferase Gene Fusion System. The fusion proteins were emulsified with Freund's complete adjuvant and polyclonal antibodies were raised in rabbits. The antisera were tested for specificity in Western blot analysis of membrane preparations from cell lines expressing the receptors and in membrane preparations of brain tissues. The receptors were visualized at the light microscopical level in paraformaldehyde fixed tissue sections by use of biotin labelled secondary antibodies as well as by amplification with biotinylated tyramide. The final step in the immunohistochemical visualization of the receptors was done by both peroxidase labelled streptavidin/biotin and different fluorophores. At the electron microscopical level, some of the receptors could be visualized in tissues fixed with a combination of paraformaldehyde and low concentrations of glutaraldehyde. In the hamster brain, sst2 receptors labelling was observed in both neuronal processes and perikarya. The staining was present in neo-, and allocortical areas of the forebrain, the hypothalamus, brain stem, and spinal cord. In the rat and human, sst1 receptor was shown to be an auto receptor on somatostatinergic neurons located in the hypothalamus. In the retina both sst1 and sst2 receptors were present. sst1 receptors were confined to amacrine cells, few ganglionic cells, and Müller cell-end feet. sst2 receptors were more widespread than the sst1 receptors. sst2-immunoreactivity was present in dopaminergic amacrine cells, the Müller cell-end feet, and in the inner segments of the cone photoreceptors. Thus, the availability of subtype specific antibodies against the five somatostatin receptors makes it possible to identify the receptors involved in the multiple somatostatinergic system in the body.

The changing landscape of ischaemic brain injury mechanisms

Thrombolysis has become established as an acute treatment for human stroke. But despite multiple clinical trials, neuroprotective strategies have yet to be proved effective in humans. Here we discuss intrinsic tissue mechanisms of ischaemic brain injury, and present a perspective that broadening of therapeutic targeting beyond excitotoxicity and neuronal calcium overload will be desirable for developing the most effective neuroprotective therapies.

Zinc and brain injury

Zinc is an essential catalytic or structural element of many proteins, and a signaling messenger that is released by neural activity at many central excitatory synapses. Growing evidence suggests that zinc may also be a key mediator and modulator of the neuronal death associated with transient global ischemia and sustained seizures, as well as perhaps other neurological disease states. Manipulations aimed at reducing extracellular zinc accumulation, or cellular vulnerability to toxic zinc exposure, may provide a novel therapeutic approach toward ameliorating pathological neuronal death in these settings.

Effects of the AMPA-receptor antagonist, NBQX, on neuron loss in dentate hilus of the hippocampal formation after 8, 10, or 12 min of cerebral ischemia in the rat

The alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole (AMPA) receptor antagonist, 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(F)quinoxaline (NBQX), offers protection to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells after short episodes of transient cerebral ischemia. Besides CA1 pyramidal cells, neurons containing somatostatin (SS) and located in the dentate hilus of the hippocampal formation are lost after cerebral ischemia. We studied the protective effects of NBQX on SS neurons in the hilus and on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells following 8, 10, or 12 min of four-vessel occlusion ischemia during systemic hypotension. NBQX was administered 3 x 30 mg/kg at 0, 10, and 25 after induction of ischemia or sham, and all rats survived for 7 days. NBQX given to control rats without ischemia had no influence on number or morphology of hilar SS neurons and CA1 pyramidal cells. After 8 min of ischemia, NBQX prevented loss of hilar SS neurons. After 10 and 12 min of ischemia, NBQX had no significant effects on loss of SS neurons in the dentate hilus. However, in all ischemic groups, NBQX significantly reduced loss of CA1 pyramidal cells as compared to control rats. This neuroprotective effect decreased gradually and significantly as the time of ischemia increased. Our results support the observation that SS neurons in hilus are among the most ischemia-vulnerable neurons in the brain. We found that administration of NBQX in generally accepted dosages can protect the rapidly dying SS neurons in hilus from only brief episodes of ischemia.