Antagonists of group I metabotropic glutamate receptors do not inhibit induction of ischemic tolerance in gerbil hippocampus

Hyperbaric oxygen and hyperbaric air preconditioning induces ischemic tolerance to transient forebrain ischemia in the gerbil

Ischemic preconditioning with sublethal stress triggers defensive mechanisms against ischemic brain damage; however, such manipulations are potentially dangerous and, therefore, safe stimuli have been sought. Hyperoxia preconditioning by administration of hyperbaric (HBO) or normobaric oxygen (NBO) may have neuroprotective potential. The aim of this study was to determine whether preconditioning with HBO and air (HBA) applied at 2.5 absolute pressure (ATA) or NBO preconditioning induces ischemic tolerance in the brain of gerbils subjected to 3min transient cerebral ischemia. Neuronal cell survival, changes in brain temperature, the generation of factors involved in neurodegeneration and basic behavior in nest building were all tested. Hyperoxic preconditioning prevented ischemia-induced neuronal cell loss, reduced the number of TUNEL positive cells in the CA1 region of the hippocampus and improved the nest building process compared to untreated ischemic animals. Preconditioning also suppressed the production of reactive oxygen species and increased Bax expression normally observed after an ischemic episode. Only HBO preconditioning inhibited ischemia-evoked increases in brain temperature. Our results show that hyperoxic preconditioning results in induction of ischemic tolerance and prevents ischemia-induced neuronal damage in the gerbil brain. Pressurized air preconditioning was as effective as HBO or NBO preconditioning in providing neuroprotection. The observed neuroprotection probably results from mild oxidative stress evoked by increased brain tissue oxidation and activation of antioxidant and antiapoptotic defenses.

Hyperbaric oxygen and hyperbaric air treatment result in comparable neuronal death reduction and improved behavioral outcome after transient forebrain ischemia in the gerbil

Anoxic brain injury resulting from cardiac arrest is responsible for approximately two-thirds of deaths. Recent evidence suggests that increased oxygen delivered to the brain after cardiac arrest may be an important factor in preventing neuronal damage, resulting in an interest in hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) therapy. Interestingly, increased oxygen supply may be also reached by application of normobaric oxygen (NBO) or hyperbaric air (HBA). However, previous research also showed that the beneficial effect of hyperbaric treatment may not directly result from increased oxygen supply, leading to the conclusion that the mechanism of hyperbaric prevention of brain damage is not well understood. The aim of our study was to compare the effects of HBO, HBA and NBO treatment on gerbil brain condition after transient forebrain ischemia, serving as a model of cardiac arrest. Thereby, we investigated the effects of repetitive HBO, HBA and NBO treatment on hippocampal CA1 neuronal survival, brain temperature and gerbils behavior (the nest building), depending on the time of initiation of the therapy (1, 3 and 6 h after ischemia). HBO and HBA applied 1, 3 and 6 h after ischemia significantly increased neuronal survival and behavioral performance and abolished the ischemia-evoked brain temperature increase. NBO treatment was most effective when applied 1 h after ischemia; later application had a weak or no protective effect. The results show that HBO and HBA applied between 1 and 6 h after ischemia prevent ischemia-evoked neuronal damage, which may be due to the inhibition of brain temperature increase, as a result of the applied rise in ambient pressure, and just not due to the oxygen per se. This perspective is supported by the finding that NBO treatment was less effective than HBO or HBA therapy. The results presented in this paper may pave the way for future experimental studies dealing with pressure and temperature regulation.

Neuronal plasticity after ischemic preconditioning and TIA-like preconditioning ischemic periods

Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) have recently become the center of attention since they are thought to share some characteristics with experimental ischemic preconditioning (IPC). This phenomenon describes the situation that a brief, per se harmless, cerebral ischemic period renders the brain resistant to a subsequent severe and normally damaging ischemia. Preconditioning (PC) is not restricted to the brain but also occurs in other organs. Furthermore, apart from a short ischemia, the PC event may comprise nearly any noxious stimulus which, however, must not exceed the threshold to tissue damage. In the last two decades, our knowledge concerning the underlying molecular basis of PC has substantially grown and there is hope to potentially imitate the induction of an endogenous neuroprotective state in patients with a high risk of cerebral ischemia. While, at present, there is virtually no neuropathological data on changes after TIAs or TIA-like PC ischemic periods in human brains, the following review will briefly summarize the current knowledge of plastic neuronal changes after PC in animal models, still awaiting their detection in the human brain.

Changes in the NPY immunoreactivity in gerbil hippocampus after hypoxic and ischemic preconditioning

Preconditioning with sublethal ischemia or hypoxia may reduce the high susceptibility of CA1 pyramidal neurons to ischemic injury. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that enhanced level of neuropeptide Y (NPY) might play a role in the mechanisms responsible for this induced tolerance. Changes in NPY immunoreactivity in the hippocampal formation of preconditioned Mongolian gerbils were compared with the level of tolerance to test ischemia. Tolerance was induced by preconditioning with 2-min of ischemia or with three trials of mild hypobaric hypoxia (360 Torr, 2 h), separated by 24 h, that were completed 48 h before the 3-min test ischemia. The number of NPY-positive neurons in the gerbil hippocampal formation was assessed 2, 4 and 7 days after preconditioning. Survival of the CA1 pyramidal neurons was examined 14 days after the insult. Our experiments demonstrated that ischemic and hypoxic preconditioning produced equal attenuation of the damage evoked by 3-min ischemia, although the pattern of NPY immunoreactivity in the hippocampus differed. Preconditioning ischemia resulted in a 20% rise in the number of NPY-positive neurons 2 days later that disappeared 4 days after the ischemic episode, while mild hypobaric hypoxia induced a twofold increase in the number of NPY-positive neurons that lasted for at least 7 days. Although induced tolerance to ischemia 2 days after ischemic or hypoxic preconditioning was accompanied by increased immunoreactivity of NPY, there was no correlation between its intensity and the level of neuroprotection.

Neuroprotective potential of group I metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonists in two ischemic models

The neuroprotective potential of mGluR1 and mGluR5 antagonists (group I), EMQMCM and MTEP, respectively was studied using the 3 min forebrain ischemia model in Mongolian gerbils and the hypoxia-ischemia model in 7-day-old rats. Hypoxia-ischemia was induced by unilateral carotid occlusion followed by 75 min exposure to hypoxia (7.3% O(2) in N(2)), forebrain ischemia in gerbils was evoked by bilateral common carotid artery occlusion. The postischemic rectal body temperature in rat pups or brain temperature of gerbils was measured. The drugs were administered i.p. three times every 2 h after the insult, each time in equal doses of 1.25, 2.5 or 5.0 mg/kg. After 2 weeks brain damage was evaluated as weight decrease of the ipsilateral hemisphere in the rat pups or damage to CA1 pyramids in the gerbil hippocampus. The results demonstrated a dose dependent neuroprotection in both ischemic models by EMQMCM, while MTEP was neuroprotective only in the gerbil model of forebrain ischemia. EMQMCM reduced postischemic hyperthermia in gerbils. Thus, the antagonists of mGluR1 and mGluR5 show differential neuroprotective ability in two models of brain ischemia. Postischemic hypothermia may be partially involved in the mechanism of neuroprotection following EMQMCM in gerbils.