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ABSTRACT: Thioredoxin (TRX) is induced by a variety of oxidative stimuli and shows cytoprotective roles against oxidative stress. To clarify the possibility of clinical application, we examined the effects of intravenously administered TRX in a model of transient focal cerebral ischemia in this study. Mature male C57BL/6j mice received either continuous intravenous infusion of recombinant human TRX (rhTRX) over a range of 1-10 mg/kg, bovine serum albumin, or vehicle alone for 2 h after 90-min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Twenty-four hours after the transient MCAO, the animals were evaluated neurologically and the infarct volumes were assessed. Infarct volume, neurological deficit, and protein carbonyl contents, a marker of protein oxidation, in the brain were significantly ameliorated in rhTRX-treated mice at the dose of 3 and 10 mg/kg versus these parameters in control animals. Moreover, activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, whose pathway is involved in ischemic neuronal death, was suppressed in the rhTRX-treated mice. Further, rhTRX was detected in the ischemic hemisphere by western blot analysis, suggesting that rhTRX was able to permeate the blood-brain barrier in the ischemic hemisphere. These data indicate that exogenous TRX exerts distinct cytoprotective effects on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice by means of its redox-regulating activity.
Antioxidants and Redox Signaling 03/2004; 6(1):81-7. · 8.46 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Ischemic tolerance is a phenomenon in which brief episodes of ischemia protect against the lethal effects of subsequent periods of prolonged ischemia. The authors investigated the activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38) in the gerbil hippocampus by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to clarify the role of p38 kinase in ischemic tolerance. After the 2-minute global ischemia, immunoreactivity indicating active p38 was enhanced at 6 hours of reperfusion and continuously demonstrated 72 hours after ischemia in CA1 and CA3 neurons. Pretreatment with SB203580, an inhibitor of active p38 (0-30 micromol/l), 30 minutes before the 2-minute ischemia reduced the ischemic tolerance effect in a dose-dependent manner. Immunoblot analysis indicated that alteration of the phosphorylation pattern of p38 kinase in the hippocampus after subsequent lethal ischemia was induced by the preconditioning. These findings suggest that lasting activation of p38 may contribute to ischemic tolerance in CA1 neurons of the hippocampus and that components of the p38 cascade can be target molecules to modify neuronal survival after ischemia.
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism 10/2003; 23(9):1052-9. · 5.01 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Thioredoxin (TRX) is a small, multifunctional protein with a redox-active site and multiple biological functions that include reducing activity for reactive oxygen intermediates. We assayed TRX by immunohistochemical methods in the rat brain after intraperitoneal injection of 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP), an irreversible inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase. Systemic administration of 3-NP produced lateral striatal, hippocampal CA1 and CA3 lesions in the present study. The immunoreactivity for TRX was enhanced in hippocampal CA3, dentate gyrus and lateral striatum, but not detected in hippocampal CA1 subfield after 3-NP intoxication. The data suggest that TRX may play an important role in the pathogenesis of 3-NP neurotoxicity.
Neuroscience Letters 12/1999; · 2.11 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We assayed redox regulatory protein, thioredoxin (TRX) and TRX mRNA in the rat brain after transient and permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. The immunoreactivity for TRX and TRX mRNA disappeared after MCA occlusion in the ischemic core regions. On the other hand, in the perifocal ischemic regions, TRX immunoreactivity and TRX mRNA was enhanced. In addition, in transient MCA occlusion, TRX induction was stronger in the hippocampus and more widespread in the contralateral cortex than in permanent occlusion. Moreover, the induced TRX was translocated into the cellular nucleus after ischemia and ischemia-reperfusion. These results suggest that TRX induction was accompanied with ROI overproduction and may play an important role not only in scavenging ROI but also in signal transduction during ischemia.
Neuroscience Letters 08/1998; · 2.11 Impact Factor