J Korean Soc Emerg Med.  2007 Apr;18(2):134-142.

Effects of alpha-Lipoic Acid on Apoptotic Cell Death in Rat Hippocampus Following Transient Forebrain Ischemia-reperfusion Injury

• Ahn HC
• Song JH
• Kim KS
• Yoo SJ

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate effect of alpha-lipoic acid on apoptotic cell death in rat hippocampal neuron following transient forebrain ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury.
METHODS
The four-vessel occlusion method was used to induce transient I/R injury in the forebrain of Sprague-Dawley rats. In the treatment group, alpha-Lipoic acid (LA) was administered subcutaneously at 50 mg/kg/day for 7 days before induction of I/R injury.
RESULTS
Pretreatment with LA significantly reduced the number of TUNEL-positive neurons in the pyramidal cells layer of the hipocampal CA1 region 5 days after the ischemia, suggesting a marked reduction of apoptotic cell death. Pretreatment with LA also resulted in marked suppression at the transcript level of mRNA for caspase-3 at 24 hours, and decreased concentration of the active form of caspase-3 protein in the hippocampus at 1, 3, and 5 days after I/R injury. Furthermore, as indicated by western blot analysis, the concentration of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) in the hippocampus was reduced at 1 and 3 days after a transient I/R injury by pretreatment with LA.
CONCLUSION
The results of this study suggest that LA has the potential to prevent neuronal cell death in the hippocampus by inhibiting intracellular signaling pathways responsible for apoptosis following transient I/R injury.

Keyword

Forebrain ischemia-reperfusion injury; Apoptosis; alpha-Lipoic acid; Hippocampus

MeSH Terms

Animals
Apoptosis
Apoptosis Inducing Factor
Blotting, Western
Caspase 3
Cell Death*
Hippocampus*
Ischemia
Neurons
Prosencephalon*
Pyramidal Cells
Rats*
Rats, Sprague-Dawley
Reperfusion Injury*
RNA, Messenger
Thioctic Acid*
Apoptosis Inducing Factor
Caspase 3
RNA, Messenger
Thioctic Acid