RESUMO
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) can cause severe mental retardation in children who are prenatally exposed to ethanol. The effects of prenatal and early postnatal ethanol exposure on adult hippocampal neurogenesis have been investigated; however, the effects of prenatal ethanol exposure on the subventricular zone (SVZ) have not. Gypenosides (GPs) have been reported to have neuroprotective effects in addition to other bioactivities. The effects of GPs on neural stem cells (NSCs) in the FASD model are unknown. Here, we test the effect of prenatal ethanol exposure on the neonatal SVZ, and the protection potential of GPs on NSCs in FASD rats. Our results show that prenatal ethanol exposure can suppress the cell proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells in the neonatal SVZ and that GPs (400 mg/kg/day) can significantly increase the cell proliferation and differentiation of neural stem cells inhibited by ethanol. Our data indicate that GPs have neuroprotective effects on the NSCs and can enhance the neurogenesis inhibited by ethanol within the SVZ of neonatal rats. These findings provide new evidence for a potential therapy involving GPs for the treatment of FASD.
Assuntos
Etanol/toxicidade , Ventrículos Laterais/patologia , Células-Tronco Neurais/patologia , Fármacos Neuroprotetores/farmacologia , Efeitos Tardios da Exposição Pré-Natal/patologia , Animais , Animais Recém-Nascidos , Contagem de Células , Diferenciação Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Proliferação de Células/efeitos dos fármacos , Forma Celular/efeitos dos fármacos , Citoproteção/efeitos dos fármacos , Proteínas do Domínio Duplacortina , Embrião de Mamíferos/efeitos dos fármacos , Embrião de Mamíferos/patologia , Etanol/sangue , Feminino , Proteína Glial Fibrilar Ácida/metabolismo , Gynostemma , Proteínas Associadas aos Microtúbulos/metabolismo , Nestina/metabolismo , Células-Tronco Neurais/efeitos dos fármacos , Células-Tronco Neurais/metabolismo , Neuropeptídeos/metabolismo , Extratos Vegetais/farmacologia , Gravidez , Ratos WistarRESUMO
Gypenosides (GPs) have been reported to have neuroprotective effects in addition to other bioactivities. The protective activity of GPs during stroke and their effects on neural stem cells (NSCs) in the ischemic brain have not been fully elucidated. Here, we test the effects of GPs during stroke and on the NSCs within the subventricular zone (SVZ) of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) rats. Our results show that pre-treatment with GPs can reduce infarct volume and improve motor function following MCAO. Pre-treatment with GPs significantly increased the number of BrdU-positive cells in the ipsilateral and contralateral SVZ of MCAO rats. The proliferating cells in both sides of the SVZ were glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)/nestin-positive type B cells and doublecortin (DCX)/nestin-positive type A cells. Our data indicate that GPs have neuroprotective effects during stroke which might be mediated through the enhancement of neurogenesis within the SVZ. These findings provide new evidence for a potential therapy involving GPs for the treatment of stroke.