Astrocytic responses to DNA delivery using nucleofection.

Nucleofection is a powerful non-viral transfection technique that can deliver plasmid DNA with high efficiency to cells that are traditionally difficult to transfect. In this study, we demonstrate that nucleofection of astrocytes grown in primary cell culture resulted in 76 ± 9% transfected cells and low cytotoxicity. However, the nucleofected astrocytes showed a reduced re-attachment to the growth media when replated and subsequent impairment of proliferation. This led to substantially decreased cell densities during the initial 72 h following transfection. Furthermore, these cells were less efficient at producing wound closure in a scratch model of injury. Nucleofection also resulted in the generation of a small proportion of polynucleated cells. The findings demonstrate that nucleofection provides a valuable technique for delivering DNA to astrocytes in culture. However, considerable care is needed in designing and interpreting such studies because of long-lasting changes induced in key properties of these cells by the nucleofection process.

Increased substance P immunoreactivity and edema formation following reversible ischemic stroke.

Previous results from our laboratory have shown that neurogenic inflammation is associated with edema formation after traumatic brain injury (TBI). This neurogenic inflammation was characterized by increased substance P (SP) immunoreactivity and could be attenuated with administration of SP antagonists with a resultant decrease in edema formation. Few studies have examined whether neurogenic inflammation, as identified by increased SP immunoreactivity, occurs after stroke and its potential role in edema formation. The present study examines SP immunoreactivity and edema formation following stroke. Experimental stroke was induced in halothane anaesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats using a reversible thread model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Increased SP immunoreactivity at 24 hours relative to the non-infarcted hemisphere was observed in perivascular, neuronal, and glial tissue, and within the penumbra of the infarcted hemisphere. It was not as apparent in the infarct core. This increased SP immunoreactivity was associated with edema formation. We conclude that neurogenic inflammation, as reflected by increased SP immunoreactivity, occurs following experimental stroke, and that this may be associated with edema formation. As such, inhibition of neurogenic inflammation may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of edema following reversible, ischemic stroke.

Biochemical changes associated with selective neuronal death following short-term cerebral ischaemia.

A brief interruption of blood flow to the brain results in the selective loss of specific subpopulations of neurons. Important advances have been made in recent years in defining the biochemical changes associated with cerebral ischaemia and reperfusion and in identifying physical and chemical interventions capable of modifying the extent of neuronal loss. Neuronal death is not irreversibly determined by the ischaemic period but develops during recirculation over a period of hours or even days in different susceptible neuronal populations. The onset of ischaemia produces a rapid decline in ATP production and an associated major redistribution of ions across the plasma membrane including a large intracellular accumulation of Ca2+ in many neurons. Alterations subsequently develop in many other metabolites. These include a marked and progressive release of neurotransmitters and a rapid accumulation of free fatty acids. Most of these alterations are reversed within the first 20 min to 1 hr of recirculation. The changes essential for initiating damage in neurons destined to die have not been definitively identified although there is some evidence suggesting roles for the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate and a brief burst of free radical production which occurs during early recirculation. During further recirculation, there are reductions in oxidative glucose metabolism and protein synthesis in many brain regions. Few changes have been detected which distinguish tissue containing ischaemia-susceptible neurons from ischaemia-resistant regions until the development of advanced degeneration and neuronal loss. Subtle changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ content and a decrease in the respiratory capacity of mitochondria are two changes apparently selectively affecting ischaemia-susceptible regions which could contribute to neuronal loss. The mitochondrial change may be one indicator of a slowly developing post-ischaemic increase in susceptibility to oxidative damage in some cells.

Selective reductions in the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in mitochondria isolated from brain subregions following forebrain ischemia in rats.

Previous studies showed that in rats exposed to 30 min of forebrain ischemia, there were reductions in pyruvate-supported respiration within the first 3 h of recirculation in mitochondria isolated from the dorsolateral striatum (a region in which the majority of neurons are susceptible to ischemia) but not the ischemia-resistant paramedian neocortex. The present study demonstrates that the changes in mitochondrial respiration apparently result from a loss of activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC). In mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum, incubated in the presence of pyruvate and ADP (state 3 conditions) and treated to preserve the phosphorylation state of PDHC, there was no significant change from preischemic activity after 30 min of ischemia or 1 h of recirculation. However, a significant reduction (to 71% of control value) was observed at 3 h of recirculation, and the activity decreased further at 6 and 24 h (to 64 and 43% of control values, respectively). Total PDHC activity in the isolated mitochondria was similarly reduced at 3 h (68% of control values) and 6 h (73% of control values), indicating that the alteration was due to loss or inactivation of the PDHC rather than changes in phosphorylation of the complex. No significant changes were observed in the activity of two other mitochondrial markers, rotenone-sensitive NADH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. None of the activities of these three enzymes in mitochondria from the paramedian neocortex was significantly affected by ischemia or recirculation. These results (together with previous observations) indicate an early and specific change affecting the PDHC in cells of the dorsolateral striatum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The antioxidant defences of brain mitochondria during short-term forebrain ischemia and recirculation in the rat.

This study evaluated changes in the antioxidant defences of mitochondria induced by 30 min of forebrain ischemia and recirculation up to 24 h in rats. Following treatment, mitochondria were isolated from two brain subregions: the dorsolateral striatum, an area in which there is loss of most neurons, and the paramedian cortex in which most neurons are resistant to damage. During ischemia and the first few hours of recirculation, the mitochondrial defences were largely preserved based on measurements of the activities of the enzymes, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, as well as the response of the mitochondria to a subsequent exposure to H2O2 in vitro. However, some moderate changes were detected, particularly in the mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum. A decrease of 30% in the activity of superoxide dismutase was seen at the conclusion of the ischemic period and a small increase in susceptibility to changes induced by H2O2 was detected during early recirculation. This latter change preceded and possibly contributed to the development of an impairment of respiratory function detected in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum at 3 h of recirculation. At 24 h of recirculation, larger changes were seen in the activities of all three of the enzymes in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum but not the paramedian cortex that was associated with progression to advanced neuronal damage in the former subregion.

Impairment of brain mitochondrial function by hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide, at concentrations comparable to those observed under some pathological conditions, produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of state 3 (ADP-stimulated) and uncoupled mitochondrial respiratory activity. The ADP:O ratio was also substantially reduced. In contrast, the organic peroxide, t-butylhydroperoxide at the same concentrations produced no significant changes in respiratory activity. Intramitochondrial glutathione was oxidised to a similar extent in the presence of hydrogen peroxide or t-butylhydroperoxide. Thus, changes in this endogenous antioxidant apparently did not underlie the different responses to these peroxides. The effects of hydrogen peroxide were not altered by deferoxamine indicating that the extramitochondrial generation of hydroxyl radicals was not likely to be involved. However, modifications arising from the generation of hydroxyl radicals within the mitochondria remain a likely contributor to the observed deleterious effects on respiratory function. The inhibitory effects of hydrogen peroxide were greatest when pyruvate plus malate were present as respiratory substrates. Lesser inhibition was seen with glutamate plus malate and no significant inhibitory effects were detected in the presence of succinate. The findings suggest that mitochondrial components involved in pyruvate oxidation were particularly sensitive to the hydrogen peroxide treatment. However, no significant change was seen in activity of either the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex or NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) when measured directly following treatment of the mitochondria with hydrogen peroxide.

Delayed treatment with 1,3-butanediol reduces loss of CA1 neurons in the hippocampus of rats following brief forebrain ischemia.

This study examined the effect of 1,3-butanediol on the selective loss of CA1 pyramidal neurons following a short period of near-complete forebrain ischemia. Injection of 55 mmol 1,3-butanediol/kg body weight at 24 h of recirculation and again at 36 h following 10 min of forebrain ischemia markedly reduced damage to CA1 neurons examined at 72 h of recirculation compared with that in saline-treated rats. Comparable treatment with ethanol did not cause significant protection. Neuronal loss was also not reduced by 1,3-butanediol treatment when the ischemic period was extended to 15 min or by single treatments at 24 h or 36 h following 10 min of ischemia. However, a single treatment 5 min after reversal of 10 min of ischemia was effective in ameliorating cell loss. The difference in effectiveness of 1,3-butanediol following 10 min and 15 min of ischemia is consistent with a number of previous studies, indicating that the processes leading to loss of CA1 neurons are modified when the ischemic period is extended. Previous findings that 1,3-butanediol reduced damage in other ischemia-susceptible neuronal subpopulations but not in CA1 neurons most likely reflected the longer period of ischemia which was used. The results of the present investigation demonstrate that administration of 1,3-butanediol offers a novel approach for interfering with post-ischemic loss of CA1 neurons following a brief ischemic period which is effective even when initiated after prolonged recirculation periods.

Reduced activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex but not cytochrome c oxidase is associated with neuronal loss in the striatum following short-term forebrain ischemia.

Previous studies have identified changes in the activities of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) and cytochrome c oxidase during early recirculation following short-term cerebral ischemia. However, the relationship of these changes to the delayed selective neuronal loss that develops as a result of short-term ischemia is incompletely defined. The effects of ischemia and recirculation on the activities of these enzymes in the dorsolateral striatum, a region containing many susceptible neurons, and the ischemia-resistant paramedian cortex have been compared. No significant loss of activity of cytochrome c oxidase was seen in either region during the first few hours of recirculation following 30 min of ischemia. A decrease (of 32%) was observed at 24 h in the dorsolateral striatum. However, this probably resulted from changes in the mitochondrial fraction due to advanced neuronal degeneration. By contrast, there was a significant decrease (by 24%) in activity of PDHC at 3 h following a 30-min, but not a 10-min, ischemic period. Only the 30-min ischemic period resulted in extensive delayed neuronal loss. In the paramedian cortex, there was no significant change in PDHC and no neuronal loss following either ischemic period. These results provide strong evidence for a close association between neuronal loss and changes in the activity of PDHC but not cytochrome c oxidase in the dorsolateral striatum.

Mitochondrial function in brain tissue in primary degenerative dementia.

Previous in vitro and in vivo studies of the brain in Alzheimer's disease indicated alterations in metabolism related to energy production although the relationships between these changes remains obscure. To help resolve this issue, in vitro oxygen uptake by homogenates of fresh samples of frontal neocortex from patients with dementia and neurosurgical controls has been examined as a measure of energy-related metabolism and mitochondrial function. Maximal respiratory rates (measured in the presence of an uncoupling agent) were similar for samples from 7 controls, 5 patients with Alzheimer's disease and two patients diagnosed clinically as Pick's disease, suggesting that there was little or no effect of these dementias on the maximal metabolic capacity of the tissue. However, under some conditions producing sub-maximal metabolic activity (which are of potentially greater physiological relevance) oxygen uptake rates were significantly elevated in the dementia group. The ratio of oxygen uptake rates in the presence and absence of ADP was significantly reduced (to 58% of control; P less than 0.02) for the dementia patients compared with controls, possibly indicative of partial mitochondrial uncoupling. These results indicate metabolic changes expressed in vitro which may be relevant to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and some related dementias.

Amino acid release from biopsy samples of temporal neocortex from patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Tissue prisms prepared from neurosurgical samples of temporal neocortex of Alzheimer and control patients, upon depolarization preferentially released aspartate, glutamate and gamma-aminobutyrate (GABA). The Alzheimer and control samples did not significantly differ in the pattern of amino acid release, although acetylcholine synthesis by the Alzheimer tissue prisms was greatly reduced. There was no correlation between the efflux of any amino and acetylcholine synthesis. These observations suggest that in Alzheimer's disease there are no major changes in the extracellular concentrations of these putative amino acid transmitters.

Alterations in the glutathione content of mitochondria following short-term forebrain ischemia in rats.

Total glutathione was measured in mitochondria isolated following 30 min of ischemia and recirculation periods up to 24 h. Mitochondria prepared from the dorsolateral striatum, a region containing many neurons susceptible to short ischemic periods, were compared with those from the paramedian cortex, an ischemia-resistant region. Parallel increases in glutathione content (to approximately 150% of pre-ischemic values) were seen in both regions during the first few hours of recirculation. By 24 h of recirculation, there was a decrease below pre-ischemic values in preparations from the dorsolateral striatum but not the paramedian cortex. The early increases in mitochondrial glutathione were not associated with comparable increases in total tissue glutathione. A shorter (10 min) ischemic period also produced an early increase in mitochondrial glutathione but this was reversed more rapidly to preischemic values. The observed changes indicate post-ischemic modifications of cellular oxidative defenses in the two brain regions studied.

Improved recovery of highly enriched mitochondrial fractions from small brain tissue samples.

The investigation of mitochondrial abnormalities in brain commonly requires isolation of these organelles from small tissue samples. We have modified a mitochondrial isolation procedure based on Percoll density gradient centrifugation to increase the proportion of the total mitochondrial pool recovered while reducing contamination with synaptosomes and related structures containing cytoplasm. Initially, myelin was removed by centrifugation in 12% Percoll in isotonic buffer. The pellet was resuspended, treated with digitonin to break up synaptosomes and similar structures and subjected to discontinuous Percoll density gradient centrifugation. The mitochondrial fraction obtained from this procedure was highly metabolically active and well coupled, exhibiting respiratory control ratios above 5. The recovery of mitochondrial markers using a single rat forebrain as starting material was approximately 18% to 21%. When small tissue samples (approximately 50 mg wet weight) were used as starting material the recovery of the mitochondrial marker was approximately 16%. The ratio of recovery of a mitochondrial marker to the cytoplasmic marker lactate dehydrogenase exceeded 200 in preparations from a single rat forebrain. This is substantially greater than values reported for previously published procedures reflecting both an improved yield of mitochondria and a reduction in cytoplasmic contamination.

Stimulation of acetylcholine synthesis by blockade of presynaptic muscarinic inhibitory autoreceptors: observations in rat and human brain preparations and comparison with the effect of choline.

The central presynaptic muscarinic inhibitory autoreceptor has been monitored by measuring the effects of muscarinic agents on acetylcholine (ACh) synthesis by rat and human neocortical tissue prisms. Quinuclidinyl benzilate (QNB), the antimuscarinic which of 20 tested caused the most marked stimulation of ACh synthesis in rat, significantly increased ACh synthesis in human prisms over a range or concentrations of 0.1 microM-10 microM. This data provides the first evidence that human brain contains presynaptic muscarinic receptors. However, the most marked effect of QNB was to increase synthesis to only 112% of control (value without drug) which was much less than in rat (to 140% of control). ACh synthesis is reduced to 50% of control in neocortex from Alzheimer patients so none of the antimuscarinics tested seem to be potentially capable of appreciably reversing this deficit. A high concentration of choline (10 mM) stimulated synthesis in rat prisms to about the same extent as QNB. Moreover, the ACh precursor was at least as effective in stimulating synthesis in human prisms (including those from a patient with Alzheimer's disease). This suggests that an elevated intracellular concentration of choline is likely to be much more effective than an antimuscarinic agent in stimulating synthesis in Alzheimer brain.

A search for the "multiple sclerosis virus"--lack of effect of brain extracts on myelin development in chickens, mice and rats.

Attempts were made to transmit possible infectious agents from tissue of MS patients into three animal species, under conditions designed to enhance the development of such an agent. Myelination was monitored by measuring CNPase activity and myelin basic protein. Although no significant effects were observed, the usefulness of a new assay for CNPase was demonstrated. Nude mice were found to have a lower level of CNPase than their heterozygous littermates.

Selective transfection of microglia in the brain using an antibody-based non-viral vector.

There are currently few approaches to transiently manipulate the expression of specific proteins in microglia of the brain. An antibody directed against an extracellular epitope of scavenger receptor class B, type I (SR-BI) was found to be selectively taken up by these cells in the brain. Other antibodies tested were not internalised by microglia. A vector was produced by linking the SR-BI antibody to polyethyleneimine and binding a DNA plasmid encoding green fluorescent protein. Infusions of this vector into the hippocampus produced a widespread transfection of cells, more than 80% of which were immunoreactive for microglial/macrophage markers. Transfection was not detected in cells expressing markers for astrocytes or neurons. Reporter gene expression was most prominent near the infusion site but was seen in tissue up to 4mm away. DNA bound to polyethyleneimine alone or to a vector containing a different antibody did not produce transfection in the brain. Single injections of the vector containing the SR-BI antibody into the brain also resulted in transfection of microglia, albeit with lower efficiency. Vector modifications to promote lysis of endosomes or entry of DNA into the nucleus did not increase efficiency. The findings clearly demonstrate the capacity of the SR-BI antibody to selectively target brain microglia. This approach offers considerable potential to deliver DNA and other molecules capable of modifying the function of these cells in vivo.

Connexin 43 regulates astrocytic migration and proliferation in response to injury.

Marked alterations in astrocyte function are a universal response to disease or injury in the central nervous system. Affected astrocytes develop characteristic morphological changes known as "reactive astrogliosis", characterized by increased expression of the intermediate filament proteins, glial fibrillary acidic protein and vimentin. Reactive astrocytes also display alterations in other proteins including a rapid up-regulation of the gap junction protein, Connexin 43. The present study tests whether Connexin 43 is directly involved in the astrocytic response to injury. We have down regulated Connexin 43 expression using a microRNA generating plasmid and investigated the functional consequences of this treatment on the response of astrocytes in primary culture to a well-characterized scratch wound injury. The treatment resulted in more than 70% transfection efficiency and a near complete depletion of Connexin 43 in transfected cells. Compared to cells transfected with non-targeting microRNA, the cells depleted of Connexin 43 showed a slower wound closure and fewer transfected cells in the wound area. These changes were associated with decreased proliferation of the Connexin 43-depleted cells as well as shorter processes extending into the wound area suggesting a direct impairment of migration. The effects were independent of gap junction conductivity as exposure to the gap junction blocker carbenoxolone did not affect the rate of wound healing. The findings directly indicate a role for Connexin 43 in the astrocytic response to injury and suggest that modification of Connexin 43 expression might provide a therapeutic target to alter potentially deleterious astrocytic responses.

Selective impairment of respiration in mitochondria isolated from brain subregions following transient forebrain ischemia in the rat.

Using Percoll density gradient centrifugation, free (nonsynaptosomal) mitochondria were isolated from the dorsal-lateral striatum and paramedian neocortex of rats during complete forebrain ischemia and reperfusion. Mitochondria prepared from either region after 30 min of ischemia showed decreased state 3 (ADP and substrate present) and uncoupled respiration rates (19-45% reductions) with pyruvate plus malate as substrates, whereas state 4 respiration (no ADP present) was preserved. At 6 h of recirculation, state 3 and uncoupled respiration rates for mitochondria from the paramedian neocortex (a region resistant to ischemic damage) were similar to or even increased compared with control values. By contrast, in mitochondria from the dorsal-lateral striatum (a region containing neurons susceptible to global ischemia), decreases in state 3 and uncoupled respiration rates (25 and 30% less than control values) were again observed after 6 h of recirculation. With succinate as respiratory substrate, however, no significant differences from control values were found in either region at this time point. By 24 h of recirculation, respiratory activity with either pyruvate plus malate or succinate was greatly reduced in samples from the dorsal-lateral striatum, probably reflecting complete loss of function in some organelles. In contrast with these marked changes in free mitochondria, the respiratory properties of synaptosomal mitochondria, assessed from measurements in unfractionated homogenates, were unchanged from controls in the dorsal-lateral striatum at each of the time points studied, but showed reductions (19-22%) during ischemia and after 24 h of recirculation in the paramedian neocortex.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Energy metabolism and selective neuronal vulnerability following global cerebral ischemia.

A short period of global ischemia results in the death of selected subpopulations of neurons. Some advances have been made in understanding events which might contribute to the selectivity of this damage but the cellular changes which culminate in neuronal death remain poorly defined. This overview examines the metabolic state of tissue in the post-ischemic period and the relationship of changes to the development of damage in areas containing ischemia-susceptible neurons. During early recirculation there is substantial recovery of ATP, phosphocreatine and related metabolites in all brain regions. However, this recovery does not signal restitution of normal energy metabolism as reductions of the oxidative metabolism of glucose are seen in many areas and may persist for several days. Furthermore, decreases in pyruvate-supported respiration develop in mitochondria from at least one ischemia-susceptible region at times coincident with the earliest histological evidence of ischemia-induced degeneration. These mitochondrial changes could simply be an early marker of irreversible damage but the available evidence is equally consistent with these contributing to the degenerative process and offering a potential site for therapeutic intervention.