Neuronal damage using fluoro-jade B histofluorescence and gliosis in the striatum after various durations of transient cerebral ischemia in gerbils

Neurochem Res. 2012 Apr;37(4):826-34. doi: 10.1007/s11064-011-0678-9. Epub 2012 Jan 5.

Abstract

Ischemic damage occurs well in vulnerable regions of the brain, including the hippocampus and striatum. In the present study, we examined neuronal damage/death and glial changes in the striatum 4 days after 5, 10, 15 and 20 min of transient cerebral ischemia using the gerbil. Spontaneous motor activity was increased with the duration time of ischemia-reperfusion (I-R). To examine neuronal damage, we used Fluoro-Jade B (F-J B, a marker for neuronal degeneration) histofluorescence staining. F-J B positive cells were detected only in the 20 min ischemia-group, not in the other groups. In addition, we examined gliosis of astrocytes and microglia using anti-glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and anti- ionized calcium-binding adapter molecule 1 (Iba-1), respectively. In the 5 min ischemia-group, GFAP-immunoreactive astrocytes were distinctively increased in number, and the immunoreactivity was stronger than that in the sham-group. In the 10, 15 and 20 min ischemia-groups, GFAP-immunoreactivity was more increased with the duration of I-R. On the other hand, the immunoreactivity and the number of Iba-1-immunoreactive microglia were distinctively increased in the 5 and 10 min ischemia-groups. In the 15 min ischemia-group, cell bodies of microglia were largest, and the immunoreactivity was highest; however, in the 20 min ischemia-group, the immunoreactivity was low compared to the 15 min ischemia-group. The results of western blotting for GFAP and Iba-1 were similar to the immunohistochemical data. In brief, these findings showed that neuronal death could be detected only in the 20 min ischemia-group 4 days after I-R, and the change pattern of astrocytes and microglia were apparently different according to the duration time of I-R.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Corpus Striatum / chemistry
  • Corpus Striatum / metabolism
  • Corpus Striatum / pathology*
  • Fluoresceins
  • Fluorescent Dyes* / metabolism
  • Gerbillinae
  • Gliosis / metabolism
  • Gliosis / pathology*
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / metabolism
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / pathology*
  • Male
  • Motor Activity / physiology
  • Neurons / chemistry
  • Neurons / metabolism
  • Neurons / pathology*
  • Organic Chemicals / metabolism
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Fluoresceins
  • Fluorescent Dyes
  • Organic Chemicals
  • fluoro jade