Protective effect of apolipoprotein E against ischemic neuronal injury is mediated through antioxidant action.

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that apolipoprotein E (APOE) deficiency worsened neuronal injuries after transient focal and global cerebral ischemia. However, the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effect of APOE remains uncertain, even though several mechanisms, including excitotoxicty, free radicals, and apoptosis, have been cited as causes of selective neuronal vulnerability in cerebral ischemia. In the present study, we first compared the vulnerability of cultured neurons prepared from APOE-knockout mice upon exposure to glutamate, hydrogen peroxide, and staurosporine. No significant difference in cell viability was observed after exposure to glutamate or staurosporine between APOE-deficient and wild-type mice. However, exposure to hydrogen peroxide significantly increased the level of cell death in APOE-deficient mice compared with that in wild-type mice. After transient forebrain ischemia for 12 min, APOE-deficient mice showed more neuronal death than wild-type mice. Pretreatment of APOE-deficient mice with vitamin E for 2 months markedly reduced neuronal death caused by ischemia. The results suggest that APOE exerted its neuroprotective effect against ischemia through its antioxidant action but not through mitigation of glutamate toxicity or blocking of apoptosis.

• Authors: Kazuo Kitagawa, Masayasu Matsumoto, Keisuke Kuwabara, Ken-Ichiro Takasawa, Shigeru Tanaka, Tsutomu Sasaki, Kohji Matsushita, Toshiho Ohtsuki, Takehiko Yanagihara, Masatsugu Hori
• Journal: Journal of neuroscience research (J Neurosci Res) Vol. 68 Issue 2 Pg. 226-32 (Apr 15 2002) ISSN: 0360-4012 [Print] United States
• PMID: 11948667 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Chemical References

• Antioxidants
• Apolipoproteins E
• Vitamin E
• Glutamic Acid
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Staurosporine

Topics

• Animals
• Antioxidants (pharmacology)
• Apolipoproteins E (deficiency, genetics, physiology)
• Cell Survival (drug effects)
• Cells, Cultured
• Cytoprotection (physiology)
• Glutamic Acid (pharmacology)
• Hydrogen Peroxide (pharmacology)
• Ischemic Attack, Transient (pathology)
• Mice
• Mice, Knockout (genetics)
• Neurons (drug effects, pathology)
• Prosencephalon (blood supply)
• Staurosporine (pharmacology)
• Vitamin E (pharmacology)