Enhanced autophagy interacting proteins negatively correlated with the activation of apoptosis-related caspase family proteins after focal ischemic stroke of young rats

Background Neuronal injury induced in young rats by cerebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) is known to differ substantially from that in adult rats. In the present study, we investigated the specific differences in neuronal injury induced by focal CIR between young and adult rats. Results 2, 3, 5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining revealed a gradual increase in the infarct volume of both young and adult rats in accordance with I/R times and was significantly lower in young rats than in adult rats under the same conditions. The number of cells in the cortex showing immunoreactivity for neuronal nuclei (NeuN) gradually decreased in both young and adult rats in accordance with I/R times; these numbers were significantly higher in young rats than in adult rats under the same conditions. Similarly, as the duration of I/R increased, the degree of glial activation in the cortex penumbra region became more severe in both young and adult groups; however, glial activation was significantly lower in the cortex penumbra region of young rats when compared with that in adult rats. In addition, the expression of Beclin-1 was significantly higher in the infarct penumbra of young rats than adult rats and was more frequently co-expressed with neurons. The levels of autophagy-related proteins increased significantly in the penumbra region after I/R in both young and adult groups, this increase was more pronounced in young rats than in adult rats. Following CIR, analysis revealed significantly lower levels of pro-apoptosis-related factors and significantly higher levels of anti-apoptosis-related proteins in the young rats than in adult rats. Conclusions Collectively, the present results suggest that the the reduced levels of neuronal death after CIR in young rats were closely related to enhanced levels of autophagy and reduced levels of pro-apoptosis in neurons.

Automated summary

The present study investigated the differences in neuronal injury induced by focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion (CIR) between young and adult rats. The results showed that the infarct volume was lower in young rats compared to adult rats, and the number of cells showing immunoreactivity for neuronal nuclei was higher in young rats. Additionally, glial activation was less severe in young rats, and the levels of autophagy-related proteins were higher in young rats. Moreover, the levels of pro-apoptosis-related factors were lower and the levels of anti-apoptosis-related proteins were higher in young rats. These findings suggest that enhanced autophagy and reduced pro-apoptosis contribute to the reduced neuronal death in young rats after CIR.