title: Free radicals induce gene expression of NGF and bFGF in rat astrocyte culture.
abstract: Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a type of active oxygen species produced mainly in blood by inflammation, ischemia or anoxia. Treatment of rat neonatal cortical astrocytes in culture with 0.2-1.0 mM H2O2 which is lethal for hippocampal neurons, increases nerve growth factor (NGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) mRNA content in a time dependent manner. H2O2 also increases c-fos mRNA expression, which is probably involved in the gene regulation of both NGF and bFGF. Maximal induction was reached after 6 h of incubation (5.7-fold increase in NGF and 2.4-fold induction of bFGF mRNA). Hydrogen peroxide induced bFGF and NGF gene expression suggests that neurotrophic factors in astrocytes could be induced by lesion, consistent with their protective function in the CNS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Max-Planck-Institut für biophysikalische Chemie, Goettingen-Nikolausberg, Germany.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Pechan
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Chowdhury
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Seifert
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D015152:Blotting, Northern; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D005609:Free Radicals; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D016762:Genes, fos; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005609:Free Radicals; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D016222:Fibroblast Growth Factor 2; D006861:Hydrogen Peroxide