title: Cold-induced brain edema in mice. Involvement of extracellular superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide.
abstract: The role of extracellular superoxide in the pathogenesis of vasogenic edema was studied using transgenic mice expressing a 5-fold increase in extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) activity in their brains. Increased EC-SOD expression offered significant protection against edema development after cold-induced injury (44% less edema than nontransgenic littermates, p < 0.05). Since iron may contribute to vasogenic edema by catalyzing the production of hydroxyl radical from superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, the effects of the chelator deferoxamine were studied. Deferoxamine reduced edema formation after cold-induced injury (43% less edema than controls, p < 0.05); however, treatment with iron-saturated deferoxamine also reduced edema development in mice (32-48% less edema, p < 0.05). This suggested that the protection offered by deferoxamine was independent of its ability to chelate iron. An iron-independent mechanism by which superoxide can contribute to vasogenic edema is via reaction with nitric oxide to produce the potentially toxic peroxynitrite anion, which is also scavenged by deferoxamine. Mice treated with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase were protected against cold-induced edema (37% less edema, p < 0.05). EC-SOD transgenic mice received no additional protection by inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis, supporting this novel alternative mechanism of edema formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27710.
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Oury
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Piantadosi
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Crapo
mesh_terms: D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003676:Deferoxamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006878:Hydroxides; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D006878:Hydroxides; D007502:Iron Chelating Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D017665:Hydroxyl Radical; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase; D000594:Amino Acid Oxidoreductases; D003676:Deferoxamine