title: Inhibition of interleukin 1beta converting enzyme family proteases reduces ischemic and excitotoxic neuronal damage.
abstract: The interleukin 1beta converting enzyme (ICE) family plays a pivotal role in programmed cell death and has been implicated in stroke and neurodegenerative diseases. During reperfusion after filamentous middle cerebral artery occlusion, ICE-like cleavage products and tissue immunoreactive interleukin 1beta (IL-1beta) levels increased in ischemic mouse brain. Ischemic injury decreased after intracerebroventricular injections of ICE-like protease inhibitors, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp-fluoromethylketone (z-VAD.FMK), acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone, or a relatively selective inhibitor of CPP32-like caspases, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone, but not a cathepsin B inhibitor, N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Phe-Ala-fluoromethylketone. z-VAD.FMK decreased ICE-like cleavage products and tissue immunoreactive IL-1beta levels in ischemic mouse brain and reduced tissue damage when administered to rats as well. Only z-VAD.FMK and acetyl-Tyr-Val-Ala-Asp-chloromethylketone reduced brain swelling, and N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp-Glu-Val-Asp-fluoromethylketone did not attenuate the ischemia-induced increase in tissue IL-1beta levels. The three cysteine protease inhibitors significantly improved behavioral deficits, thereby showing that functional recovery of ischemic neuronal tissue can follow blockade of enzymes associated with apoptotic cell death. Finally, we examined the effect of z-VAD.FMK on excitotoxicity and found that it protected against alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate-induced or to a lesser extent N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced excitotoxic brain damage. Thus, ICE-like and CPP32-like caspases contribute to mechanisms of cell death in ischemic and excitotoxic brain injury and provide therapeutic targets for stroke and neurodegenerative brain damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown 02129, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Friedlander
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gagliardini
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ayata
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shimizu-Sasamata
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Moskowitz
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000201:enzymology; D020170:Caspase 1; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D002401:Cathepsin B / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism*; D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D007375:Interleukin-1 / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000378:metabolism; D015424:Reperfusion
chemical_list: D015853:Cysteine Proteinase Inhibitors; D007375:Interleukin-1; D009498:Neurotoxins; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases; D003546:Cysteine Endopeptidases; D002401:Cathepsin B; D020170:Caspase 1