title: Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor protects against ischemia/hypoxia-induced brain injury in neonatal rat.
abstract: Ischemic/hypoxic brain damage induced in 7-day-old rats was significantly attenuated in a dose-dependent manner by intracerebral injection of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF; 2 or 4 microg) within 30 min after the insult. Whereas the great majority of the vehicle-treated animals showed massive infarction involving more than 75% of the affected cerebral hemisphere, GDNF injection resulted in a remarkable reduction in both the incidence and severity of the brain damage (incidence ranging from 76% to 93% in controls to 34% to 64% in the 2.0-microg group and 7% to 29% in 4.0-microg group). The induction of immunoreactive 70-kDa heat shock protein (HSP70) in cerebral cortical neurons was also significantly reduced in GDNF-treated animals as compared to controls. The mechanisms responsible for the neuroprotective effects of GDNF remain unknown, although it has been speculated that these may be endogeneous. The higher expression of GDNF and its mRNA in developing brains may be one of the factors responsible for the relative resistance to ischemia of fetal and neonatal as opposed to adult brains. GDNF may possibly act by protecting against oxidative stress or by scavenging free radicals generated during ischemia. The results of our study strongly suggest that GDNF may prove to be an effective and potent protective agent against perinatal ischemic/hypoxic encephalopathy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Miyazaki Medical College, Japan. TIKEDA@postl.miyazaki-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: X Y
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ikenoue
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: B H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Choi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: C495041:Gdnf protein, rat; D051100:Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; D018840:HSP70 Heat-Shock Proteins; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents