Regional vulnerability to chronic hypoxia and chronic hypoperfusion in the rat brain.
The purpose of this study was to compare the pathological findings of injury induced by chronic hypoperfusion and by chronic hypoxia in rat brain. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: chronic hypoperfusion (n=5), chronic hypoxia (n=5), and normal control groups (n=5). Hypoperfusion was induced by ligation of the bilateral carotid arteries under 2.5% halothane anesthesia. Chronic hypoxia was induced by keeping the animals in a chamber with an atmosphere of 10% O(2) in N(2) for 3 weeks. Twelve weeks later (chronic hypoperfusion group) and 3 weeks later (chronic hypoxia group), the animals were sacrificed and perfused through the femoral artery with a fixative containing 4% paraformaldehyde. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was done in all sections in the three groups, and the number of normal-appearing cells was counted. Normal-appearing cells in CA3 were significantly decreased in the chronic hypoperfusion group compared with those in the chronic hypoxia group, although neurons in CA1, CA2 and CA4 in both groups were equally damaged. We concluded that the CA3 hippocampus shows different vulnerabilities to chronic hypoperfusion and chronic hypoxia, possibly owing to a difference in the kinds of glutaminergic receptors.
Kawaguchi
Chikako
C
Department of Neurology, Tokai University School of Medicine, Bohseidai, Isehara-shi, 259-1193, Kanagawa, Japan
Takizawa
Shunya
S
Niwa
Kiyoshi
K
Iwamoto
Tokuzen
T
Kuwahira
Ichiro
I
Kato
Hirotaka
H
Shinohara
Yukito
Y