title: Temporal characterisation of pro- and anti-apoptotic mechanisms following diffuse traumatic brain injury in rats.
abstract: Few studies have characterised apoptosis in a brain injury model that causes a significant degree of diffuse axonal injury. Such characterisation is essential from a clinical viewpoint since diffuse axonal injury is a major component of human head injury. The present study therefore, examines the expression of active and proactive caspase-3, and the bax, bcl-2 and bcl-x members of the bcl-2 family, to characterise the temporal profile of apoptosis in a model of traumatic brain injury in rats that produces significant diffuse axonal injury. Pentobarbital anaesthetised male Sprague-Dawley rats were injured using the 2m impact-acceleration model of diffuse traumatic brain injury. After injury, diffuse trauma resulted in an increased bax expression followed by induction of caspase-3. The increase in caspase-3 was simultaneous with an increase in anti-apoptotic bcl-2 expression. Bcl-x levels were increased after induction of caspase-3 and the increased levels of bcl-x were sustained to the end of the 5-day observation period. Increased active caspase-3 expression was associated with the appearance of TUNEL positive cells. These cells were detected in different brain regions at different times, with some regions showing no apoptotic cells until 3 days after injury. No TUNEL positive cells were detected at 7 and 14 days after injury. DNA electrophoresis confirmed that DNA fragmentation was maximal at 3 days after injury. Increased active caspase-3 levels were also significantly correlated with increased bcl-2 levels (r=0.80; P<0.001) suggesting that the apoptotic cascade after diffuse traumatic brain injury is a carefully controlled cellular homeostatic response. Pharmacological manipulation of this balance may offer a therapeutic approach for preventing cell death and improving outcome after diffuse traumatic brain injury.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Ibolja
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Cernak
authors.forename: Sarah M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Chapman
authors.forename: Gary P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Hamlin
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vink
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000502:physiology*; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000473:pathology*; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
chemical_list: C494828:Bax protein, rat; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; C505410:Casp3 protein, rat; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases