Neuroprotective effects of stearic acid against toxicity of oxygen/glucose deprivation or glutamate on rat cortical or hippocampal slices.
OBJECTIVE
To observe the effects of stearic acid, a long-chain saturated fatty acid consisting of 18 carbon atoms, on brain (cortical or hippocampal) slices insulted by oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD), glutamate or sodium azide (NaN3) in vitro.


METHODS
The activities of hippocampal slices were monitored by population spikes recorded in the CA1 region. In vitro injury models of brain slice were induced by 10 min of OGD, 1 mmol/L glutamate or 10 mmol/L NaN3. After 30 min of pre-incubation with stearic acid (3-30 micromol/L), brain slices (cortical or hippocampal) were subjected to OGD, glutamate or NaN3, and the tissue activities were evaluated by using the 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride method. MK886 [5 mmol/L; a noncompetitive inhibitor of proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR-alpha)] or BADGE (bisphenol A diglycidyl ether; 100 micromol/L; an antagonist of PPAR-gamma) were tested for their effects on the neuroprotection afforded by stearic acid.


RESULTS
Viability of brain slices was not changed significantly after direct incubation with stearic acid. OGD, glutamate and NaN3 injury significantly decreased the viability of brain slices. Stearic acid (3-30 micromol/L) dose-dependently protected brain slices from OGD and glutamate injury but not from NaN3 injury, and its neuroprotective effect was completely abolished by BADGE.


CONCLUSIONS
Stearic acid can protect brain slices (cortical or hippocampal) against injury induced by OGD or glutamate. Its neuroprotective effect may be mainly mediated by the activation of PPAR-gamma.
Wang
Ze-jian
ZJ
School of Pharmacy, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 200030, China. myin@sjtu.edu.cn
Li
Guang-mei
GM
Tang
Wen-lu
WL
Yin
Ming
M
D000818:Animals; D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects*; D004852:Epoxy Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D005947:Glucose / Q000172:deficiency; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D047495:PPAR gamma / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019810:Sodium Azide / Q000633:toxicity; D013229:Stearic Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002722:Chlorobenzenes; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds
D001559:Benzhydryl Compounds; D004852:Epoxy Compounds; D005947:Glucose; D018698:Glutamic Acid; D007211:Indoles; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D047495:PPAR gamma; D019810:Sodium Azide; D013229:Stearic Acids; C060893:MK-886; D002722:Chlorobenzenes; C019273:bisphenol A diglycidyl ether; D000098826:Bisphenol A Compounds