title: Enhancement of neuroprotection and heat shock protein induction by combined prostaglandin A1 and lithium in rodent models of focal ischemia.
abstract: Both prostaglandin A(1) (PGA(1)) and lithium have been reported to protect neurons against excitotoxic and ischemic injury. The present study was undertaken to examine the effects of lithium and PGA1 on heat shock proteins (HSP) and the growth arrest and DNA-damage-inducible gene (GADD153) and to evaluate if lithium could potentiate PGA(1)'s neuroprotective effects against cerebral ischemia. Rats were pretreated with a subcutaneous injection of lithium for 2 days and a single intracerebral ventricle administration of PGA(1) 15 min before ischemic insult. Brain ischemia was induced by a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion. The infarct volume, motor behavior deficits and brain edema were analyzed 24 h after ischemic insult. The result showed that PGA(1) significantly reduced infarct volume, neurological deficits and brain edema. Except for neurological deficit, lithium enhanced PGA(1)'s neuroprotection. The neuroprotective effects of PGA(1) were associated with an up-regulation of cytoprotective heat shock proteins HSP70 and GRP78 in the ischemic brain hemisphere as determined by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence. The induction of HSP70 and GRP78 was enhanced by lithium. However, although the expression of GADD153 was enhanced significantly after pMCAO, it was not influenced by either PGA(1) or lithium or their combination. These studies suggest that lithium can potentiate PGA(1)'s neuroprotective effects and thus may have potential clinical value for the treatment of stroke in combination with other neuroprotective agents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Soochow University School of Medicine, Suzhou-Singopore Industrial Park, Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xi-Hui
authors.initials: XH
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Hui-Lin
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Zhen-Lun
authors.initials: ZL
authors.lastname: Gu
authors.forename: Zheng-Hong
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Qin
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000188:drug therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D008094:Lithium / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D018832:Molecular Chaperones / Q000378:metabolism; D009460:Neurologic Examination / Q000379:methods; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011454:Prostaglandins A / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors; D051742:Transcription Factor CHOP / Q000378:metabolism; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP
chemical_list: D050884:HSP72 Heat-Shock Proteins; D006360:Heat-Shock Proteins; D008094:Lithium; D018832:Molecular Chaperones; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D011454:Prostaglandins A; D051742:Transcription Factor CHOP; C051684:GRP78 protein, rat; D000091342:Endoplasmic Reticulum Chaperone BiP; C100573:prostaglandin A1