Transient ischemia-induced changes of excitatory amino acid carrier 1 in the ventral horn of the lumbar spinal cord in rabbits.
OBJECTIVE
To examine temporal changes of EAAC1 immunoreactivity and its protein level in the spinal ventral horn after transient ischemia in the rabbit to investigate the correlation between neuronal cell death and EAAC1 in the ventral horn of spinal cord.


METHODS
White rabbits weighing 2.5-3.0 kg were anesthetized with a mixture of 2.5% isoflurane in 30% oxygen and 70% nitrous oxide, and the abdominal aortic artery below the left renal artery was occluded for 15 minutes. At designated times after reperfusion, the immunohistochemical and Western blot analysis for EAAC1 was conducted using tissues of the seventh lumbar spinal segment.


RESULTS
EAAC1 immunoreactivity was detected in the neurons of the normal spinal cord. EAAC1 immunoreactivity and protein level reduced significantly 30 minutes after ischemia/reperfusion, but EAAC1 immunoreactivity and protein level again increased by 80% versus sham 3 hours after ischemia. At this time point, neurological defect in hindlimb was also detected. Thereafter, EAAC1 immunoreactivity and protein levels remained to be attenuated in the ventral horn of spinal cord until 48 hours after ischemia.


CONCLUSIONS
The significant change in EAAC1 expression and motor defects at early time after transient spinal cord ischemia relates to the acute events following ischemia/reperfusion. These results indicate that EAAC1 has an important role in the modulation of glutamate homeostasis in ischemic neurons in the spinal ventral horn.
Hwang
InKoo
I
Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Hallym University, Chunchon, Korea.
Lee
Jae-Chul
JC
Yoo
Ki-Yeon
KY
Cho
Jun-Hwi
JH
Jung
Ju-Young
JY
Kang
Tae-Cheon
TC
Oh
Yang-Seok
YS
Kim
Won-Ki
WK
Won
MooHo
M
D000818:Animals; D000870:Anterior Horn Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D002452:Cell Count / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3 / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D008161:Lumbosacral Region; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000473:pathology*; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors
D050580:Excitatory Amino Acid Transporter 3; C493398:Slc1a1 protein, rat; D010751:Phosphopyruvate Hydratase