Nitric oxide system is involved in hypobaric hypoxia-induced oxidative stress in rat brain.
Oxidative stress is involved in memory impairment at high altitude (HA). The aim of the present study was to investigate the involvement of reactive nitrogen species in hippocampus, cortex and striatum of rat brain under simulated HA conditions. Rats were exposed to hypobaric hypoxia (HH) equivalent to 6100 m of HA in an animal decompression chamber for 3, 7, 14 and 21 days. Biochemical estimation of free radicals, nitric oxide (NO) level along with immunoreactivity, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and western blot of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS), neurodegeneration and DNA fragmentation were studied after HH exposure. The free radicals, NO level, nNOS immunoreactivity (nNOS-IR), nNOS expression, neurodegeneration and DNA fragmentation were increased in hippocampus, cortex and striatum after HH exposure. After 7 and 14 days of HH exposure, the nNOS-IR, nNOS expression, free radical, NO level, neurodegeneration and DNA fragmentation were increased in comparison to 3 or 21 days of HH. The NO system may be involved in increasing oxidative stress and neurodegeneration after HH.
Maiti
Panchanan
P
Neurobiology Division, Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, Defence Research and Development Organization, Ministry of Defence, Lucknow Road, Timarpur, Delhi 110054, India. maiti_1978@yahoo.co.in
Singh
Shashi B
SB
Ilavazhagan
Govindasami
G
D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D053938:DNA Fragmentation; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats
D009569:Nitric Oxide; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I