Delayed activin A administration attenuates tissue death after transient focal cerebral ischemia and is associated with decreased stress-responsive kinase activation.
Focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion initiates complex cellular and molecular interactions that lead to either cell repair or destruction. In earlier work, we found that activin A is an early gene response to cerebral ischemia and supports cortical neuron survival in vitro. In this study, the ability of exogenous activin A to attenuate injury from transient middle cerebral artery occlusion was tested in adult mice. Intracerebroventricular administration of activin A prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion reduced infarct volume apparent 1 day after experimental stroke. A single activin A administration at 6 h following ischemia/reperfusion reduced lesion volumes at 1 and 3 days and led to improved neurobehavior. Moreover, activin A treatment spared neurons within the ischemic hemisphere and led to a concomitant reduction in microglial activation. Activation of the stress-responsive kinases p38 and c-jun N-terminal kinase implicated in neuronal apoptosis after stroke was reduced following activin A treatment. Together these findings suggest that activin A promotes tissue survival after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion with an extended therapeutic window.
Department of Neuroscience, Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Shibani S
SS
Mukerji
Riley N
RN
Rainey
Jamie L
JL
Rhodes
Alison K
AK
Hall
D028341:Activins / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular / Q000379:methods; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*
C422405:activin A; D028341:Activins; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases