title: Role of inducible or neuronal nitric oxide synthase in neurogenesis of the dentate gyrus in aged mice.
abstract: We evaluated mainly the iNOS (inducible nitric oxide synthase) and nNOS (neuronal NOS) expression in the subgranular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus in young adult (8-week-old) and aged (60-week-old) mice. The present study demonstrates that the expression of nNOS was more pronounced than that of iNOS expression in the dentate gyrus of aged mice. Our study also suggests that aged mice exhibited a significant loss of motor activity as compared with young adult animals. Furthermore, our results provide that no significant change in the number of Neu N (Neuronal nuclei)-immunopositive neurons and GFAP (glial fibrillary acidic protein)-immunopositive astrocytes was observed in the dentate gyrus between young adult and aged mice. In contrast, a significant change in the number of Iba 1(ionized calcium-binding adaptor molecule 1)-immunopositive microglia in aged mice was observed in the dentate gyrus as compared to young adult animals. These results provide the novel evidence showing that the expression of nNOS may be crucial for the role of neurogenesis of the SGZ of the dentate gyrus in aged mice. Furthermore, our present findings demonstrate that the inhibition of nNOS expression in the SGZ of the dentate gyrus during aging processes may offer novel therapeutic strategies for anti-aging in humans.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Therapeutics, Institute of Health Biosciences, The University of Tokushima Graduate School, 1-78, Sho-machi, Tokushima, 770-8505, Japan.
authors.forename: Minami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Adachi
authors.forename: Manami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Taeko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kasahara
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Araki
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018891:Dentate Gyrus / Q000166:cytology / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology*; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008124:Locomotion / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008813:Mice, Inbred ICR; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D017628:Microglia / Q000378:metabolism; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D055495:Neurogenesis / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: C491049:Aif1 protein, mouse; D002135:Calcium-Binding Proteins; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D005904:Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein; D008840:Microfilament Proteins; D009419:Nerve Tissue Proteins; C492380:NeuN protein, mouse; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496321:Nos1 protein, mouse; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse