title: Increased expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the rat hippocampus after acute homocysteine administration.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This paper evaluated the effect of acute homocysteine administration on inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) expression and neuronal apoptosis in the rat hippocampus and investigated the effects of vitamin C treatment on homocysteine-induced inflammation and neuronal death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects were three-week-old, male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats for the control group, we injected saline solution into the rats' abdominal cavities for one week. Rats in the second group received 1 injection of homocysteine (11 mmol/kg) into their abdominal cavities after 1 week of saline solution administration. For the third group, we injected the rats with vitamin C (100 mg/kg) for a week, followed by 1 injection of homocysteine. The hippocampi were stained with an anti-TNF-α antibody, and apoptosis was evaluated using the TUNEL staining method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The homocysteine-injected rats had strong TNF-α expression in every hippocampal region. Vitamin C significantly reduced TNF-α expression in the hippocampus's CA1 region. Acute homocysteine administration did not cause apoptosis in the hippocampus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF-α may mediate elevated homocysteine levels' contributions to inflammatory reactions, and vitamin C has some protective effect on inflammatory reactions in the CA1 hippocampal region.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong Hee
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Departments of Neurology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kwangsoo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Pathology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Ahn
authors.affiliation: Pathology, Kosin University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hee Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Chang
keywords: Apoptosis; Hippocampus; Homocysteine; TNF-α; Vitamin C