title: Allopurinol protects against ischemic insults in a mouse model of cortical microinfarction.
abstract: Microinfarcts are common in patients with cognitive decline and dementia. Allopurinol (ALLO), a xanthine oxidase (XO) enzyme inhibitor, has been found to reduce proinflammatory molecules and oxidative stress in the vasculature. We here examined the effect of pre-treatment with allopurinol on the cortical microinfarction. C57BL/6J mice were subjected to a permanent single penetrating arteriole occlusion induced by two-photon laser irradiation. Infarction volume, the activation of glial cells and nitrosative stress in the ischemic brain was assessed using immunohistochemistry. Pre-treatment with ALLO achieved 42% reduction of infarct volume and significantly reduced microglia infiltration, astrocyte proliferation and nitrosative stress in the ischemic brain. These data indicate that ALLO protects against microinfarcts possibly through inhibition of nitrosative stress and attenuation of microglia infiltration as well as astrocytes reactivation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qun
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Guangzhou First People׳s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lan
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Fei
authors.initials: XF
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Chuan-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory on Assisted Circulation, Ministry of Health, Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Qin-Mei
authors.initials: QM
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Feng-Yin
authors.initials: FY
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China. Electronic address: guangchingx@163.com.
authors.forename: Guang-Qing
authors.initials: GQ
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pei
mesh_terms: D000493:Allopurinol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001160:Arterioles; D001253:Astrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007834:Lasers; D008297:Male; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D017628:Microglia / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D000493:Allopurinol; D014969:Xanthine Oxidase
keywords: Allopurinol; Inflammation; Microinfarcts; Oxidative Stress; Two-photon laser-scanning microscope