Difference in transient ischemia-induced neuronal damage and glucose transporter-۱ immunoreactivity in the hippocampus between adult and young gerbils

Objective(s): The alteration of glucose transporters is closely related with the pathogenesis of brain edema. We compared neuronal damage/death in the hippocampus between adult and young gerbils following transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and changes of glucose transporter-۱(GLUT-۱)-immunoreactive microvessels in their ischemic hippocampal CA۱ region. Materials and Methods: Transient cerebral ischemia was developed by ۵-min occlusion of both common carotid arteries. Neuronal damage was examined by cresyl violet staining, NeuN immunohistochemistry and Fluoro-Jade B histofluorescence staining and changes in GLUT-۱ expression was carried out by immunohistochemistry. Results: About ۹۰% of pyramidal neurons only in the adult CA۱ region were damaged after ischemia/reperfusion; in the young, about ۵۳ % of pyramidal neurons were damaged from ۷ days after ischemia/reperfusion. The density of GLUT-۱-immunoreactive microvessels was significantly higher in the young sham-group than that in the adult sham-group. In the ischemia-operated-groups, the density of GLUT-۱-immunoreactive microvessels was significantly decreased in the adult and young at ۱ and ۴ days post-ischemia, respectively, thereafter, the density of GLUT-۱-immunoreactive microvessels was gradually increased in both groups after ischemia/reperfusion. Conclusion: CA۱ pyramidal neurons of the young gerbil were damaged much later than that in the adult and that GLUT-۱-immunoreactive microvessels were significantly decreased later in the young. These data indicate that GLUT-۱ might differently contribute to neuronal damage according to age after ischemic insults.

Keywords:

CA۱ region , Delayed neuronal death , Ischemia/reperfusion injury Pyramidal neurons , Young gerbil