cyclic-gmp and Brain-Edema

Different elements of the intracellular signaling messenger systems have been detected in the course of our studies in the cerebral endothelial cells. It has been shown that the synthesizing enzymes of and substrate proteins for the second messenger molecules are present in the cerebral endothelial cells, and their activity and/or amount can change in pathological circumstances, i.e., during the formation of brain oedema. Pharmacological treatments interfering with the second messenger systems proved to be effective in the prevention of brain oedema formation.

Topics: Adenylyl Cyclases; Animals; Blood-Brain Barrier; Brain; Brain Edema; Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Endothelium, Vascular; Guanylate Cyclase; Microcirculation; Protein Kinases; Second Messenger Systems

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often induces structural damage, disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), neurodegeneration, and dysfunctions of surviving neuronal networks. Nitric oxide (NO) signaling has been suggested to affect brain functions after TBI. The NO exhibits most of its biological effects by activation of the primary targets-guanylyl cyclases (NO-GCs), which exists in two isoforms (NO-GC1 and NO-GC2), and the subsequently produced cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). However, the specific function of the NO-NO-GCs-cGMP pathway in the context of brain injury is not fully understood. To investigate the specific role of the isoform NO-GC1 early after brain injuries, we performed an

Topics: Animals; Brain Edema; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Cyclic GMP; Guanylate Cyclase; Isoenzymes; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Nitric Oxide; Receptors, Cell Surface; Signal Transduction; Somatosensory Cortex; Synaptic Transmission

Ammonia-induced swelling of astrocytes is a primary cause of brain edema associated with acute hepatic encephalopathy. Previous studies have shown that ammonia transiently increases cGMP in brain in vivo and in cultured astrocytes in vitro. We hypothesized that protein kinase G (PKG), an enzyme activated by cGMP and implicated in regulation of cell shape, size, and/or volume in peripheral and CNS cells, may play a role in the ammonia-induced astrocytic volume increase. Treatment of cultured rat cortical astrocytes with 1 or 5 mM NH4Cl (ammonia) for 24 h increased their cell volume by 50% and 80% above control, respectively, as measured by confocal imaging followed by 3D computational analysis. A cGMP analog, 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cGMP, increased the cell volume in control cells and potentiated the increase in 1 mM ammonia-treated cells. A soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor (1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one) abrogated, and a PKG inhibitor [8-(4-chlorophenylthio)-cGMP-thioate, Rp-isomer] dose-dependently reduced the cell volume-increasing effect of 5 mM ammonia. The results suggest that (i) PKG may play a permissive role in ammonia-induced astrocytic swelling and (ii) elevation of brain cGMP associated with acute exposure to ammonia in vivo may aggravate the ensuing brain edema.

Topics: Ammonia; Animals; Astrocytes; Brain Edema; Calcium Channel Blockers; Calcium Channels, L-Type; Calcium Signaling; Cell Size; Cells, Cultured; Cyclic GMP; Cyclic GMP-Dependent Protein Kinases; Enzyme Inhibitors; Fluorescent Dyes; Guanylate Cyclase; Microscopy, Confocal; Nimodipine; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Thionucleotides

Inflammatory mediators have a role in the formation of cerebral oedema and there is evidence that cGMP is an important signal in vascular permeability increase. We have investigated the role and the source of cGMP in mediating the permeability response to acutely applied bradykinin and the histamine H(2) agonist dimaprit on single cerebral venular capillaries, by using the single vessel occlusion technique. We found that 8-bromo-cGMP applied acutely resulted in a small and reversible permeability increase with a log EC(50) -7.2 +/- 0.15 M. KT 5823, the inhibitor of cGMP-dependent protein kinase, abolished the permeability responses to both bradykinin and dimaprit, while zaprinast, an inhibitor of type 5 phosphodiesterase, potentiated the response to bradykinin. On the other hand, L-NMMA blocked the response to dimaprit, but not that to bradykinin. Inhibitors of soluble guanylyl cyclase, LY 85353 and methylene blue, also inhibited the permeability response to dimaprit, but not bradykinin. The permeability responses to the natriuretic peptides ANP and CNP were of similar magnitude to that of bradykinin with log EC(50) -10.0 +/- 0.33 M and -8.7 +/- 0.23 M, respectively. The natriuretic peptide receptor antagonist HS-142-1 blocked permeability responses to bradykinin as well as to ANP, and leukotriene D(4) blocked the responses to CNP and bradykinin, but not to dimaprit. In conclusion, the histamine H(2) receptor appears to signal via cGMP that is generated by a NO and soluble guanylyl cyclase, while bradykinin B(2) receptor also signals via cGMP but through particulate guanylyl cyclase.

Topics: Animals; Atrial Natriuretic Factor; Blood-Brain Barrier; Bradykinin; Brain Edema; Capillaries; Capillary Permeability; Cyclic GMP; Dimaprit; Female; Guanylate Cyclase; Histamine; Histamine Agonists; Inflammation Mediators; Male; Nitric Oxide; Pia Mater; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptor, Bradykinin B2; Receptors, Bradykinin; Receptors, Cytoplasmic and Nuclear; Receptors, Histamine H2; Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase; Venules

Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, HSP32) is an early gene that is responsive to an array of pathological conditions including, but not limited to, hypoxia and cerebral ischemia. HO-1 cleaves the heme molecule and produces carbon monoxide (CO) and biliverdin (an antioxidant) and is essential for iron homeostasis. The purpose of this study was to investigate, using transgenic (Tg) mice, whether overexpression of HO-1 in the brain augments or attenuates cellular injury caused by ischemic stroke. Homozygous HO-1 Tg mice that overexpress HO-1 under the control of the neuron-specific enolase promoter (characterized previously) were used. Under halothane anesthesia and normothermic conditions, wild-type nontransgenic (nTg; n = 22) and HO-1 Tg (n = 24) mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Six hours after induction of ischemia, Tg and nTg mice developed infarcts that were 39 +/- 6 and 63 +/- 9 mm3, respectively (p < 0.01). No significant difference between the two strains was observed in the values of brain edema (11.3 +/- 4% in Tg vs. 14.6 +/- 5% in nTg; p < 0.1). At 24 h after MCAo, Tg mice exhibited significant neuroprotection as determined by the stroke volumes (41 +/- 2 mm3 in Tg vs. 74 +/- 5 mm3 in nTg; p < 0.01) and values of ischemic cerebral edema (21 +/- 6% in Tg vs. 35 +/- 11% in nTg; p < 0.01). Data suggest that neuroprotection in Tg mice was, at least in part, related to the following findings: (a) constitutively up-regulated cyclic GMP and bcl-2 levels in neurons; (b) inhibition of nuclear localization of p53 protein; and (c) antioxidant action of HO-1, as detected by postischemic neuronal expression of ferritin, and decreases in iron staining and tissue lipid peroxidation. We suggest that pharmacological stimulation of HO-1 activity may constitute a novel therapeutic approach in the amelioration of ischemic injury during the acute period of stroke.

Topics: Animals; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Behavior, Animal; Blotting, Northern; Brain Edema; Brain Ischemia; Cerebral Arterial Diseases; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cyclic GMP; Ferritins; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing); Heme Oxygenase-1; Immunohistochemistry; Lipid Peroxidation; Membrane Proteins; Mice; Mice, Transgenic; NADPH Dehydrogenase; Neurons; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Stroke Volume; Tumor Suppressor Protein p53

The purpose of this experiment is to study the role of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in acute cerebral ischemic edema in Mongolian gerbils. The results show that intracerebroventricular injection (ICV) of AVP exacerbates acute ischemic brain edema, while ICV of AVP antiserum significantly decreases the ischemic brain edema. Nimodipine (calcium antagonist) cannot block this role of AVP in brain edema. In addition, the cortical Na(+)-K+ ATPase activity is significantly decreased, while the cAMP content of ischemic cortex and hypothalamus and the cGMP content of the hypothalamus are markedly increased after AVP ICV. These suggest that AVP may play an important role in the pathophysiologic process of ischemic brain edema by inhibiting the Na(+)-K+ ATPase activity of the cerebral cell membrane and the AVP receptors mediated by cAMP and cGMP.

Topics: Animals; Arginine Vasopressin; Brain; Brain Edema; Brain Ischemia; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Female; Gerbillinae; Injections, Intraventricular; Male; Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase

Protective effects of OP-2507 [15-cis-(4-propylcyclohexyl)-16,17,18,19,20-pentanor-9-deoxy -9 alpha, 6-nitrilo-PGF1 methyl ester] against cerebral anoxia and edema were investigated in a variety of experimental models in mice and rats. OP-2507 given s.c. or p.o. led to a consistent and dose-dependent prolongation of survival time against cerebral anoxia in hypobaric and normobaric hypoxia, KCN-induced anoxia and decapitation-induced gasping. Furthermore, treatment with 0.03-0.1 mg/kg s.c. or 0.3 mg/kg p.o. of OP-2507 was found to be effective against the changes of cerebral energy metabolites and cyclic nucleotides in hypoxic brain. In brain ischemia induced by bilateral ligation of common carotid arteries of rats, a reduction in specific gravity of cortex and an increase in water content of brain were observed, in accordance with changes of cerebral energy metabolites. These edematous and biochemical changes were prevented by the treatment with 0.01-0.03 mg/kg s.c. of OP-2507. These results indicate a potential usefulness of OP-2507 in protecting the brain from oxygen insufficiency resulting from cerebral ischemia.

Topics: Animals; Brain Edema; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cyclic AMP; Cyclic GMP; Epoprostenol; Hypoxia, Brain; Male; Mice; Potassium Cyanide; Rats; Rats, Inbred Strains