hc-067047 and Infarction--Middle-Cerebral-Artery

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is widely expressed in the central nervous system and can be activated by multiple stimuli during cerebral ischemia. Recently, we reported that intracerebroventricular (icv.) injection of HC-067047, a specific TRPV4 antagonist, reduced brain infarction following 60-min of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). This study was undertaken to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying TRPV4-mediated neuronal injury in cerebral ischemia. We demonstrated that TRPV4 expression was upregulated in the ipsilateral hippocampus at 4 to 48 h post-MCAO, peaking at 18 h post-MCAO. Treatment with TRPV4 antagonists (HC-067047 and ruthenium red) dose-dependently reduced brain infarction at 24 h post-MCAO. Phosphorylation of protein kinase B (p-Akt) was downregulated and that of extracellular signal-related kinase (p-ERK) was upregulated at 8 to 24 h post-MCAO, which was markedly blocked by treatment with HC-067047. Icv. injection of GSK1016790A (a TRPV4 agonist), dose-dependently induced hippocampal neuronal death, accompanied by an increase in phosphorylation of the NR2B subunit of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). In addition, the level of p-Akt was decreased and that of p-ERK was increased by GSK1016790A-injection, which was sensitive to an NR2B antagonist. The neuronal toxicity of GSK1016790A was blocked by treatment with an NR2B antagonist and a phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) agonist but not by administration of a MAPK/ERK kinase antagonist. We conclude that the activation of TRPV4 is upregulated and involved in neuronal injury during cerebral ischemia and that the neurotoxicity associated with TRPV4-activation is mediated through NR2B-NMDAR and the related downregulation of the Akt signaling pathway.

Topics: Animals; Disease Models, Animal; Hippocampus; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; Male; Mice; Morpholines; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Pyrroles; Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; Reperfusion Injury; TRPV Cation Channels

Transient receptor potential vanilloid 4 (TRPV4) is a calcium-permeable cation channel that is sensitive to cell swelling, arachidonic acid and its metabolites, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, which are associated with cerebral ischemia. The activation of TRPV4 induces cytotoxicity in many types of cells, accompanied by an increase in the intracellular free calcium concentration. TRPV4 activation modulates the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and phosphatidyl inositol 3 kinase (PI3K)/ protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathways that regulate cell death and survival. Herein, we examined TRPV4-induced neuronal apoptosis by intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of a TRPV4 agonist (GSK1016790A) and assessed its involvement in cerebral ischemic injury. ICV injection of GSK1016790A dose-dependently induced apoptosis in the mouse hippocampi (GSK-injected mice). The protein level of phosphorylated p38 MAPK (p-p38 MAPK) was markedly increased and that of phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal protein kinase (p-JNK) was virtually unchanged. TRPV4 activation also decreased Bcl-2/Bax protein ratio and increased the cleaved caspase-3 protein level, and these effects were blocked by a PI3K agonist and a p38 MAPK antagonist, but were unaffected by a JNK antagonist. ICV injection of the TRPV4 antagonist HC-067047 reduced brain infarction after reperfusion for 48 h in mice with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In addition, HC-067047 treatment attenuated the decrease in the phosphorylated Akt protein level and the increase in p-p38 MAPK protein level at 48 h after MCAO, while the increase in p-JNK protein level remained unchanged. Finally, the decreased Bcl-2/Bax protein ratio and the increased cleaved caspase-3 protein level at 48 h after MCAO were markedly attenuated by HC-067047. We conclude that activation of TRPV4 induces apoptosis by downregulating PI3K/Akt and upregulating p38 MAPK signaling pathways, which is involved in cerebral ischemic injury.

Topics: Animals; Anthracenes; Apoptosis; bcl-2-Associated X Protein; Caspase 3; Down-Regulation; Enzyme Activation; Hippocampus; Imidazoles; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Leucine; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System; Mice; Mice, Inbred ICR; Morpholines; Oligopeptides; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases; Phosphorylation; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Pyridines; Pyrroles; Sulfonamides; TRPV Cation Channels