lithium-chloride and Carotid-Artery-Diseases

Lithium has been reported to have neuroprotective effects, but the preventive and treated role on cognition impairment and the underlying mechanisms have not been determined. In the present study, C57Bl/6 mice were subjected to repeated bilateral common carotid artery occlusion to induce the learning and memory deficits. 2 mmol/kg or 5 mmol/kg of lithium chloride (LiCl) was injected intraperitoneally per day before (for 7 days) or post (for 28 days) the operation. This repeated cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) induced dynamic overexpression of ratio of Bcl-2/Bax and BDNF in hippocampus of mice. LiCl pretreatment and treatment significantly decreased the escape latency and increased the percentage of time that the mice spent in the target quadrant in Morris water maze. 2 mmol/kg LiCl evidently reversed the morphologic changes, up-regulated the survival neuron count and increased the BDNF gene and protein expression. 5 mmol/kg pre-LiCl significantly increased IR-stimulated reduce of Bcl-2/Bax and p-CREB/CREB. These results described suggest that pre-Li and Li treatment may induce a pronounced prevention on cognitive impairment. These effects may relay on the inhibition of apoptosis and increasing BDNF and p-CREB expression.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; bcl-2-Associated X Protein; Brain Ischemia; Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor; Carotid Artery Diseases; Cell Survival; Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; Disease Models, Animal; Hippocampus; Learning Disabilities; Lithium Chloride; Male; Maze Learning; Memory Disorders; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurons; Nootropic Agents; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Random Allocation; Reperfusion Injury; Spatial Memory

Recently, partial ligation of the common carotid artery (CCA) was reported to induce carotid atheromata rapidly in apolipoprotein-E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice. We investigated this new atherosclerosis model by using combined matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP) near-infrared fluorescent (NIRF) imaging and macrophage-tracking luciferase imaging.. Partial ligation of the left CCA was performed in 10-week-old ApoE(-/-) mice on a high fat diet (n=33); the internal and external carotid arteries and occipital artery were ligated, while the superior thyroid artery was left intact. Two thirds of the animals were treated with either LiCl or atorvastatin. At 1-week, Raw264.7 macrophages modified to express the enhanced firefly-luciferase reporter gene (10(7) Raw-luc cells) were injected intravenously. At 2-week, NIRF molecular imaging visualized strong MMP-2/9 activity in the ligated area of the left CCA as well as in the aortic arch. Left-to-right ratios of the NIRF signal intensities in the CCA had a decreasing gradient from the highest value in the upper-most ligated area to the lowest value in the lower-most region adjacent to the aortic arch. Luciferase imaging showed that most Raw-luc macrophages were recruited to the ligated area of the CCA rather than to the aortic arch, despite similarly strong MMP-2/9-related NIRF signal intensities in both areas. In addition, LiCl or atorvastatin could reduce MMP-2/9 activity in the aortic arch but not in the ligated area of the CCA.. This is the first molecular imaging study to characterize the partial ligation-induced carotid atherosclerosis model. Molecularly divergent types of atherosclerosis were identified: conventional lipogenic atherosclerosis in the aorta vs. flow-related mechanical atherosclerosis in the partially ligated left system.

Topics: Animals; Apolipoproteins E; Atorvastatin; Carotid Artery Diseases; Cell Line; Heptanoic Acids; Ligation; Lithium Chloride; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Molecular Imaging; Pyrroles

In experiments on cats with dissected vagus and aortal nerves under chloralose-urethane anesthesia, ventricular disorders of the cardiac rhythm were induced by ligation of the common carotid arteries. Appearance of arrhythmias was preceded by an increase in the sympathetic activity (recorded from the inferior cardiac or renal nerve) accompanied by a rise of the arterial blood pressure and of the heart rate. Intravenous injection of lithium chloride or hydroxybutyrate resulted in lowering of the sympathetic activity, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate, and led to the recovery of the sinus rhythm.

Topics: Animals; Arrhythmias, Cardiac; Blood Pressure; Cardiac Complexes, Premature; Carotid Artery Diseases; Cats; Chlorides; Heart Rate; Hydroxybutyrates; Lithium; Lithium Chloride; Organometallic Compounds; Sympathetic Nervous System; Tachycardia