Delayed treatment with ADAMTS13 ameliorates cerebral ischemic injury without hemorrhagic complication.

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke. However, delayed tPA treatment increases the risk of cerebral hemorrhage and can result in exacerbation of nerve injury. ADAMTS13, a von Willebrand factor (VWF) cleaving protease, has a protective effect against ischemic brain injury and may reduce bleeding risk by cleaving VWF. We examined whether ADAMTS13 has a longer therapeutic time window in ischemic stroke than tPA in mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). ADAMTS13 (0.1mg/kg) or tPA (10mg/kg) was administered i.v., immediately after reperfusion of after 2-h or 4-h MCAO for comparison of the therapeutic time windows in ischemic stroke. Infarct volume, hemorrhagic volume, plasma high-mobility group box1 (HMGB1) levels and cerebral blood flow were measured 24h after MCAO. Both ADAMTS13 and tPA improved the infarct volume without hemorrhagic complications in 2-h MCAO mice. On the other hand, ADAMTS13 reduced the infarct volume and plasma HMGB1 levels, and improved cerebral blood flow without hemorrhagic complications in 4-h MCAO mice, but tPA was not effective and these animals showed massive intracerebral hemorrhage. These results indicated that ADAMTS13 has a longer therapeutic time window in ischemic stroke than tPA, and ADAMTS13 may be useful as a new therapeutic agent for ischemic stroke.

A role for hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase in the mediation of hyperphagia and weight gain induced by chronic treatment with olanzapine in female rats.

Olanzapine is known to be advantageous with respect to outcome and drug compliance in patients with schizophrenia. However, olanzapine has adverse effects, including a higher incidence of weight gain and metabolic disturbances, when compared with those of other antipsychotic agents. The mechanisms underlying these adverse events remain obscure. Female rats were orally administered olanzapine (2 mg/kg) or vehicle once a day for 2 weeks to ascertain if hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) mediates olanzapine-induced weight gain and hyperphagia. Body weight and food intake in each rat were evaluated every day and every two days, respectively. After the termination of drug treatment, we measured the protein levels of AMPK and phosphorylated AMPK in the hypothalamus using western blot analyses. Olanzapine significantly increased body weight and food intake. The phosphorylation levels of AMPK were significantly elevated by olanzapine. These results suggest that activation of hypothalamic AMPK may mediate hyperphagia and weight gain induced by chronic treatment with olanzapine.

Regulation of ghrelin secretion during pregnancy and lactation in the rat: possible involvement of hypothalamus.

We investigated the plasma concentration of ghrelin peptide during pregnancy and lactation in rats. Plasma ghrelin levels on days 10 and 15 of pregnancy were significantly lower than those of the non-pregnant rats. Thereafter, the plasma ghrelin levels on day 20 of pregnancy sharply increased to levels comparable with those in non-pregnant rats. Ghrelin peptide concentrations in the stomach did not change significantly during pregnancy. In the hypothalamus, ghrelin mRNA levels were significantly lower on day 15 of pregnancy than in the non-pregnant rats. Also, plasma ghrelin levels were significantly lower in lactating dams than non-lactating controls on days 3 and 8 of lactation. We examined the possible involvement of prolactin and oxytocin in the regulation of plasma ghrelin concentrations during lactation. Although plasma prolactin levels were decreased by the administration of bromocriptine, plasma ghrelin levels did not differ significantly between vehicle- and drug-treated lactating rats. Administration of haloperidol produced a marked increase in plasma prolactin levels as compared with the non-lactating controls. However, plasma ghrelin levels were not significantly different between vehicle- and drug-treated rats. Administration of an oxytocin antagonist into the lateral ventricle significantly inhibited the increase in the plasma oxytocin level induced by acute suckling. However, plasma ghrelin levels did not significantly between the groups. These observations indicated that the decrease in serum ghrelin is caused by a loss of the contribution of hypothalamic ghrelin. Furthermore, the present results suggested that the suckling stimulus itself, but the release of prolactin or oxytocin, is the factor most likely to be responsible for the suppression of ghrelin secretion during lactation.