Brain mitochondrial responses to postischemic reperfusion: a role for calcium and hydrogen peroxide?

During early recirculation following global brain ischemia, mitochondria are exposed to markedly elevated Ca(2+) concentrations and a short-lived production of reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). A brief increase in mitochondrial Ca(2+) and a subsequent increase in mitochondrial glutathione content have been observed. In the present study, we have confirmed the increase in mitochondrial glutathione in a rat model of global forebrain ischemia. This change was not inhibited by treatment of the rats with FK506, contrasting with our previous finding that cyclosporin A partially blocked the increase. These results suggest that induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition may be necessary for the increase in glutathione content in these organelles. To further investigate possible mitochondrial responses during early postischemic reperfusion, mitochondria isolated from normal brain were exposed to Ca(2+) and H(2)O(2), under conditions similar to those in intact cells. Respiratory activity was substantially modified when the mitochondria were exposed to Ca(2+) and H(2)O(2) together. Two distinct and largely noninteracting mechanisms apparently accounted for the responses to these agents. The effects of Ca(2+), but not H(2)O(2), were inhibited by cyclosporin A, again implicating the permeability transition in some of the mitochondrial changes.

Impairment of brain mitochondrial function by hydrogen peroxide.

Hydrogen peroxide, at concentrations comparable to those observed under some pathological conditions, produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of state 3 (ADP-stimulated) and uncoupled mitochondrial respiratory activity. The ADP:O ratio was also substantially reduced. In contrast, the organic peroxide, t-butylhydroperoxide at the same concentrations produced no significant changes in respiratory activity. Intramitochondrial glutathione was oxidised to a similar extent in the presence of hydrogen peroxide or t-butylhydroperoxide. Thus, changes in this endogenous antioxidant apparently did not underlie the different responses to these peroxides. The effects of hydrogen peroxide were not altered by deferoxamine indicating that the extramitochondrial generation of hydroxyl radicals was not likely to be involved. However, modifications arising from the generation of hydroxyl radicals within the mitochondria remain a likely contributor to the observed deleterious effects on respiratory function. The inhibitory effects of hydrogen peroxide were greatest when pyruvate plus malate were present as respiratory substrates. Lesser inhibition was seen with glutamate plus malate and no significant inhibitory effects were detected in the presence of succinate. The findings suggest that mitochondrial components involved in pyruvate oxidation were particularly sensitive to the hydrogen peroxide treatment. However, no significant change was seen in activity of either the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex or NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase (complex I) when measured directly following treatment of the mitochondria with hydrogen peroxide.

Cyclosporin A-sensitive changes in mitochondrial glutathione are an early response to intrastiatal NMDA or forebrain ischemia in rats.

An intrastriatal injection of NMDA produced an increase in glutathione to 152% of control values in mitochondria isolated from striatum at 1 h later. Total tissue glutathione was not changed. The mitochondrial increase was largely reversed by 2 h. Glutathione content was not significantly affected in mitochondria from a part of the cerebral cortex that did not exhibit damage following intrastriatal NMDA. Glutathione was similarly increased in mitochondria from both cortex and striatum at 1 h after a short period of forebrain ischemia, confirming our previous findings. The increases in mitochondrial glutathione developed shortly after accumulations of mitochondrial calcium that have been observed previously. Intravenous injection of cyclosporin A immediately following either the NMDA treatment or reversal of the ischemic period partially inhibited the increases in glutathione in mitochondria from the affected brain subregions. These studies provide evidence that early changes sensitive to cyclosporin A develop in mitochondria under pathological conditions in the intact brain. These glutathione increases are consistent with an induction of the mitochondrial permeability transition in the affected tissue.

The antioxidant defences of brain mitochondria during short-term forebrain ischemia and recirculation in the rat.

This study evaluated changes in the antioxidant defences of mitochondria induced by 30 min of forebrain ischemia and recirculation up to 24 h in rats. Following treatment, mitochondria were isolated from two brain subregions: the dorsolateral striatum, an area in which there is loss of most neurons, and the paramedian cortex in which most neurons are resistant to damage. During ischemia and the first few hours of recirculation, the mitochondrial defences were largely preserved based on measurements of the activities of the enzymes, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase, as well as the response of the mitochondria to a subsequent exposure to H2O2 in vitro. However, some moderate changes were detected, particularly in the mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum. A decrease of 30% in the activity of superoxide dismutase was seen at the conclusion of the ischemic period and a small increase in susceptibility to changes induced by H2O2 was detected during early recirculation. This latter change preceded and possibly contributed to the development of an impairment of respiratory function detected in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum at 3 h of recirculation. At 24 h of recirculation, larger changes were seen in the activities of all three of the enzymes in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum but not the paramedian cortex that was associated with progression to advanced neuronal damage in the former subregion.

The pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is partially inactivated during early recirculation following short-term forebrain ischemia in rats.

The mechanisms of selective neuronal loss after short-term global ischemia remain undefined, but processes including increased proteolytic activity, impaired protein synthesis, and oxidative damage have been proposed to contribute. A decrease in activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the dorsolateral striatum, an ischemia-susceptible region, is one change apparently differentiating this region from ischemia-resistant areas during early recirculation. To provide an insight into processes contributing to postischemic cell damage, the changes in the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex during early recirculation have been further characterized. These studies provide clear confirmation that the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex is reduced in mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum by 3 h of recirculation. The decrease in activity was not accompanied by a loss of antigenic sites or by changes in electrophoretic mobility of the components of the complex. A reduction in activity of the E1 component of the complex (39-42% decrease), but not the E2 and E3 components, was observed that was apparently sufficient to explain the decrease in activity of the whole complex. These results indicate that the changes in activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in the dorsolateral striatum are not due to loss or gross disruption of the constituent proteins but rather most likely reflect a selective inactivation of a specific component of the complex.

Reduced activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex but not cytochrome c oxidase is associated with neuronal loss in the striatum following short-term forebrain ischemia.

Previous studies have identified changes in the activities of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC) and cytochrome c oxidase during early recirculation following short-term cerebral ischemia. However, the relationship of these changes to the delayed selective neuronal loss that develops as a result of short-term ischemia is incompletely defined. The effects of ischemia and recirculation on the activities of these enzymes in the dorsolateral striatum, a region containing many susceptible neurons, and the ischemia-resistant paramedian cortex have been compared. No significant loss of activity of cytochrome c oxidase was seen in either region during the first few hours of recirculation following 30 min of ischemia. A decrease (of 32%) was observed at 24 h in the dorsolateral striatum. However, this probably resulted from changes in the mitochondrial fraction due to advanced neuronal degeneration. By contrast, there was a significant decrease (by 24%) in activity of PDHC at 3 h following a 30-min, but not a 10-min, ischemic period. Only the 30-min ischemic period resulted in extensive delayed neuronal loss. In the paramedian cortex, there was no significant change in PDHC and no neuronal loss following either ischemic period. These results provide strong evidence for a close association between neuronal loss and changes in the activity of PDHC but not cytochrome c oxidase in the dorsolateral striatum.

Alterations in the glutathione content of mitochondria following short-term forebrain ischemia in rats.

Total glutathione was measured in mitochondria isolated following 30 min of ischemia and recirculation periods up to 24 h. Mitochondria prepared from the dorsolateral striatum, a region containing many neurons susceptible to short ischemic periods, were compared with those from the paramedian cortex, an ischemia-resistant region. Parallel increases in glutathione content (to approximately 150% of pre-ischemic values) were seen in both regions during the first few hours of recirculation. By 24 h of recirculation, there was a decrease below pre-ischemic values in preparations from the dorsolateral striatum but not the paramedian cortex. The early increases in mitochondrial glutathione were not associated with comparable increases in total tissue glutathione. A shorter (10 min) ischemic period also produced an early increase in mitochondrial glutathione but this was reversed more rapidly to preischemic values. The observed changes indicate post-ischemic modifications of cellular oxidative defenses in the two brain regions studied.

Biochemical changes associated with selective neuronal death following short-term cerebral ischaemia.

A brief interruption of blood flow to the brain results in the selective loss of specific subpopulations of neurons. Important advances have been made in recent years in defining the biochemical changes associated with cerebral ischaemia and reperfusion and in identifying physical and chemical interventions capable of modifying the extent of neuronal loss. Neuronal death is not irreversibly determined by the ischaemic period but develops during recirculation over a period of hours or even days in different susceptible neuronal populations. The onset of ischaemia produces a rapid decline in ATP production and an associated major redistribution of ions across the plasma membrane including a large intracellular accumulation of Ca2+ in many neurons. Alterations subsequently develop in many other metabolites. These include a marked and progressive release of neurotransmitters and a rapid accumulation of free fatty acids. Most of these alterations are reversed within the first 20 min to 1 hr of recirculation. The changes essential for initiating damage in neurons destined to die have not been definitively identified although there is some evidence suggesting roles for the intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, the release of the neurotransmitter glutamate and a brief burst of free radical production which occurs during early recirculation. During further recirculation, there are reductions in oxidative glucose metabolism and protein synthesis in many brain regions. Few changes have been detected which distinguish tissue containing ischaemia-susceptible neurons from ischaemia-resistant regions until the development of advanced degeneration and neuronal loss. Subtle changes in cytoplasmic Ca2+ content and a decrease in the respiratory capacity of mitochondria are two changes apparently selectively affecting ischaemia-susceptible regions which could contribute to neuronal loss. The mitochondrial change may be one indicator of a slowly developing post-ischaemic increase in susceptibility to oxidative damage in some cells.

The calcium content of mitochondria from brain subregions following short-term forebrain ischemia and recirculation in the rat.

A procedure was established for determining the calcium content of mitochondria isolated from rat brain subregions based on changes in fura-2 fluorescence after disruption of the organelles with Triton X-100 and sodium dodecyl sulfate. Mitochondria isolated from the forebrain of normal rats contained 2.5 +/- 0.9 nmol of calcium/mg of protein. A 30-min ischemic period produced an approximately twofold increase in the calcium content of mitochondria isolated from the dorsolateral striatum, a region in which most neurons die within 24 h after this period of ischemia. The calcium content of mitochondria from the paramedian cortex, a region in which there are few ischemia-susceptible neurons, tended to be similarly increased, although this difference was not statistically significant. Larger increases (to approximately five times control values) were seen in mitochondria isolated from both regions after 10 min of recirculation. By 1 h of recirculation, mitochondrial calcium had returned close to preischemic control values in both regions. Longer recirculation periods produced no further changes in the calcium content of mitochondria from the paramedian cortex. However, mitochondrial calcium was again increased in the dorsolateral striatum after 6 h (6.5 nmol of calcium/mg of protein) and 24 h (8.7 nmol of calcium/mg of protein) of recirculation. This regionally selective increase in calcium in the dorsolateral striatum preceded the period during which the majority of neurons in this region exhibit advanced degenerative changes. Thus, this increase may be an essential step, albeit a late one, in the development of neuronal loss.

Selective reductions in the activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex in mitochondria isolated from brain subregions following forebrain ischemia in rats.

Previous studies showed that in rats exposed to 30 min of forebrain ischemia, there were reductions in pyruvate-supported respiration within the first 3 h of recirculation in mitochondria isolated from the dorsolateral striatum (a region in which the majority of neurons are susceptible to ischemia) but not the ischemia-resistant paramedian neocortex. The present study demonstrates that the changes in mitochondrial respiration apparently result from a loss of activity of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDHC). In mitochondria from the dorsolateral striatum, incubated in the presence of pyruvate and ADP (state 3 conditions) and treated to preserve the phosphorylation state of PDHC, there was no significant change from preischemic activity after 30 min of ischemia or 1 h of recirculation. However, a significant reduction (to 71% of control value) was observed at 3 h of recirculation, and the activity decreased further at 6 and 24 h (to 64 and 43% of control values, respectively). Total PDHC activity in the isolated mitochondria was similarly reduced at 3 h (68% of control values) and 6 h (73% of control values), indicating that the alteration was due to loss or inactivation of the PDHC rather than changes in phosphorylation of the complex. No significant changes were observed in the activity of two other mitochondrial markers, rotenone-sensitive NADH-cytochrome c oxidoreductase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase. None of the activities of these three enzymes in mitochondria from the paramedian neocortex was significantly affected by ischemia or recirculation. These results (together with previous observations) indicate an early and specific change affecting the PDHC in cells of the dorsolateral striatum.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Alterations in the production of 14CO2 and [14C]acetylcholine from [U-14C]glucose in brain subregions following transient forebrain ischemia in the rat.

The production of 14CO2 and [14C )acetylcholine from [U-14C]glucose was determined in vitro using tissue prisms prepared from the dorsolateral striatum (a region developing extensive neuronal loss following ischemia) and the paramedian neocortex (an ischemia-resistant region) following 30 min of forebrain ischemia and recirculation up to 24 h. Measurements were determined under basal conditions (5 mM K+) and following K+ depolarization (31 mM K+). The production of 14CO2 by the dorsolateral striatum was significantly reduced following 30 min of ischemia for measurements in either 5 or 31 mM K+ but recovered toward preischemic control values during the first hour of recirculation. Further recirculation resulted in 14CO2 production again being reduced relative to control values but with larger differences (20-27% reductions) detectable under depolarized conditions at recirculation times up to 6 h. Samples from the paramedian neocortex showed no significant changes from control values at all time points examined. [14C]Acetylcholine synthesis, a marker of cholinergic terminals that is sensitive to changes in glucose metabolism in these structures, was again significantly reduced only in the dorsolateral striatum. However, even in this tissue, only small (nonstatistically significant) differences were seen during the first 6 h of recirculation, a finding suggesting that changes in glucose oxidation during this period were not uniform within all tissue components. The results of this study provide evidence that in a region susceptible to ischemic damage there were specific changes during early recirculation in the metabolic response to depolarization. This apparent inability to respond appropriately to an increased need for energy production could contribute to the further deterioration of cell function in vivo and ultimately to the death of some cells.