Zinc translocation and heat shock protein induction in rat brains following kainate seizures / 대한해부학회지

ABSTRACT

Translocation of synaptic zinc may mediate neuronal death in pathological conditions. In this study, we examined the possible correlation between zinc translocation and heat shock protein (HSP)72 induction in rat brains following kainate seizures. Zinc accumulation, visualized by Timm's method, occurred in degenerating neurons in hippocampus, amygdala, and cortex 6~24 h after kainate injection. Immunohistochemistry with anti-HSP72 antibody revealed HSP induction largely in areas where zinc accumulation occurred. At the cellular level, however, most HSP72 immunoreac-tive neurons were found to be Timm (-) and morphologically intact. Present results suggest that intense zinc translocation may induce neuronal death before possible HSP induction. However, we could not rule out the possibility that sublethal zinc translocation, below the detection limit by Timm's method, may play a role in HSP72 induction.