On the involvement of a mitochondrial pore in reperfusion injury

Preischemic hyperglycemia leads to rapidly developing brain damage with no change in capillary patency

The present experiments were undertaken to explore whether exaggeration of ischemic brain damage by preischemic hyperglycemia is due to lack of capillary patency in the postischemic period. Normo- and hyperglycemic rats were exposed to 10 min of forebrain ischemia. Histopathological changes were evaluated after 6 and 16-18 h of recovery by light microscopy, and capillary patency was assessed at the same time points by a double-staining technique, depicting perfused and morphologically identifiable capillaries. The results demonstrate that some neuronal damage was detectable after 6 h of recirculation which was aggravated after 16-18 h of recirculation in hyperglycemic rats. In contrast, the degree of capillary patency was similar in normo- and hyperglycemic rats. In both groups the perfusion marker, Evans blue, perfused about 95% of all capillaries when injected 10 s before decapitation. Since preischemic hyperglycemia exaggerates brain damage without cessation of capillary perfusion the primary targets of hyperglycemic brain damage may not be capillaries but neurons or glial cells.

Anoxic and ischemic injury of myelinated axons in CNS white matter: from mechanistic concepts to therapeutics

White matter of the brain and spinal cord is susceptible to anoxia and ischemia. Irreversible injury to this tissue can have serious consequences for the overall function of the CNS through disruption of signal transmission. Myelinated axons of the CNS are critically dependent on a continuous supply of energy largely generated through oxidative phosphorylation. Anoxia and ischemia cause rapid energy depletion, failure of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase, and accumulation of axoplasmic Na+ through noninactivating Na+ channels, with concentrations approaching 100 mmol/L after 60 minutes of anoxia. Coupled with severe K+ depletion that results in large membrane depolarization, high [Na+]i stimulates reverse Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange and axonal Ca2+ overload. A component of Ca2+ entry occurs directly through Na+ channels. The excessive accumulation of Ca2+ in turn activates various Ca(2+)-dependent enzymes, such as calpain, phospholipases, and protein kinase C, resulting in irreversible injury. The latter enzyme may be involved in "autoprotection," triggered by release of endogenous gamma-aminobutyric acid and adenosine, by modulation of certain elements responsible for deregulation of ion homeostasis. Glycolytic block, in contrast to anoxia alone, appears to preferentially mobilize internal Ca2+ stores; as control of internal Ca2+ pools is lost, excessive release from this compartment may itself contribute to axonal damage. Reoxygenation paradoxically accelerates injury in many axons, possibly as a result of severe mitochondrial Ca2+ overload leading to a secondary failure of respiration. Although glia are relatively resistant to anoxia, oligodendrocytes and the myelin sheath may be damaged by glutamate released by reverse Na(+)-glutamate transport. Use-dependent Na+ channel blockers, particularly charged compounds such as QX-314, are highly neuroprotective in vitro, but only agents that exist partially in a neutral form, such as mexiletine and tocainide, are effective after systemic administration, because charged species cannot penetrate the blood-brain barrier easily. These concepts may also apply to other white matter disorders, such as spinal cord injury or diffuse axonal injury in brain trauma. Moreover, whereas many events are unique to white matter injury, a number of steps are common to both gray and white matter anoxia and ischemia. Optimal protection of the CNS as a whole will therefore require combination therapy aimed at unique steps in gray and white matter regions, or intervention at common points in the injury cascades.

The immunosuppressant drug FK506 ameliorates secondary mitochondrial dysfunction following transient focal cerebral ischemia in the rat

Recirculation following 2 h of focal ischemia due to transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion has previously been found to be accompanied by an initial, partial recovery of the cellular bioenergetic state and of mitochondrial respiratory functions, with secondary deterioration during the first 2-4 h of reflow. Both the free radical spin trap alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone (PBN) and the immunosuppressant drug FK506 ameliorate the damage incurred by the 2-h period of focal ischemia, even when given 1-3 h after the start of the recirculation. The primary objective of this study was to find out if FK506, like PBN, prevents the secondary deterioration of mitochondrial function, as this can be studied in vitro. Since this proved to be the case, we addressed the question of whether the secondary mitochondrial dysfunction and bioenergetic failure were related to a secondary compromise of microcirculation and cellular oxygen delivery. Six groups of male Wistar rats were studied for measurement of mitochondrial respiratory activity (total, n = 36). One group was used as control (n = 6). In the other groups of animals, MCA occlusion of 2 h duration was induced by an intraluminal filament technique, Neocortical focal and perifocal ("penumbra") tissues were sampled after 2 h of ischemia (n = 6) and after 1 h (n = 6), 2 h (n = 6 with vehicle), and 4 h (n = 6 with vehicle; n = 6 with FK506) of recirculation. The vehicle or 1.0 mg.kg-1 of FK506 was injected intravenously after 1 h of recirculation. Homogenates were prepared, and stimulated (+ADP), nonstimulated (-ADP), and uncoupled respiratory rates were measured polarographically. The uncoupling agent used was carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone. Local CBF and tissue oxygen tension were evaluated by laser-Doppler flowmetry and PO2 microelectrodes, respectively, throughout the whole periods of 2 h of ischemia and 4 h of recirculation, using a remote MCA occlusion technique. After 2 h of ischemia, the penumbra showed a moderate decrease and the focus a marked decrease in ADP-stimulated and uncoupled respiratory rates, with a marked fall in the respiratory control ratio, defined as ADP-stimulated divided by nonstimulated respiration. Recirculation (1 h) brought about partial recovery, but continued reflow (2 and 4 h) was associated with a secondary deterioration of respiratory functions. The secondary deterioration was prevented by FK506. The results thus confirm previous findings showing that secondary mitochondrial dysfunction occurs following transient focal cerebral ischemia and demonstrate that FK506, like PBN, improves the in vitro performance of mitochondria in focal and penumbral areas. Following MCA occlusion, local CBF in a penumbral area and tissue PO2 in a focal area decreased to about 30 and 5% of control, respectively. However, recirculation brought about rapid recovery of blood flow and oxygen delivery. During the whole 4-h period of recirculation, local CBF and tissue PO2 were maintained close to 100% and at about 160% of the preischemic level, respectively. The results make it highly unlikely that the secondary bioenergetic failure during recirculation is due to a compromised microcirculation. It follows that oxygen delivery is not rate-limiting for recovery events. Very likely, FK506 (and PBN) acts at the cellular level to improve mitochondrial energy functions.

Cyclophilins are induced by hypoxia and heat stress in myogenic cells

This is a novel study demonstrating that cyclophilins are heat and stress inducible proteins in eukaryotic myogenic cells. We investigated the expression of cyclophilins in embryonal rat heart derived H9c2 myocytes following heat stress and chronic hypoxia. We report here that cyclophilins, the proteins capable of catalysing the interconversion of cis and trans isomers (PPIses) in proteins and peptides, are heat and stress inducible, and are involved in the complex stress response, as their level is significantly elevated after heat stress and hypoxia. A time course analysis showed the gradual increase in expressed levels of cyclophilin after heat stress of cells, with maximal expression as measured by Western blot at 48 hours after the actual treatment. Rat myogenic cells exposed to chronic hypoxia followed by 5 hours reoxygenation resulted in approximately threefold expression of PPI-ases. The results showing that cyclophilins are heat and stress inducible suggest a multiple role for cyclophilins in ischemia: a potential functional association with the different heat shock proteins, with the established protective role in ischaemic injury, as well as the possible involvement of cyclophilins in the protein folding in cooperation with molecular chaperones.

Measurement of mitochondrial calcium in single living cardiomyocytes by selective removal of cytosolic indo 1

The aim of the present study was to determine whether, in indo 1 acetoxymethyl ester (AM)-loaded rat cardiomyocytes, it was possible to remove cytosolic but not mitochondrial indo 1 by promoting loss of cytosolic indo 1 through plasma membrane anion pumps (which are blocked by probenecid). Isolated rat ventricular myocytes were loaded with indo 1-AM under conditions (15 min at 30 degrees C) in which about half of the dye is located within mitochondria. Cells were then maintained at 25 degrees C for 2.5 h followed by incubation at 37 degrees C for 1.5 h. After this "heat treatment," the myocyte fluorescence signal was 44% of the value of cells measured before heat treatment, and loss of fluorescence was prevented by 1 mM probenecid. The remaining fluorescence was shown to originate from mitochondria, since 1) Ca2+ uptake and efflux could be inhibited by ruthenium red and clonazepam, respectively, and 2) low concentrations of digitonin, which release only cytosolic marker enzymes, decreased fluorescence of untreated myocytes but had little effect on the fluorescence signal of heat-treated cells. We conclude that heat treatment selectively removes cytosolic indo 1, leaving a signal due to mitochondrial indo 1 only.

Exposure to the parkinsonian neurotoxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) and nitric oxide simultaneously causes cyclosporin A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation

The effect of the parkinsonian neurotoxin, 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium (MPP+) together with nitric oxide donors on mitochondrial calcium homeostasis and membrane potential was investigated. Simultaneous exposure of calcium-loaded mitochondria to MPP+ and nitric oxide donors led to Cyclosporin A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation. When MPP+ was replaced with the respiratory inhibitor rotenone, mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation also occurred. As both MPP+ and rotenone induce mitochondrial superoxide formation, the possibility that calcium efflux and depolarisation were due to peroxynitrite formation from reaction of superoxide with nitric oxide was investigated. It was shown that simultaneous exposure of mitochondrial membranes to nitric oxide donors and rotenone led to peroxynitrite formation. The possible roles of nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, mitochondrial depolarisation, and calcium efflux in MPP+ toxicity are discussed.

Peroxynitrite formed by simultaneous nitric oxide and superoxide generation causes cyclosporin-A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation

Nitric oxide reacts rapidly with superoxide to form the potent oxidant peroxynitrite. Mitochondria in vivo produce superoxide and in pathological situations the amount of superoxide produced increases; therefore, in the presence of nitric oxide, mitochondria will be a major site of peroxynitrite formation. Oxidative stress induces cyclosporin-A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation which may contribute to tissue damage in pathological situations. To determine whether peroxynitrite could induce calcium efflux and depolarisation we exposed mitochondria to both nitric oxide and superoxide simultaneously, thus subjecting the mitochondria to a continual flux of peroxynitrite similar to that found in pathological situations. Our results show that: (a) exposure of mitochondria to nitric oxide plus superoxide induces cyclosporin-A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation; (b) neither nitric oxide nor superoxide on their own induce calcium efflux or depolarisation under these conditions; (c) calcium efflux and depolarisation occur when peroxynitrite production (from nitric oxide and superoxide) exceeds about 0.99 +/- 0.03 nmol peroxynitrite.min-1 mg mitochondrial protein-1. This rate of production of peroxynitrite is similar in magnitude to superoxide formation by mitochondria in pathological situations, suggesting that mitochondria can produce sufficient peroxynitrite in vivo to cause mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation. Our experiments suggest a plausible model for tissue damage when mitochondrial superoxide production increases, for example in ischaemia-reperfusion injury or following exposure to neurotoxins. In the presence of nitric oxide the mitochondrial superoxide production will lead to peroxynitrite formation which induces cyclosporin-A-sensitive mitochondrial calcium efflux and depolarisation. This disruption to mitochondrial function may in turn contribute to cell damage and death.