In vivo measurement of presynaptic Zn2+ release during forebrain ischemia in rats

Previous studies have suggested that during forebrain ischemia, considerable Zn2+ is released from synaptic vesicles of gultamatergic neuronal terminals and accumulates in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, leading to delayed neuronal death. However, since a time lag exists between the accumulation of Zn2+ and the occurrence of ischemia and there are conflicting reports about the amount of Zn2+ released, the level of released Zn2+ during ischemia in vivo is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the temporal change of extracellular Zn2+ in the hippocampal CA1 area using microdialysis and the accumulation of Zn2+ in hippocampal CA1 neurons with TSQ staining in rats with a transient forebrain ischemia. The level of extracellular Zn2+ in the CA1 area increased transiently reaching a peak 15 min after occlusion, then decreased with time, returning to the basal level 15 min after reperfusion. In addition, at this peak, the level of extracellular Zn2+ was about twice the basal level. Assessment of the intracellular Zn2+ in hippocampal neurons with TSQ revealed that Zn2+ accumulate at 24 h, but not 0 and 6 h after ischemia. These results suggest that, although the synaptic vesicular Zn2+ is released into the synaptic cleft during ischemia in vivo, the amount of released Zn2+ might not be so excessive, and it does not accumulate in hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons immediately after ischemia.