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Updated: Apr 17, 2026
Lipidomics and Transcriptomics in Neurological Diseases
Published on: March 18, 2022
Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 region of hyperlipidemic rats with chronic
Yingying Cheng1, Ying Zhang1, Hongmei Song1
1Department of Neurology, The First Bethune Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun 130021, Jilin Province, China.
Insights
Hyperlipidemia worsens chronic cerebral ischemia and cognitive decline in rats. This damage, particularly in the hippocampus, is linked to increased intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pathology
- Cardiovascular Research
Background:
- Chronic cerebral ischemia is a key factor in cerebrovascular diseases.
- It is often associated with conditions like hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.
- Understanding the mechanisms of hyperlipidemia's impact on cerebral ischemia is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how hyperlipidemia affects chronic cerebral ischemia in a rat model.
- To examine the role of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in hyperlipidemia-induced neurological damage.
- To assess the impact on cognitive function and hippocampal pathology.
Main Methods:
- Established a rat model of chronic cerebral ischemia with hyperlipidemia via high-fat diet and carotid artery occlusion.
- Evaluated cognitive function using the water maze test.
- Assessed hippocampal CA1 region pathology with hematoxylin-eosin staining.
- Quantified intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression using immunohistochemical staining.
Main Results:
- Cognitive function significantly decreased in rats with hyperlipidemia and/or chronic cerebral ischemia, most notably in the combined group.
- Pathological changes in the hippocampal CA1 region correlated with cognitive decline.
- Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression was significantly elevated in the hippocampus of rats with hyperlipidemia and/or chronic cerebral ischemia, especially in the combined model.
Conclusions:
- Hyperlipidemia exacerbates neurological damage and cognitive impairment associated with chronic cerebral ischemia.
- Up-regulated intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the hippocampus is a potential mechanism mediating this exacerbation.
- These findings highlight the detrimental role of hyperlipidemia in chronic cerebral ischemia progression.
Abstract:
Chronic cerebral ischemia is a pathological process in many cerebrovascular diseases and it is induced by long-term hyperlipidemia, hypertension and diabetes mellitus. After being fed a high-fat diet for 4 weeks, rats were subjected to permanent occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries to establish rat models of chronic cerebral ischemia with hyperlipidemia. Intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in rat hippocampal CA1 region was determined to better understand the mechanism underlying the effects of hyperlipidemia on chronic cerebral ischemia. Water maze test results showed that the cognitive function of rats with hyperlipidemia or chronic cerebral ischemia, particularly in rats with hyperlipidemia combined with chronic cerebral ischemia, gradually decreased between 1 and 4 months after occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries. This correlated with pathological changes in the hippocampal CA1 region as detected by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Immunohistochemical staining showed that intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the hippocampal CA1 region was noticeably increased in rats with hyperlipidemia or chronic cerebral ischemia, in particular in rats with hyperlipidemia combined with chronic cerebral ischemia. These findings suggest that hyperlipidemia aggravates chronic cerebral ischemia-induced neurological damage and cognitive impairment in the rat hippocampal CA1 region, which may be mediated, at least in part, by up-regulated expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1.
