Overexpression of kynurenic acid in stroke: An endogenous neuroprotector?
A Mangas1, J Yajeya2, N González3
1Gemacbio, Saint Jean d'Illac, France; Institut pour le Développement de la Recherche en Pathologie Humaine et Thérapeutique (IDRPHT), Talence, France; Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y León (INCYL), Laboratory of Neuroanatomy of the Peptidergic Systems, University of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
Abstract:
It is known that kynurenic acid (KYNA) exerts a neuroprotective effect against the neuronal loss induced by ischemia; acting as a scavenger, and exerting antioxidant action. In order to study the distribution of KYNA, a highly specific monoclonal antibody directed against KYNA was developed. This distribution was studied in control rats and in animals in which a middle cerebral artery occlusion (stroke model) was induced. By double immunohistochemistry, astrocytes containing KYNA and GFAP were exclusively found in the ipsilateral cerebral cortex and/or striatum, at 2, 5 and 21days after the induction of stroke. In control animals and in the contralateral side of the stroke animals, no immunoreactivity for KYNA was found. Under pathological conditions, the presence of KYNA is reported for the first time in the mammalian brain from early phases of stroke. The distribution of KYNA matches perfectly with the infarcted regions suggesting that, in stroke, this overexpressed molecule could be involved in neuroprotective/scavenger/antioxidant mechanisms.
More Related Videos
07:04A High-performance Liquid Chromatography Measurement of Kynurenine and Kynurenic Acid: Relating Biochemistry to Cognition and Sleep in Rats
Published on: August 19, 2018
07:34Author Spotlight: Establishing a Reliable Distal MCA Occlusion Model in Mice for Stroke Research
Published on: December 15, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Drugs Affecting Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Pharmacogenetic Phenotypes: Alterations in Pharmacokinetics, Drug Targets and Biologic Milieu
Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
Ischemic Heart Disease: Overview
Atherosclerosis, the primary malefactor, orchestrates this dangerous condition. It manifests as the accumulation of fatty deposits, akin to insidious plaques, within arterial walls. As time elapses, these plaques metamorphose, hardening and...
Acute Coronary Syndrome II: Pathophysiology and Clinical Manifestations
Coronary Artery Disease II: Pathophysiology
