Changes in rat cerebral mitochondrial succinate dehydrogenase activity after brain trauma

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2004

Authors

borges, n (Author) FCNAUP; cerejo, a (Author) Other; santos, a (Author) FCNAUP; sarmento, a (Author) Other; azevedo, i (Author) Other

Journal

Title: International Journal of Neuroscience

Vol. 114 No. 2

Pages: 217-227

ISSN: 0020-7454

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 7 Citations

Scopus - 9 Citations

Pubmed / Medline

Scientific classification

FOS: Medical and Health sciences > Basic medicine

CORDIS: Health sciences

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-000-BRM

DOI: 10.1080/00207450490249419

Abstract (EN): The objective of this study was to evaluate 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining in the brain tissue of rats submitted to a closed head traumatic injury, in comparison to control rats not submitted to trauma. The closed head, weight drop trauma model described by Marmarou et al. (1994) was used. Animals were all sacrificed 24 h after trauma. Staining of cerebral coronal slices using TTC, coupled to image analysis software, was used to measure the level of staining. An ultrastructural study of the brain region underneath the impact zone, as well as from the correspondent region of control rats, was also done. The TTC image analysis revealed a significant decrease in the percentage of white area, in traumatized rats (mean +/- SEM 23.93% +/- 2.26, n = 4 for control, 12.13% +/- 1.72, n = 9 for traumatized rats, p < .05). The ultrastructural analysis revealed that the number of axons showing at least one mitochondrion was significantly higher in the trauma group (mean &PLUSMN; SEM 49.3%, n = 4 rats, 75 photographs, 2443 axons) than in control groups (23%, n = 3 rats, 30 photographs, 6220 axons, (p < .001). Another difference observed was the larger mitochondrial size in the axons of traumatized rats (mean diameter +/- SEM 0.520 +/- 0.003 pin) compared to the controlled rats (0.368 +/- 0.006 mum; p < .001). The ultrastructural observation of the traumatized brain revealed a significantly higher number of peroxisomes per photograph (mean number &PLUSMN; SEM 10.58 &PLUSMN; 1.18, n = 75) compared to the control group (0.19 &PLUSMN; 0.08, n = 30, p < .001). The results indicate an increase of mitochondrial and peroxysomal relative mass, with a higher succinate dehydrogenase activity, 24 h after the induction of traumatic brain injury.

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 11