The aim of this study was to determine whether mitochondrial nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) is involved in septic shock myocardial depression. The cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) method was used to induce septic shock. There was a significant depression of hemodynamic parameters recorded in the septic shock stage. After using nonselective NOS inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), inducible NOS inhibitor aminoguanidine (AMG), and neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), depression of the parameters was partly attenuated. Nitric oxide production in isolated cardiac mitochondria increased obviously in the CLP-septic shock stage, L-NAME and 7-NI both decreased NO production significantly. Nitrite/nitrate (NOx) production in the septic shock stage was much greater than those in the corresponding sham groups, and NOx production in the cytosol by inducible NOS was greater. Treatment with AMG suppressed NOx production in the cytosol by iNOS, whereas treatment with 7-NI decreased NOx production in the mitochondria. Mitochondrial NOS expression increased significantly in the septic shock stage, and its overexpression was attenuated using 7-NI. There was no significant decrease in the mitochondrial permeability transition pore measurement in the CLP-septic shock group, whereas a significant decrease was observed in those treated with L-NAME or 7-NI. These results indicate that overexpression of mitochondrial NOS is involved in myocardial depression.

Purpose: Neuropathic pain (NP) is a challenging clinical problem due to its complex pathogenesis. In our previous study using microarray, we found that the levels of lncRNA Malat1 were decreased in the spinal cord of NP rat after brachial plexus avulsion, but its contribution to NP remain unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate its role in the pathogenesis of NP. Methods: In the NP model of complete brachial plexus avulsion rat, spinal cords were harvested, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to test the spatial expression of Malat1 and qRT-PCR was used to confirm the quantitative expression of Malat1. In primary cultured neurons, Malat1 expression interfered with adenovirus. Spontaneous electric activities of neurons were tested using multi-electrode arrays and apoptosis of neurons was tested using TUNEL method. The change of intracellular calcium concentration was analyzed using calcium imaging method. Results: Decreased Malat1 expression was confirmed using qRT-PCR, and Malat1 was identified in the cytoplasm of neurons in spinal cord, but not in glia. In vitro, the decrease of Malat1 resulted in an increase in the frequency of spontaneous electric activity in neurons but had no effect on neuronal apoptosis. Further analysis indicated during glutamate stimulation, the change of intracellular calcium concentration in neurons with downregulated Malat1 expression was significantly greater than that in normal neurons. Conclusion: Reduced Malat1 expression may induce NP by increasing neuronal excitability in the spinal cord via regulation of calcium flux.

Background Astrocyte over-activation and extensive neuron loss are the main characteristic pathological features of spinal cord ischemia–reperfusion injury (SCII). Prior studies have placed substantial emphasis on the role of heat shock protein family A member 8 (HSPA8) on postischemic myocardial inflammation and cardiac dysfunction. However, it has never been determined whether HSPA8 participates in astrocyte activation and thus mediated neuroinflammation associated with SCII. Methods The left renal artery ligation-induced SCII rat models and oxygen–glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R)-induced rat primary cultured astrocytes were established. The lentiviral vector encoding short hairpin RNA targeting HSPA8 was delivered to the spinal cord by intrathecal administration or to culture astrocytes. Then, the spinal neuron survival, gliosis, and nod-like receptor pyrin domain-containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome and its related pro-inflammatory cytokines were analyzed. Results SCII significantly enhanced the GFAP and HSPA8 expression in the spinal cord, resulting in blood–brain barrier breakdown and the dramatical loss of spinal neuron and motor function. Moreover, injury also increased spinal nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) p65 phosphorylation, NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated caspase-1 activation, and subsequent interleukin (IL)-1β as well as IL-18 secretion. Silencing the HSPA8 expression efficiently ameliorated the spinal cord tissue damage and promoted motor function recovery after SCII, through blockade of the astrocyte activation and levels of phosphorylated NF-κB, NLRP3, caspase-1, IL-1β, and IL-18. Further in vitro studies confirmed that HSPA8 knockdown protected astrocytes from OGD/R-induced injury via the blockade of NF-κB and NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Conclusion Our findings indicate that knockdown of HSPA8 inhibits spinal astrocytic damage after SCII, which may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for SCII treatment.

Early locomotor exercise after stroke has attracted a great deal of attention in clinical and animal research in recent years. A series of animal studies showed that early locomotor exercise poststroke could protect against ischemic brain injury and improve functional outcomes through the promotion of angiogenesis, inhibition of acute inflammatory response and neuron apoptosis, and protection of the blood-brain barrier. However, to date, the clinical application of early locomotor exercise poststroke was limited because some clinicians have little confidence in its effectiveness. Here we review the current progress of early locomotor exercise poststroke in animal models. We hope that a comprehensive awareness of the early locomotor exercise poststroke may help to implement early locomotor exercise more appropriately in treatment for ischemic stroke.RÉSUMÉ: Neuroprotection conférée par l'exercice locomoteur précoce après un accident vasculaire cérébral : données tirées des études chez l'animal. L'exercice locomoteur précoce après un accident vasculaire cérébral (AVC) a retenu l'attention en recherche clinique et en recherche chez l'animal au cours des dernières années. Plusieurs études chez l'animal ont montré que l'exercice locomoteur précoce après un AVC protégerait contre une lésion ischémique du cerveau et pourrait améliorer l'issue fonctionnelle en favorisant l'angiogenèse, l'inhibition de la réponse inflammatoire aiguë et l'apoptose neuronale ainsi que la protection de la barrière hémato-encéphalique. Cependant, à ce jour, le recours en clinique à l'exercice locomoteur précoce après un AVC a été limité parce que certains cliniciens ont peu confiance en son efficacité. Nous revoyons les progrès actuels dans le domaine de l'exercice locomoteur précoce après un AVC chez des modèles animaux. Nous espérons qu'une sensibilisation à l'exercice locomoteur précoce après un AVC pourra favoriser une utilisation de l'exercice locomoteur précoce de façon plus appropriée dans le traitement de l'AVC ischémique.

Spinal cord injury (SCI), a major cause of disability, causes high global disease and economic burdens. Stress‐induced phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) has been identified to be involved in spinal cord ischaemia‐reperfusion injury (SCII); however, the effect of STIP1 on SCII remains unclear until now. This study aimed to examine the role of STIP1 in SCII and unravel the possible mechanisms. Western blotting and immunohistochemical staining showed that STIP1 expression rapidly increased and then decreased in rat spinal cord following SCII treatment. Neurological function scoring, HE staining, immunohistochemical staining and Western blotting revealed that STIP1 overexpression alleviated SCII‐induced motor dysfunction of hind limbs, neuronal loss and inflammation in spinal cord, and inhibited activity of nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB) signalling in rats. Immunoprecipitation identified that STIP1 was co‐located with Iba‐1. In addition, STIP1 was found to ameliorate oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD)‐induced inflammation and activation of NF‐κB signalling in mouse microglia BV2 cells, and STIP1 resulted in decrease of heat shock protein family A member 8 (HSPA8), increase of IκBβ expression and reduced binding of IκBβ to HSPA8 in BV2 cells. The results of the present study demonstrate that STIP1 alleviates ischaemia/reperfusion‐induced neuronal injury and inflammation in rat spinal cord and mouse microglial cells by deactivating NF‐κB signalling. These findings may provide novel insights for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of SCI.