In this study, the effect of Actovegin (AC) on glucose and energy metabolism of cerebral cortex and hippocampus after 15 minute complete cerebral ischemic (cci) and postischemic recirculation periods of 60 min, 24 h, 48 h, 72 and 96 h was investigated. The study was performed on 2-year-old male Wistar rats which may be designated as aged. Actovegin is a dried, deproteinized extract of calf blood which acts on mitochondrial respiration and energy metabolism. After cci, the metabolic abnormalities measured as concentrations of glucose, lactate, creatine phosphate (CrP), and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) normalized rapidly. After 48 h and 72 h postischemic recirculation, however, an imbalance in energy metabolism became manifest in cerebral cortex, and even earlier (24 h), longer (96 h), and more severely in hippocampus. AC (1 ml diluted with 1 ml distilled water/day; 1 ml AC contains 40 mg dried deproteinized extract) counterbalanced the postischemic abnormalities in cerebral cortex and hippocampus. This drug may be able to reduce the detrimental effects to the neuron during postischemic recirculation and may thus help the neuron to survive during this critical period.

Aging↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Age-related histochemical staining patterns of glycosaminoglycans in cell nuclei of different regions of the rat brain: a pilot study.

The brains of 6 rats aged 12 months (adult) and 6 rats aged 24 months (aged) were embedded in paraffin following steady state perfusion with fixation solution. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) were demonstrated by histochemical methods using the Alcian blue CEC method in combination with the Feulgen reaction and testis hyaluronidase. Cell nuclei revealed different patterns of GAGs in different layers of the brain cortex and in different cell types. In neuronal cell nuclei of layer 2, no GAGs are found and this may be the case also in certain types of pyramidal cells. There was a reduction of the blue staining components of the chromatin network by hyaluronidase, and also a reduction of the electronmicroscopic contrast by this enzyme in pilot study using a specimen of one animal. The enzyme effects were found to be more marked or even exclusively present in the group of aged animals. Thus, the contents of chrondroitin sulfates or hyluronate which are substrates of the enzyme may be increased either relatively or absolutely in cell nuclei of aged brains whereas GAGs resistant to the enzyme may be reduced in activity. Since GAGs are known to influence DNA activity, the variations demonstrated may be assumed to be of significance for the aging process in postmitotic cells.

Journal Article↗