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Exercise preconditioning ameliorates inflammatory injury in ischemic rats during reperfusion

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Abstract

There is evidence that physical activity is associated with decreased brain injury resulting from transient middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. We investigated whether exercise could reduce stroke-induced brain inflammatory injury and its associated mediators. Sprague Dawley rats (3 months old) were subjected to 30 min exercise on a treadmill each day for 1–3 weeks. Stroke, in exercised and non-exercised animals, was then induced by a 2-h MCA occlusion followed by 48 h of reperfusion using an intraluminal filament. Endothelial expression of the intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) and leukocyte infiltration were determined by immunocytochemistry. Expressions of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and ICAM-1 mRNA were detected using a real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction in ischemic rats with or without exercise, and in non-ischemic control rats following exercise. Expression of TNF-α increased after exercise for 2 and 3 weeks. The overexpression of TNF-α was not further elevated in 3-week exercised rats subjected to a transient MCA occlusion and 6 or 12 h of reperfusion, as compared to that in non-exercised rats. Furthermore, ICAM-1 mRNA expression remained at significantly (P<0.01) low levels in exercised animals during ischemia/reperfusion. Pre-ischemic exercise significantly (P<0.01) reduced numbers of ICAM-1-positive vessels and infiltrating leukocytes in the frontoparietal cortex and dorsolateral striatum in ischemic rats after 48 h of reperfusion. Exercised ischemic rats demonstrated an 11±7% infarct volume of contralateral hemisphere as compared to a 52±3% volume in non-exercised ischemic rats. The data suggests that exercise inhibits inflammatory injury (i.e., decreased expression of inflammatory mediators and reduced accumulation of leukocytes) during reperfusion, leading to reduced brain damage. Chronically increased expression of TNF-α during exercise prevent the same downstream inflammatory events as does acutely elevated TNF-α after ischemia/reperfusion.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr. Qin Lai for his help in the statistical analysis, to Mr. Yandong Zhou for his help in preparation of the manuscript. This work was supported partially by an American Heart Association Midwest Affiliate Grant in Aid and Wayne State University Research Stimulation Fund to Yuchuan Ding.

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  1. Justin C. Clark

    Present address: University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurological Surgery, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Lande Medical Research Building, Room 48, 550 E. Canfield Street, Detroit, MI, 48201, USA

    Yun-Hong Ding, Chen N. Young, Xiaodong Luan, Jie Li, Justin C. Clark, James P. McAllister II & Yuchuan Ding

  2. Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    Josè A. Rafols & James P. McAllister II

  3. Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    James P. McAllister II

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  1. Yun-Hong Ding
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Ding, YH., Young, C.N., Luan, X. et al. Exercise preconditioning ameliorates inflammatory injury in ischemic rats during reperfusion. Acta Neuropathol 109, 237–246 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00401-004-0943-y

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