p-ERK involvement in the neuroprotection exerted by ischemic preconditioning in rat hippocampus subjected to four vessel occlusion.

Global brain ischemia-reperfusion causes delayed cell death in hippocampal CA1 (cornus ammonis 1) pyramidal neurons after reperfusion. Ischemic tolerance evoked by preconditioning (IPC) represents a phenomenon of CNS adaptation to any subsequent ischemia. This paper was designed to describe changes in the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) protein pathways of the hippocampal area following by IPC. Ischemia was induced by a 4-vessels occlusion (4VO) and the rats were preconditioned by a non-injurious ischemia. Apoptotic markers were used to follow the degeneration process. Western blot and immunohistochemistry identified p-ERK (phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase) and p38 proteins in injured hippocampal areas. P-ERK quantification increased after IPC and reached the highest level at 24 hours after ischemia. Interestingly, neuroprotection induced by IPC lead to the opposite effect on MAPK/p38, where the level was lowest at 24 hours after ischemia. Taken together, the present study clearly demonstrates that p-ERK takes part in complex cascades triggered by IPC in the selectively vulnerable hippocampal region. In addition, paper describes a crosstalk between p-ERK and p-p38 which occurs after preconditioning maneuver in 4VO model of global ischemia.