| Abstract: | The present study aimed to evaluate the expression of neuro-oncological ventral antigen 1
(Nova1) in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) insults by immunohistochemistry. The focal
cerebral I/R model was induced by right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 120
min followed by 1 day, 7 days, and 14 days of reperfusion in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The
results showed that Nova1 was expressed in nearly the whole brain, although with higher
density in hippocampus, hypothalamus, cingulate cortex, and medial habenular nucleus. The
immunoreactivity of Nova1 neurons was increased dramatically, especially on both sides of
the hippocampal CA1 region, after 1 day of reperfusion. A strong response
occurred at the ipsilateral CA1 region between 1 day and 7 days of reperfusion.
Likewise, strong compensatory responses of Nova1 expression were observed on the
contralateral side of the striate cortex, dentate gyrus, and hypothalamus. Interestingly,
more Nova1 neurons were observed to translocate to the dendrites and growth cones of the
axons in the hypothalamus on the ischemic side after 7 days of reperfusion. In conclusion,
our data suggest that Nova1 might mediate neuronal responsiveness, and its expression
might positively correlate with neural repair after I/R insults in the rat brain. |
