(Stroke. 1999;30:160-170.)
© 1999 American Heart Association, Inc.
Original Contributions |
From the Thoralf M. Sundt, Jr, Neurosurgical Research Laboratory, Mayo Clinic and Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, Rochester, Minn.
| Abstract |
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MethodsBrain pHi, regional cortical blood flow, and
NADH redox state were measured by in vivo fluorescent imaging,
and infarct volume was assessed by
triphenyltetrazolium chloride histology.
Thirty fasted rabbits divided into 6 groups of 5 each were subjected to
4 hours of permanent focal ischemia in the presence of
hypoglycemia (
2.8 mmol/L), moderate hyperglycemia (
11
mmol/L), and severe hyperglycemia (>28 mmol/L) under either
normoxia or moderate hypoxia (PaO2
50 mm Hg).
ResultsPreischemic hyperglycemia led to a more pronounced intracellular acidosis and retardation of NADH regeneration than in the hypoglycemia groups under both normoxia and moderate hypoxia in the ischemic penumbra. For example, 4 hours after ischemia, brain pHi in the severe hyperglycemia/normoxia group measured 6.46, compared with 6.84 in the hypoglycemia/normoxia group (P<0.01), and NADH fluorescence measured 173% compared with 114%. Infarct volume in the severe hyperglycemia/normoxia group measured 35.1±6.9% of total hemispheric volume, compared with 13.5±4.2% in the hypoglycemia/normoxia group (P<0.01).
ConclusionsHyperglycemia significantly worsened both cortical intracellular brain acidosis and mitochondrial function in the ischemic penumbra. This supports the hypothesis that the evolution of acidosis in the ischemic penumbra is related to glucose utilization. Furthermore, the observation that hypoglycemia significantly decreased infarct size supports the postulate that cortical acidosis leads to recruitment of ischemic penumbra into infarction.
Key Words: acidosis redox, NADH cerebral infarction glucose cerebral ischemia, focal rabbits
| Introduction |
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The mechanisms by which acidosis contributes to neuronal injury may include facilitating free radical formation, activating pH-dependent endonucleases with DNA fragmentation, or altering intracellular Ca2+ regulation.4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Despite the probable deleterious effects of acidosis, the effects of hyperglycemia in focal cerebral ischemia remain controversial.11 12 13 14 For example, it has been published that hyperglycemia reduces, does not alter, or increases damage after transient focal cerebral ischemia.11 12 13 14 It has also been published that hypoglycemia decreases the degree of pan-necrosis.13 It is possible that varying effects of hyperglycemia may be due to differences in collateral blood flow and therefore the degree of lactic acid production.15 The effects of hyperglycemia may also be dependent on reperfusion.16 Adding to the controversy are in vitro observations that acidosis may ameliorate neuronal injury caused by glutamate and anoxia.17 18
This experiment tested the hypotheses that (1) the development of cortical intracellular acidosis in the ischemic penumbra is a result of glucose utilization and (2) this acidosis leads to recruitment of potentially salvageable tissue into infarction. To test this hypothesis, in vivo fluorescence imaging was used to measure brain pHi, regional cortical blood flow (rCBF), and the NADH redox state in the New Zealand White rabbit.19 Histological assessment of infarction was performed in the acute setting with tetrazolium staining.
| Materials and Methods |
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After the surgical preparation, the animal was moved from the operating table and placed on an intravital-type microscope stand. The microscope was focused on an area centered about the suprasylvian gyrus, with 1.5 cm2 of cortex imaged for brain pHi, rCBF, and NADH fluorescence measurements. Arterial blood pressure was measured by a Statham strain gauge attached to the femoral artery catheter and recorded on a Grass model 78 polygraph. The animals were kept normothermic (38.8±0.5°C) by use of a heating blanket (K-Pad, Gorman-Rupp), and core body temperature was monitored with a rectal digital thermometer. PaCO2, PaO2, and pHa (arterial) measurements were performed on a London Radiometer blood gas analyzer (PHM-73). Serum glucose and lactate were measured on a YSI 2300 Stat glucose/L-lactate analyzer. Brain temperature was not measured in this study; however, it was maintained at core body temperature with an air heater (Air-Therm, WPI). This device blows temperature-regulated air at a low constant velocity toward the surface of the brain. The temperature at the surface of the brain is regulated to within 0.2°C of core body temperature.
Severe focal cerebral ischemia of the parietal cortex was
induced by cauterization of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA). To
reduce the potential for collateral blood flow, the right vertebral
artery at the third cervical vertebra, the contralateral common carotid
artery, and the anterior segment of the MCA were cauterized before the
beginning of the experimental protocol. Thirty New Zealand White
rabbits, divided into 6 groups of 5 each, were subjected to 4 hours of
focal ischemia without reperfusion in the presence of the
following preexisting conditions: (1) moderate hyperglycemia/normoxia
(glucose,
11 mmol/L; PaO2,
150 mm Hg), (2) severe hyperglycemia/normoxia (glucose, >28
mmol/L; PaO2, 150 mm Hg), (3)
hypoglycemia/normoxia (glucose,
2.8 mmol/L;
PaO2, 150 mm Hg), (4) moderate
hyperglycemia/moderate hypoxia (glucose,
11 mmol/L;
PaO2,
50 mm Hg), (5) severe
hyperglycemia/moderate hypoxia (glucose, >28 mmol/L;
PaO2,
50 mm Hg), and (6)
hypoglycemia/moderate hypoxia (glucose,
2.8 mmol/L;
PaO2,
50 mm Hg).
Hypoglycemia was induced with an intermediate-action (1- to 1.5-hour
onset), long-duration (>12 hours) isophane insulin suspension (NPH
Iletin I, Lilly) at 20 U/kg SC 2 hours before ischemia. Severe
hyperglycemia was induced with a bolus infusion of 10 mL (0.5 g/mL IV)
dextrose (Abbot Laboratories) 1 hour before ischemia,
supplemented by 10 mL/h IV continuous perfusion during the
ischemic period. Brain pHi, rCBF, and
intrinsic NADH were measured with in vivo fluorescence
imaging.20 Five additional animals were used as sham
nonischemic controls to assess the stability of the
preparation. Brain pHi, NADH redox state, rCBF,
systemic parameters including serum glucose and lactate,
and core body temperature were measured at 30-minute intervals
throughout the animal preparation and ischemic period.
In Vivo Video Fluorescent Instrumentation
Instrumentation was designed to perform serial panoramic video
imaging of cortical brain pHi and rCBF with
umbelliferone fluorescence.20 The optical
characteristics were such that the majority or a portion of the exposed
hemisphere, pHi, and rCBF could be studied
simultaneously through a large craniectomy by varying the
degree of magnification. The use of umbelliferone as a
noninvasive in vivo technique for measuring brain
pHi and CBF has been described
previously.20 Umbelliferone is nontoxic, fat soluble, and
freely diffusible across the blood-brain barrier, and it rapidly
equilibrates across cell membranes and is distributed through the
cytoplasm as an uncharged molecule.20 Umbelliferone was
prepared for injection by dissolving 0.2 g of indicator in 200 mL
of 5% glucose-saline solution at 90°C for 30 minutes. The solution
was then filtered through a 0.22-mesh filter before injection. For each
measurement, 1.0 mL of umbelliferone was injected retrogradely through
a catheter placed in the right lingual artery. The measurements were
separated by 30-minute intervals to allow for sufficient clearance of
the indicator out of the brain tissue.
The pH-sensitive indicator umbelliferone has 2 fluorophors, anionic and isobestic. The anionic and isobestic forms are excited at 370 and 340 nm, respectively, and have a common emission at 450 nm. The fluorescence of the anion varies directly with pH, whereas the fluorescence of the isobestic form varies directly only with the indicator concentration. Therefore, it is possible to create a nomogram from the ratio of 340- to 370-nm excitations to determine brain pHi. NADH fluorescent images were acquired before umbelliferone was injected into the lingual artery for correction of background fluorescence. Intrinsic NADH fluorescence images excited at 370 nm were stored for later analysis of mitochondrial function. The scale factor for the percent change in NADH fluorescence from baseline is set so that at 100%, the level represents the level of NADH fluorescence in normal brain, whereas an increase to 300% represents brain death. The scale factor is confirmed by random measurement of NADH fluorescence levels at death and comparing it with baseline nonischemic values in the same animal. It is important to note that a primary source of artifact in the measurement of NADH fluorescence is hemoglobin interference. It has been shown previously that use of bright-field illumination, as used in this optical system to reduce scatter, minimizes the effect of this type of interference.21 Sundt et al,22 in a monkey model, correlated biopsy analysis of NADH and NADPH with that of NADH fluorescence measurements in normal brain and brain at death. Use of both techniques showed that there was a close relationship in the degree of change between normal brain and brain at death. The images from the 340-nm excitation were processed to compute rCBF from the 1-minute initial slope index with a partition coefficient of unity for umbelliferone.20 The rCBF image was then displayed and stored on tape for final analysis. For processing of the pHi image, ratios of the paired images from the 340- and 370-nm excitations were taken, and the resultant pHi image was then displayed and stored on tape for final analysis.
rCBF and pHi as measured by umbelliferone are imaged in those areas that are relatively avascular in surface conducting vessels and therefore contain primarily arterioles and capillary beds.20 The imaging system facilitates the measurement of rCBF and brain pHi by allowing the investigator to outline cortical areas of interest that are devoid of major surface conducting vessels.
Histological Analysis
It was determined by the investigators and consulting
veterinarian that permitting the animals to survive for several days to
allow for infarct maturation would not be acceptable under current
institutional animal care guidelines, given analgesic expectations.
Recognizing these limitations, the animals were killed at the end of
the ischemic period for acute histological
assessment, which did not allow for infarct maturation. At the end of
each experiment, the brain was removed. To increase the firmness of the
brain for sectioning, it was immersed in saline and chilled for 30
minutes. The brain was then sliced into 4-mm coronal sections, yielding
slices (Figure 1
) that
represented 2 anterior locations, 2 central locations, and
2 posterior locations. The sections were then immersed in a 37°C
solution of 2% 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium
chloride (TTC) in saline. To enhance TTC penetration, the sections were
suspended within the TTC solution for 30 minutes in a shaker bath
maintained at 37°C. Sections were removed from the TTC solution,
placed flat on one another in separate fixation cassettes, and stored
in 10% buffered formalin. Photographic slides of each section were
taken 1 week later. For assessment of the amount of tissue damage, each
section was photographed, and the area of infarction was identified,
traced, and digitized. The total area of the hemisphere was also
determined.
|
Definition of Ischemic Penumbra
The purpose of this experiment was to determine the effects of
glucose and oxygen manipulations on brain pHi and
NADH redox state in the ischemic penumbra. Determination of the
location of the ischemic penumbra was made as follows.
Thirty minutes after the onset of ischemia, in the immediate
proximal distribution of the MCA along the sylvian fissure, there is a
relatively small region of cortex in which rCBF declines to <12
mL · 100 g-1 ·
min-1, or an
80% reduction in rCBF values
compared with preischemic measurements. Under normoglycemic
conditions, this cortex has pHi reductions to
6.60. This region has previously been demonstrated to be an evolving
infarction with necrosis under light microscopic
examination.19 Distal to this zone of severe rCBF
reductions is parietal cortex exposed by the craniectomy that has
initial rCBF reductions of
20 mL · 100
g-1 · min-1. This
cortex was defined as the ischemic penumbra in this experiment,
and the tissue was analyzed by fluorescence imaging and
histology. For example, Figures 2
and 3
are composite images of this cortex,
which is distal to the smaller zone of early evolving infarction.
Within this ischemic penumbra, there is a
heterogeneous development of acidosis, which is the issue
of interest for this experiment.
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Statistical Analysis
Separate analyses were carried out for each of the 4
variables under study: pHi, rCBF, NADH
fluorescence, and infarct volume. ANOVA was used to test the
statistical significance of differences between groups. Results were
considered statistically significant at a value of P<0.05.
Data are presented as mean±SEM. All analysis was
conducted with CSS (Statsoft) statistical software.
| Results |
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Experimental Groups (Figure 4
)
Normoxic Groups
Brain pHi.
|
Baseline preischemic brain pHi was
uniform over the exposed cortex in all groups, measuring 6.96±0.03.
Within the ischemic penumbra, there was a
heterogeneous development of acidosis, as illustrated in an
example experiment, Figure 3
. After 2 hours of ischemia,
overall brain pHi in the ischemic
penumbra declined to 6.65±0.04 and 6.56±0.10 in the moderate and
severe hyperglycemia groups, respectively (P<0.01 compared
with preischemic values). In the hypoglycemia group, brain
pHi declined to 6.88±0.03, which was not
significantly different from preischemic values.
After 4 hours of ischemia, brain pHi
declined further, to 6.47±0.06 in both the moderate and severe
hyperglycemia groups (P<0.01). In the hypoglycemia group,
brain pHi was 6.84±0.09, not significantly
different from preischemic values. Figure 5
depicts a series of brain
pHi histograms of a hyperglycemic/normoxic animal
(Figure 3
), demonstrating that before occlusion, brain
pHi was relatively homogeneous and
then became markedly heterogeneous after the onset of focal
ischemia.
|
Regional Cortical Blood Flow.
rCBF in all groups was 51.5±3.3 mL · 100
g-1 · min-1 before
ischemia. After 2 hours of ischemia, rCBF in the
ischemic penumbra fell significantly (P<0.01) in
all groups studied, to
15 mL · 100
g-1 · min-1. After
4 hours of ischemia, rCBF declined further to
10 mL ·
100 g-1 · min-1 in
all groups (P<0.01). Figure 5
depicts a series of
rCBF histograms of a hyperglycemic/normoxic animal (Figure 3
)
demonstrating that before occlusion, rCBF was relatively
heterogeneous and then became more
heterogeneous after MCA occlusion.
NADH Fluorescence.
NADH fluorescence was uniform over the exposed cortex in all
groups, measuring 105.3±2.9% before ischemia. After 2 hours
of ischemia, NADH fluorescence levels in the
ischemic penumbra increased to
152% in both the moderate
and severe hyperglycemia groups (P<0.01). In the
hypoglycemia group, NADH fluorescence increased to 141±12.8%
(P<0.01). After 4 hours of ischemia, NADH
fluorescence increased further, to 148±7.1% and 173±16.7%
in the moderate and severe hyperglycemia groups, respectively
(P<0.01 compared with preischemic values).
However, in the hypoglycemia group, NADH redox state improved,
measuring 114±7.5%, which was not significantly different from
preischemic values. Figure 5
depicts a series of
NADH redox state histograms of a hyperglycemic/normoxic animal (Figure 3
) demonstrating increased heterogeneity during
the period of occlusion.
Areas of Infarction as Measured With TTC.
Infarct volume in the moderate and severe hyperglycemia groups was 30.1±1.9% and 35.1±3.1% of total hemisphere volume. The hypoglycemia group showed a significantly (P<0.01) smaller infarct volume (13.5±1.9%) than the other 2 groups. Analysis showed that hemispheric volumes in all normoxic study groups were not significantly different, indicating that there was no significant early edema formation, which might alter infarct volumes.
Moderately Hypoxic Groups
Brain pHi.
Brain pHi was uniform over the entire exposed
cortex in all groups, measuring 7.00±0.03 before ischemia.
After 2 hours, brain pHi in the ischemic
penumbra fell significantly in the moderate and severe hyperglycemia
groups, to
6.50 (P<0.01 compared with
preischemic values). In the hypoglycemia group, brain
pHi declined to 6.87±0.09, which was not
statistically different from preischemic values. After 4
hours of ischemia, brain pHi declined
further, to 6.43±0.03 and 6.19±0.13 in the moderate and severe
hyperglycemia groups, respectively (P<0.01 compared with
preischemic values). In the hypoglycemia group, brain
pHi measured 6.91±0.06, which was not
statistically different from preischemic values. Figure 6
depicts a series of histograms of a
hypoglycemic/moderately hypoxic animal (Figure 2
) demonstrating
homogeneity of pHi before occlusion and
throughout the ischemic period.
|
Regional Cortical Blood Flow.
rCBF in all groups was 48.3±3.3 mL · 100
g-1 · min-1 before
ischemia. After 2 hours of ischemia, rCBF fell
significantly in the ischemic penumbra (P<0.01) in
all groups studied, to
16 mL · 100
g-1 · min-1. After
4 hours of ischemia, rCBF further declined to
11 mL ·
100 g-1 · min-1 in
all groups (P<0.01). Figure 6
depicts a series of
rCBF histograms of a hypoglycemic/moderately hypoxic animal (Figure 2
) demonstrating that before occlusion, rCBF was relatively
heterogeneous and then became more
heterogeneous with reductions in rCBF after MCA
occlusion.
NADH Fluorescence.
NADH fluorescence was uniform over the exposed cortex in
all groups, measuring 101.9±2.8% before ischemia. After 2
hours of ischemia, NADH fluorescence levels in the
ischemic penumbra increased to
173% in both the moderate
and severe hyperglycemia groups (P<0.01 compared with
preischemic values). In the hypoglycemia group, NADH
fluorescence increased to 111±9.4%. After 4 hours of
ischemia, NADH fluorescence increased further, to
167±10.9% and 197±22.1% in the moderate and severe hyperglycemia
groups, respectively (P<0.01 compared with
preischemic values). In the hypoglycemia group, NADH redox
state increased slightly, to an overall increase of 130±13.4%, which
was not statistically different from preischemic values.
Figure 6
depicts a series of NADH redox state histograms of a
hypoglycemic/moderately hypoxic animal (Figure 2
) demonstrating
very little change in the histograms during ischemia.
Areas of Infarction as Measured With TTC.
Infarct volume in the moderate and severe hyperglycemia groups measured 30.4±1.2% and 35.0±1.2% of total hemisphere volume. The hypoglycemia group showed a significantly smaller infarct volume (21.4±3.6%) compared with the other 2 groups (P<0.05). Analysis of hemispheric volumes in all moderate hypoxia study groups were not significantly different, indicating that there was no significant early edema formation, which might alter infarct volumes.
| Discussion |
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Hyperglycemia
Hyperglycemia has been known to worsen neurological damage in
different models of cerebral ischemia. In clinical studies,
diabetic patients who have experienced a stroke appear to have a
significantly worse outcome than nondiabetic
patients.23 24 25 Mortality rates have been shown to be
increased in acute stroke patients who have fasting levels of glucose
>6.1 mmol/L.26 In a more recent study, Toni et
al27 suggested that when serum glucose levels were lowered
in diabetic stroke patients, a better outcome was achieved.
A number of investigators have studied the effects of hyperglycemia in models of focal cerebral ischemia. These studies have shown conflicting results, either worsening of ischemic damage11 15 28 29 30 31 32 or amelioration of ischemic damage.13 33 34 35 36 37 The discrepancy in these studies could be explained in part by the degree of collateral blood supply. In models of focal "incomplete" cerebral ischemia, in which there was some collateral flow ("trickle flow" phenomenon), hyperglycemia appeared to exacerbate ischemic damage.15 31 38 However, in other studies of focal cerebral ischemia, in which there was a greater amount of collateral blood flow, the effects of hyperglycemia on ischemic damage were less.13 34 35 In our study of the ischemic penumbra, increasing the serum glucose levels before the onset of focal ischemia resulted in greater brain intracellular acidosis, increased the heterogeneity of pHi, adversely effected NADH redox state, and significantly increased infarct volume compared with the hypoglycemia group. The increased heterogeneity of pHi with increasing plasma glucose concentration observed in this study is in agreement with that of LaManna et al.2 In a model of cardiac arrest and using neutral red histophotometry, they showed that when the plasma glucose concentration was increased, there was greater acidosis and increased heterogeneity because of greater accumulation of tissue lactate. They also demonstrated that during ischemia, pHi and tissue lactate accumulation are linearly correlated. Griffith et al1 also showed increased heterogeneity during ischemia in a model of global ischemia.
Hypoglycemia
Preischemic moderate hypoglycemia in models of focal
cerebral ischemia has not been studied as extensively as in
models of global and forebrain ischemia. It is known that
hypoglycemic coma without occlusion of the MCA results in neuronal
damage in selective areas of the brain.39 40 41
Kristián et al41 showed that during hypoglycemic
coma, brain pHi did not become acidotic when the
animals were normocapnic, although there were selective areas of
neuronal damage. When the animals were made hypercapnic, however, brain
pHi became more acidotic, with greater regions of
neuronal damage and pan-necrosis. In a model of forebrain
ischemia, Smith et al12 showed that during
ischemia, brain pHi was less acidotic in
animals with hypoglycemia than in animals with normoglycemia,
6.37±0.04 versus 6.15±0.06. In this study, the plasma glucose level
during hypoglycemia was 4.6±0.1 mmol/L. Conversely, in a model of
global ischemia using 4-vessel occlusion, Nagai et
al42 noted that pHi, which became
acidotic during ischemia, was not different in either the
normoglycemic or hypoglycemic setting. The plasma glucose level was not
specified in that study. There have been several reports in which
insulin reduced ischemic damage.43 44 45 Hamilton et
al45 showed that by reducing the blood glucose to minimum
values but within the physiological range (moderate
hypoglycemia), infarct volume could be significantly reduced. In this
study, untreated animals had a cortical infarct volume of
39.9±7.3 mm3, whereas the insulin-treated
animals had reductions in infarct volume to 22.5±3.1
mm3 (43.5%). This is in close agreement with our
study, in which we showed a reduction in infarct volume by 47.7%.
Furthermore, this experiment demonstrates that hypoglycemia decreases
pHi heterogeneity changes during
ischemia. This supports the suggestion that moderate
hypoglycemia or the avoidance of hyperglycemia may be beneficial for
neurosurgical procedures in preventing ischemic damage as a
result of temporary arterial occlusion.46
Moderate Hypoxia/Ischemia
Many studies have investigated the effects of
hypoxia on the brain.46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 Some of these studies
were done in animals made hypoglycemic or
hyperglycemic.50 51 Other studies used the Levine rat
preparation, which is a model of global ischemia with
hypoxia as a method to further exacerbate tissue
damage.54 To the best of our knowledge, no studies of
moderate hypoxia in focal cerebral ischemia have been
performed. In our study, we noted 3 distinct findings in animals
studied with moderate hypoxia: (1) there was no difference in
infarct volume, pHi, or NADH redox state between
the normoxic and moderately hypoxic animals during moderate
hyperglycemia; (2) moderate hypoxia exacerbated brain
intracellular acidosis compared with the normoxic animals in the severe
hyperglycemia group; and (3) in hypoglycemia groups, although brain
pHi was slightly but not significantly alkalotic
in the moderate hypoxia group, infarct volume was 180% greater
than in the normoxia group. It has been documented that during moderate
hypoxia (PaO2
45 to
55 mm Hg), there are biochemical alterations in brain tissue
levels of energy metabolites, NADH redox state, and
pHi. ATP, ADP, and AMP do not change unless the
PaO2 is <25 mm Hg, whereas
phosphocreatine, NADH redox state, and pHi change
at <35 mm Hg.52 55 However, the lactate and
pyruvate levels begin to increase when the
PaO2 is <50 mm Hg. This would
explain in part why the severely hyperglycemic/moderately hypoxic
animals were markedly more acidotic than the severely
hyperglycemic/normoxic animals. It is interesting to note that the
increase in NADH fluorescence between the hypoglycemia and
hyperglycemia groups was not enhanced with the addition of moderate
hypoxia. The results of this study suggest that one adverse
effect of acidosis is increased damage to mitochondria. It has been
shown previously that during complete and incomplete ischemia,
lactic acidosis prevents normalization of mitochondrial
respiration.56 57 Wagner et al58 demonstrated
that a combination of transient anoxia in hyperglycemic cats caused
altered mitochondrial respiration. Our study would support the above
findings and conclusion that acidosis does adversely alter
mitochondrial function during the acute ischemic insult. In
fact, the observation that changes in systemic O2
did not significantly alter NADH fluorescence supports the
contention that the observed effects were not due to a failure of
substrate delivery for aerobic metabolism but rather a
direct effect of hyperglycemia on the mitochondria. The mechanisms by
which acidosis might adversely affect mitochondria have been expertly
discussed elsewhere.9 The observation that the apparent
adverse effects of hyperglycemia on NADH redox state occurred acutely
in our experiment would suggest that free radical formation was not the
cause but rather that other mechanisms, such as mitochondrial calcium
overload, were at play.
TTC Staining Technique
Tetrazolium salts have been used to determine the area and
degree of infarction in myocardial tissue obtained from patients. This
technique has been extended for use in experimental animals in the
study of cerebral injury as a result of unilateral temporary or
permanent MCA occlusion. TTC is a water-soluble salt that is reduced to
formazon by the enzyme succinate dehydrogenase in mitochondrial tissue.
This in turn stains a deep red color in normal tissue. In
ischemic tissue in which mitochondria have been damaged,
however, there would be a lack of staining, ie, tissue will be a white
or pale color.
The reliability of TTC staining as an early marker (<24 hours
after MCA occlusion) of ischemic damage has been controversial.
Infarction can be detected as early as within 1 to 2 hours; however,
the color differences between red and white are subtle, making it
difficult to delineate the extent of infarction. At infarct times of
3 hours, the infarcted tissue becomes distinctly delineated even
before development of histological evidence of
infarction. Hatfield et al59 showed that 5 to 20 minutes
after MCA occlusion, the area of damage as assessed by
hematoxylin-eosin staining was significantly smaller than that assessed
by TTC. At 3 to 4 hours after MCA occlusion, however, there was good
correlation between hematoxylin-eosin and TTC staining. At 24 hours,
infarct size was not significantly different from the 3 to 4 hours
postMCA occlusion group. It can be postulated that when the animals
are killed 5 to 20 minutes after MCA occlusion, the cerebral
metabolic rate of oxygen is reduced immediately after
occlusion. TTC can overestimate infarct size because, although
mitochondrial function is compromised, it may potentially recover.
Peri-infarct edema can also affect assessment of infarct volume. Other
studies have also shown similar results.60 61 62 63 64
| Acknowledgments |
|---|
| Footnotes |
|---|
Received July 30, 1998; revision received September 16, 1998; accepted October 20, 1998.
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Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland
| Introduction |
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Received July 30, 1998; revision received September 16, 1998; accepted October 20, 1998.
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