Aim: Examination of the effects of vitamin D pretreatment on the expression of markers of principal neurons (NeuN), inhibitory interneurons (PV) and astrocytes (GFAP) in cerebral cortex and hippocampus in gerbils who were exposed to transient global cerebral ischemia.
Introduction: Brain ischemia may cause serious damage to the cells in the central nervous system. Vitamin D has an important role in brain injury treatment due to its neuroprotective effects.
Methods: Gerbils were divided in 5 groups: control group; two groups that underwent ischemia and then reperfusion for three (I/R3d) and seven days (I/R7d) and two groups that were treated with vitamin D before I/R (vitD+I/R3d and vitD+I/R7d). Complete blood supply to the brain was cut off for 10minutes and reperfusion lasted 3 and 7 days. They were daily treated with vitamin D for 7 days prior ischemia. Expression of proteins was detected using Western blot.
Results: No changes were detected in expression of NeuN markers in cortex of experimental groups, while there was increase in expression in hippocampus in groups I/R7d and vitD+I/R7d in comparison to the control group and group vitD+I/R3d. Expression of PV in cortex was significantly reduced in group I/R7d in comparison to group I/R3d, whereas in hippocampus the expression was significantly higher in group vitD+I/R3d than in group I/R3d. Expression of GFAP has significantly risen in all groups in comparison to the control group whereas in hippocampus there was a rise in groups vitD+I/R3d, I/R7d and vitD+I/R7d in comparison to the control group. There was also a rise of GFAP expression in groups treated with vitamin D (vitD+I/R3d and vitD+I/R7d) in comparison to those that have not been treated (I/R3d, I/R7d).
Conclusion: Vitamin D has positive effect on astrocytes in both structures of gerbils that underwent global cerebral ischemia, especially in hippocampal region.