Mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant MitoQ provides neuroprotection and reduces neuronal apoptosis in experimental traumatic brain injury possibly via the Nrf2-ARE pathway

American Journal of Translational Research

Jian Zhou¹  Ruiming Shen²  Youqin Yang³  H⁴  Jiang Fang⁵  ong Wang⁶ 

[1] Department of Neurosurgery, Jinling Hospital, Jinling Clinical Medical College, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China;Department of Neurosurgery, Jinling Hospital, Medical College of Southeast University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China;Department of Neurosurgery, Jinling Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210002, Jiangsu Province, China;Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College, Haikou 570102, Hainan Province, China;Department of Neurosurgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang 453100, Henan Province, China;Department of Rheumatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Hainan Medical College, Haikou 570102, Hainan Province, China

关键词: Mitoquinone (MitoQ);    traumatic brain injury;    nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2;    oxidative stress;    apoptosis;    neuroprotection;   

DOI  :  

学科分类：医学（综合）

来源: e-Century Publishing Corporation

【 摘 要 】

Mitoquinone (MitoQ) is a powerful mitochondrial-targeted antioxidant whose neuroprotective effects have been shown in a variety of animal models of neurological diseases. However, its roles in traumatic brain injury (TBI) remain unexplored. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the neuroprotection afforded by MitoQ in a mouse model of TBI, and the involvement of the Nrf2-ARE signaling pathway in the putative neuroprotective mechanism. Mice were randomly divided into four groups: sham group, TBI group, TBI + vehicle group, and TBI + MitoQ group. MitoQ (4 mg/kg, administered intraperitoneally) or an equal volume of vehicle was given at 30 min after TBI. After 24 h, brain samples were harvested for analysis. The results demonstrated that treatment with MitoQ significantly improved neurological deficits, alleviated brain edema and inhibited cortical neuronal apoptosis. Furthermore, MitoQ administration increased the activity of antioxidant enzymes, including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), whereas it decreased the malondialdehyde (MDA) content. In addition, MitoQ treatment reduced Bax protein translocation to mitochondria and cytochrome c release into the cytosol. Moreover, MitoQ greatly accelerated the Nrf2 nuclear translocation and subsequently upregulated the expression of Nrf2 downstream proteins, including heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and quinone oxidoreductase 1 (Nqo1). In conclusion, the results in the study demonstrate that MitoQ exerts neuroprotective effects in the mouse model of TBI, possibly by activating the Nrf2-ARE pathway.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC