Effect of Semax and its C-terminal Fragment Pro-Gly-Pro on the Expression of VEGF Family Genes and their Receptors in Experimental Focal Ischemia of the Rat Brain
The synthetic peptide Semax (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) is used successfully in acute stroke therapy. In spite of numerous studies on the subject, many aspects of the neuroprotective effects of the peptide remain unknown. We studied the action of Semax and its C-terminal tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro on...
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Published in | Journal of molecular neuroscience Vol. 49; no. 2; pp. 328 - 333 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
New York
Humana Press Inc
01.02.2013
Springer Nature B.V |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The synthetic peptide Semax (Met-Glu-His-Phe-Pro-Gly-Pro) is used successfully in acute stroke therapy. In spite of numerous studies on the subject, many aspects of the neuroprotective effects of the peptide remain unknown. We studied the action of Semax and its C-terminal tripeptide Pro-Gly-Pro on the expression of the VEGF gene family (
Vegf-a
,
Vegf-b
,
Vegf-c
,
Vegf-d
, and
Plgf
) and their receptors (
Vegfr-1
,
Vegfr-2
, and
Vegfr-3
) in the frontoparietal cortex region of the rat brain at 3, 24, and 72 h after permanent left middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). The relative mRNA level of the genes studied was assessed using real-time reverse transcription-PCR. The
Vegf-b
and
Vegf-d
genes were most affected by the peptides, which resulted in their most noticeable activation at 3 h after pMCAO. The level of
Vegf-d
transcripts decreased considerably, whereas the mRNA level of the
Vegf-b
gene was significantly increased after 72 h of treatment with each of the peptides. In addition, the effects of the peptides on the expression of the
Vegf-b
and
Vegf-d
genes were the opposite of the action of ischemia. It is suggested that the identified effects of the peptides diminish the effects of ischemia, thus participating in the positive therapeutic effect of Semax on ischemic stroke. |
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Bibliography: | ObjectType-Article-2 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-1 content type line 23 |
ISSN: | 0895-8696 1559-1166 |
DOI: | 10.1007/s12031-012-9853-y |