POSTISCHEMIC ACCUMULATION OF LIPID-PEROXIDATION PRODUCTS IN THE RAT-BRAIN - IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETECTION OF 4-HYDROXY-2-NONENAL MODIFIED PROTEINS

We report an immunohistochemical study on the distribution and alterat ions of 4-hdrooxy-2-nonenal (HNE)-modified proteins, an indicator of l ipid peroxidation, in the rat brain after 3 h of middle cerebral arter y (MCA) occlusion followed by reperfusion. HNE immunoreactivity was no t observed in intact neurons, but it appeared in some shrunken neurons within the infarcted zone at 3 h after reperfusion. The number of HNE -positive neurons increased with the spread of the infarcted area. The pyramidal neurons in the third layer of the frontoparietal cortex wer e HNE-positive and the intensity of their HNE immunoreactivity was hig hest at 24 h after reperfusion. At 48 h, HNE-positive neurons were obs erved in the medial part of the striatum, the lateral side of the fron toparietal cortex, and at the boundary between the infarcted and nonin farcted zones. In addition, strong HNE immunoreactivity was seen in mi croglia (identified by OX-42 immunostaining). This method seems to be useful to follow the progress of lipid peroxidation at the cellular le vel after ischemic injury. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.