In Vivo Studies of Extracellular Metabolites in the Striatum After Distal Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

Background and Purpose We demonstrated in a previous study that 45 Ca accumulation in the lateral part of the striatum was detected 3 days after distal middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion using a 45 Ca autoradiographic technique in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. However, the mechanism of delayed neuronal damage that occurred in the lateral part of the striatum is unknown. We examined changes in amino acids and monoamines in the striatums of rat brains after MCA occlusion in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats using an in vivo brain microdialysis technique. Methods Microdialysis probes were inserted into the lateral or medial part of the striatum 24 hours before the experiment. The dialysis probe was perfused continuously at 2 μL/min with Ringer’s solution, and the dialysate samples were collected every 20 minutes. After a 3-hour period for baseline stabilization, the right MCA was occluded. The dialysate count of monoamines and amino acids was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. Results After MCA occlusion, a threefold transient increase in glutamate was observed in the lateral part of the striatum. The level returned to its baseline value 60 minutes after MCA occlusion. Dopamine in the lateral part increased twofold to its peak value. This release persisted for 2 hours after MCA occlusion. There were no significant changes in these components in the extracellular fluid of the medial part of the striatum. Conclusions Our study demonstrated that changes of neurotransmitters in the lateral part of the striatum after MCA occlusion differed from those in the medial part. These results suggest that excessive release of glutamate and dopamine is related to delayed neuronal damage that occurs in the lateral part of the striatum in this model.