Research ReportCerebral white matter injury and damage to myelin sheath following whole-brain ischemia

Myelin sheath, either in white matter or in other regions of brain, is vulnerable to ischemia. The specific events involved in the progression of ischemia in white matter have not yet been elucidated. The aim of this study was to determine histopathological alterations in cerebral white matter and levels of myelin basic protein (MBP) in ischemia-injured brain tissue during the acute and subacute phases of central nervous injury following whole-brain ischemia. The whole cerebral ischemia model (four-vessel occlusion (4-VO)) was established in adult Sprague-Dawley rats and MBP gene expression and protein levels in the brain tissue were measured using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at 2 days, 4 days, 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days following ischemia. Demyelination was determined by Luxol fast blue myelin staining, routine histopathological staining, and electron microscopy in injured brain tissue. Results showed that edema, vascular dilation, focal necrosis, demyelination, adjacent reactive gliosis and inflammation occurred 7 days after ischemia in HE staining and recovered to control levels at 28 days. The absence of Luxol fast blue staining and vacuolation was clearly visible at 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days. Semiquantitative analysis showed that the transparency of myelin had decreased significantly by 7 days, 14 days, and 28 days. Demyelination and ultrastructual changes were detected 7 days after ischemia. The relative levels of MBP mRNA decreased 2 days after ischemia and this trend continued throughout the remaining four points in time. The MBP levels measured using ELISA also decreased significantly at 2 days and 4 days, but they recovered by 7 days and returned to control levels by 14 days. These results suggest that the impact of ischemia on cerebral white matter is time-sensitive and that different effects may follow different courses over time.

► Demyelination, adjacent reactive gliosis and inflammation were found 7 days after ischemia. ► MBP mRNA decreased gradually until 28 days after ischemia. ► MBP decreased at first, but recovered by 7 days and returned to control by 14 days. ► Conclusion: ischemia can cause OGD degeneration, myelin destruction, and abnormal MBP expression.