A role for hypoxia-inducible factor-1α in desferoxamine neuroprotection

The newborn brain has increased vulnerability to hypoxia-ischemia from maturational differences in the oxidative stress response. We hypothesized that desferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, would provide protection in an in vitro model of ischemia in part through activation of the hypoxia-inducible gene hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α). Hippocampal neurons from E16 CD1 mice were exposed to 3 h of oxygen and glucose deprivation with and without pretreatment with 10 mmol/L DFO in the presence and absence of 2 μmol/L antisense oligonucleotides specific for HIF-1α (antiHIF-1α). DFO pretreatment resulted in 45% reduction in cell death (p = 0.006). This protection was diminished with transfection of antiHIF-1α (p = 0.049). Blocking HIF-1α reduces DFO protection suggesting that DFO protects through iron chelation and HIF-1α induction.