Materials
β-caryophyllene, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), cytosine arabinoside (Ara-C), L-glutamine, and poly-L-lysine (0.1%) were purchased from Sigma (Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). All cell culture medium and fetal bovine serum (FBS) were obtained from GIBCO (Life Technologies, Grand Island, NY, USA). ELISA kit against interleukin-1b (IL-1b), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) were obtained from USCN (Life Science Inc., Harrington Oakland,CA, USA). RNAi-HMGB1 and GV-HMGB1 were from Gene (Shanghai).
Animals
Newborn C57BL/6 mice in 24 hours and adult male mice C57BL/6 (20–25 g) in a specific pathogen-free (SPF) grade were obtained from the Experimental Animal Center, Chongqing Medical University (Chongqing, China). All animal procedures were approved by the Experimental Ethics Committee of Chongqing Medical University (Reference Number: 2015027) and performed in accordance with the National Institutes of Health Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. All surgeries were performed under anesthesia, and all efforts were made to minimize the animals’ suffering.
Primary Neuron Cultures
Primary cortical neurons were prepared from newborn mice (in 24 hours) as described previously. Cortex were minced and dissected with trypsin-EDTA (0.125mg/mL) in Hank’s balanced salt solution (HBSS). Neurons were cultured in plates, precoated with 0.01%poly-L-lysine, with Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium medium containing 10% FBS. After 4 h of incubation, neurons were maintained in neurobasal A medium supplemented with 2% B27 and 1% glutamine (2mM). Every 3 days, 50% of the culture medium was changed. Microtubule-associated protein-2 (MAP 2), the specific marker of neuron, was used to identify the purity of primary neurons by immunofluorescence. The primary cells, which commonly consist of > 95% neurons, were used in the experiments on the 7th day in vitro.
Experimental design
The experimental design consists of three parts.
In the first part, the animals were divided into the sham group and the I/ R group, and the cells were divided into normal and OGD groups, to explore and confirm the occurrence of injury and the change of the key factors in the ischemic model.
In the second part, the animals were divided into four groups: sham group, I/R group, RNAi-HMGB1 group, GV-HMGB1 group. The cells were divided into four groups: normal group, OGD group, RNAi-HMGB1 group, GV-HMGB1 group.
The third part is to explore the relationship between BCP and HMGB1 pathway. The animals were divided into sham group, I/R group, and I/R BCP (72mg/kg) groups, while the cells were divided into normal group, OGD group, and OGD BCP (10µM) groups.
Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation and Re-oxygenation Treatments in vitro/ Transient Focal Cerebral Ischemia in vivo
Oxygen-glucose deprivation and re-oxygenation (OGD/R) were used as an in vitro model for ischemia (Zhang, et al. 2007). Briefly, at the seventh in vitro, neurons were washed and incubated with glucose-free medium, subsequently transferred to an anaerobic incubator equilibrated with 94% N2, 5% CO2, and 1% O2 at 37◦C for 1 h. The cells were then returned to the normoxic incubator with 25mM glucose without serum for 24h. Control neurons were cultured in the same medium supplemented with 25mM glucose in a normoxic incubator.
Male mice underwent procedures to cause transient focal cerebral ischemia via right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)(Sugo, et al. 2002). Briefly, mice were anesthetized with isoflurane (induced with 3% and maintained by 1.0–1.5%) mixed with oxygen and nitrogen using a facemask. The right common carotid artery (CCA), internal carotid artery (ICA), and external carotid artery (ECA) were separated carefully under an operating microscope. A 6 − 0 nylon monofilament (Guangzhou Jialing Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou, China) was inserted through the stump of ECA into the ICA and advanced into the middle cerebral artery until light resistance was felt (∼8–12mm). After 1 h of MCAO, reperfusion was initiated by withdrawing the nylon monofilament. Sham-operated mice underwent identical procedure but the filament was not inserted. During the surgical procedure, rectal temperature was maintained at 37 ± 5◦C using a thermostatically controlled infrared lamp. At 24 h of reperfusion, neurological function deficits were scored, and animals that scored from 1 to 4 were chosen for further experiment. Those animals that showed brain hemorrhage or with no ischemia (three mice) were exclude from the study. The mortality rate was 0.3%.
Animal administration and cell administration
Mice were given three days of continuous BCP (72mg/kg) administration, and the body weight changes were recorded once a day. The fourth day, the model was established, the ischemia was 1 hour, and the next experiment was carried out after 24 hours of reperfusion.
BCP (10nM) was given to primary nerve cells on the sixth day and a half after liquid exchange. 24 hours after administration, OGD1 hours and reoxygenation 24 hours later, the next experiment was continued.
Detection of brain injury appearance
Neurological score–After 24 hours of reperfusion, the neurobehavioral scores of mice in different treatment groups were evaluated by the Longa score(Longa, et al. 1989).
Cerebral infarct volume–The mice were given deep anesthesia after reperfusion for 24 h and decapitated for 15 min at -20 ℃, and then cut into 5 pieces (1 mm) and then incubated at 37 ℃ in 2% TTC staining solution for 30 min. The brain slices were put into 4% paraformaldehyde for 24 hours, and transferred to 4% paraformaldehyde overnight. The brain slices was removed by filter paper and placed in a black background. The normal brain tissue was red after staining, and the area of the infarct was white. The digital camera was photographed and the volume of cerebral infarction was determined by image-Pro Plus 5 software.
Mice brains were infused with 4% neutral-buffered formaldehyde at indicated time, fixated for 24 h. Ethanol in graded concentrations and xylene were then used to dehydrate the brain tissue, and then they were embedded into paraffin. Hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) were used to stain the paraffin sections (5µm), according to the standard protocol. Histological analysis of the same region in each experiment was performed with a light microscope. Paraffin sections were stained with toluene blue. The Nissan bodies in the same area were observed under light microscope.
Immunohistochemical/Immunofluorescence/Fluorescence probe in situ hybridization
Immunohistochemical–After paraffin section dewaxing, the antigen was repaired in microwave oven, and then the endogenous peroxide was blocked with 3% hydrogen peroxide. The sections were sealed with serum for half an hour, then the first antibody and the second antibody were added, and then the nucleus was stained with DBA and restained with hematoxylin. After sealing the film, it was examined by microscope.
Immunofluorescence–After dewaxing, the antigen was repaired in microwave oven, the spontaneous fluorescence quenching agent was added, the serum was blocked for half an hour, and the first antibody and the second antibody were added respectively. Finally, the nucleus was restained with DAPI. After sealing the film, it was examined by microscope.
Western Blot Analysis
Mouse ischemic brain tissues were harvested at 24h post-reperfusion, and then homogenized in RIPA lysis buffer (P00113D; Beyotime, Shanghai, China). The whole ischemic brain tissues were used to determine HMGB1 and TLR4 and RAGE protein levels. The protein was separated using sodiumdodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDSPAGE; P0012A, Beyotime, China) with a 12% polyacrylamide gel and a 10% polyacrylamide gel, and then transferred to polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membrane. Then the membranes were blocked with non-fat milk (5%) and incubated overnight at 4◦C with the following primary antibodies: rabbit polyclonal antibody against HMGB1 (10829-1-AP, Proteintech, 1:250), TLR4 (19811-1-AP, Proteintech, 1:250), RAGE (AF5309, Affinity, 1:1000), and mouse internal ginseng antibody (beta-actin; 10829-1-AP, Proteintech, 1:1000). After three washes, secondary goat anti-rabbit/mouse (Bostor, China, 1:3,000) was performed to conjugate with alkaline phosphatase for 1 h at room temperature. Enhanced chemiluminescence was used to determine the immune reactivity. Gel imaging apparatus (Bio- Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) and Image Lab (Bio-Rad, Hercules, CA, USA) were used to scan and analyze the bands.
PCR Real Time Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction Analysis
Total RNA of cortex of ischemic brain were extracted using a Trizol kit (Sangon Biotech, Shanghai) and cDNA was prepared via using the AMV first chain cDNA synthesis kit (Sangon Biotech. Shanghai), according to manufacturer’s protocol. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed in a 10 µL volume using SYBR Premix (Bimake). The following cycling conditions were used: 30 s at 95◦C followed by 40 cycles of 5 s at 95◦C and 30 s at 60◦C.
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
TNF-a, IL-1β, IL-6 levels in ischemic brain tissue homogenate were detected using an ELISA kit according the manufacturer’s instructions.
Statistical analysis
All data are presented as the means ± SD. Graphpad software was used for statistical analysis. Differences between groups were assessed by the t-test and a value of P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.