difference in transient ischemia-induced neuronal damage and glucose transporter-1 immunoreactivity in the hippocampus between adult and young gerbils

objective(s): the alteration of glucose transporters is closely related with the pathogenesis of brain edema. we compared neuronal damage/death in the hippocampus between adult and young gerbils following transient cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and changes of glucose transporter-1(glut-1)-immunoreactive microvessels in their ischemic hippocampal ca1 region. materials and methods: transient cerebral ischemia was developed by 5-min occlusion of both common carotid arteries. neuronal damage was examined by cresyl violet staining, neun immunohistochemistry and fluoro-jade b histofluorescence staining and changes in glut-1 expression was carried out by immunohistochemistry. results: about 90% of pyramidal neurons only in the adult ca1 region were damaged after ischemia/reperfusion; in the young, about 53 % of pyramidal neurons were damaged from 7 days after ischemia/reperfusion. the density of glut-1-immunoreactive microvessels was significantly higher in the young sham-group than that in the adult sham-group. in the ischemia-operated-groups, the density of glut-1-immunoreactive microvessels was significantly decreased in the adult and young at 1 and 4 days post-ischemia, respectively, thereafter, the density of glut-1-immunoreactive microvessels was gradually increased in both groups after ischemia/reperfusion. conclusion: ca1 pyramidal neurons of the young gerbil were damaged much later than that in the adult and that glut-1-immunoreactive microvessels were significantly decreased later in the young. these data indicate that glut-1 might differently contribute to neuronal damage according to age after ischemic insults.