Gamma-ray irradiation stimulates the expression of caveolin-1 and GFAP in rat spinal cord: a study of immunoblot and immunohistochemistry

We studied the expression of caveolin-1 in the spinal cords of rats using 60Co gamma-ray irradiation (single dose of 8 Gray (Gy)) in order to determine the possible involvement of caveolin-1 in the tissues of the central nervous system after irradiation. Spinal cords sampled at days 1, 4, and 9 post-irradiation (PI) (n = 5 per each time point) were analyzed by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. Western blot analysis showed that the expression of caveolin-1 was significantly increased at day 1 PI (p < 0.05), and returned to the level of normal control rats on days 4 and 9 PI. Immunohistochemistry showed that caveolin-1 immunoreactivity was enhanced in some glial cells, vascular endothelial cells, and neurons in the spinal cords. The increased expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), a marker for an astroglial reaction, was consistent with that of caveolin-1. In addition, caveolin-1 was co-localized in hypertrophied GFAP-positive astrocytes. Taking all these facts into consideration, we postulate that irradiation induces the increased expression of caveolin-1 in cells of the central nervous system, and that its increased expression in astrocytes may contribute to hypertrophy of astrocytes in the spinal cord after irradiation. The precise role of caveolin-1 in the spinal cords should be studied further.