Background:
Stroke induced white matter damage is associated with neurological functional deficits, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. Endothelial nitric oxide synthase knockout (eNOS-/-) mice exhibited a higher mortality, more severe neurological functional deficit, and decreased neurogenesis, angiogenesis and arteriogenesis after stroke than wild type mice. There are no reports as to whether eNOS is related to the white matter change post-stroke.
Methods:
Adult male C57BL/6 WT and eNOS
-/-
mice were subjected to permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) by a filament and sacrificed 7 days after MCAo. Functional evaluation, infarct volume measurement, and immunostaining for analysis of white matter changes were performed.
Results:
There is no significant difference in the infarction volume between wild type and eNOS
-/-
(wild type : 23.09%±3.32%; eNOS-/-: 27.83%±4.92%, p=0.436, n=9/group). However, eNOS
-/-
mice showed significantly decreased functional outcome tested by the singal pellet reaching test (wild type: 38.46%%±1.43%, eNOS-/-: 27.45%±2.41%, p=0.0017). eNOS
-/-
mice also exhibited increased white matter damage compared to wild type mice, including decrease:
1.
Axonal density stained by Bielshowsky Silver in the ipsilateral striatal bundles (wild type: 22.06%±3.0%, eNOS-/-: 13.32%±2.18%,, p=0.031), and in the contralateral striatal bundles (wild type: 65.35%±3.97%, eNOS-/-: 29.38%±5.84%, p=0.02);
2.
Density of phasphorylated neurofilament by SMI31-immunoflureoscent staining (wild type: 24.11%±2.06%, eNOS-/-: 7.90%±1.70%, p=0.009);
3.
The number of CNPase-positive oligodendrocytes in the ischemic border (wild type: 52.23±5.10, eNOS-/-: 35.59±5.33, p=0.041);
4.
The number of NG2-positive oligodendrocyte progenitors in the ischemic border (wild type: 26.22±2.31, eNOS-/-: 18.38±1.95, p=0.0187). There is no significant difference in the density of Luxol fast blue stained myelin in the ipsilateral striatal bundles between wild type and eNOS
-/-
mice (wild type: 25.21%±3.64%; eNOS-/-: 21.39%±6.29%, p=0.260).
Conclusions:
We are the first to report that eNOS not only regulates vascular changes and neurogenesis, but also plays an important role in white matter changes after stroke.