COMPARATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF INDUCIBLE NO-SYNTHASE EXPRESSION IN THE HIPPOCAMPUS OF A MAN AND EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS

Objective - to study the characteristics of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression in hippocampal fields CA1 and CA3 in adult human males and in mature rats under combined stress. Materials and methods. Hippocampus of 10 males in the second period of adult age who had cardiovascular pathology and pain stress because of acute myocardial infarction and of 10 persons who died of reasons not associated with cardiovascular diseases were studied. Experimental material included brain of 20 adult male albino laboratory rats, which were divided into control and experimental groups, and the latter underwent combined stress. The degree of expression and the relative size of the area of the iNOS immunoreactive material (IRM) were determined. Results. In the CA1 and CA3 hippocampal fields of human males with more than 50% medial cerebral artery (MCA) stenosis, the relative size of the area and the degree of expression of iNOS-IRM were increased. In the stressed animals, the increase was detected in the relative size of the area of iNOS-IRM in CA3 field and in the degree of iNOS-IRM expression in CA1 and CA3 fields, as compared to the control group. Conclusions. The pronounced changes in the form of damage of the pyramidal cell layer neurons of the hippocampus and an increase in the level of iNOS expression were detected in CA3 field both in humans with MCA stenosis and in experimental animals under combined stress.

iNOS, hippocampus, human, rat, stress, iNOS