engleski

Chemically-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes increase the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in the mouse primary astrocytes exposed to severe stretch injury

Aims: It has previously been shown that the application of chemically-functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) decreases lesion volume and promotes neurite outgrowth in the rat model of spinal cord injury. When applied to the culture medium, SWCNTs modulate morpho-functional properties of astrocytes, cells considered to be key players in the response of the central nervous system to damage, e.g. following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Here, we used an in vitro TBI model to determine if the different degrees of mechanical stretch influence the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the mouse primary astrocytes as well as to test the effects of SWCNTs on the iNOS levels in the severely injured cells. Methods: Astrocytes were grown on deformable membranes and subjected to mild, moderate or severe stretch. Separately, SWCNTs or vehicle were applied to severely injured cells at 1 h post-injury. Cells were collected at 24 h following stretch and the lysates prepared for the western blot analyses. Results: All the degrees of in vitro TBI caused an increase in the astrocytic iNOS levels. In the severely injured cells, SWCNTs application additionally upregulated iNOS protein expression compared to vehicle-treated astrocytes. Conclusions: Our preliminary results point to the role of iNOS and, subsequently, nitric oxide in astrocytes exposed to traumatic injury. It remains to be elucidated whether the SWCNTs-triggered rise in the iNOS levels in the severely injured cells is beneficial or detrimental. This research was fully supported by the Croatian Science Foundation grant UIP-2017-05- 9517 to KP.

astrocytes ; nanotubes, carbon ; mouse ; inducible nitric oxide synthase ; in vitro

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