Cold-induced brain edema in mice. Involvement of extracellular superoxide dismutase and nitric oxide

• Published in: The Journal of biological chemistry 1993-07, Vol.268 (21), p.15394-15398
• Main Authors: OURY, T. D, PIANTADOSI, C. A, CRAPO, J. D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Oxidoreductases - antagonists & inhibitors; Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain - enzymology; Brain - metabolism; Brain Edema - enzymology; Brain Edema - etiology; Brain Edema - metabolism; Brain Edema - prevention & control; Cold Temperature; Deferoxamine - pharmacology; Free Radical Scavengers; Hydroxides; Hydroxyl Radical; Injuries of the nervous system and the skull. Diseases due to physical agents; Iron Chelating Agents; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Nitric Oxide Synthase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Traumas. Diseases due to physical agents
• ISSN: 0021-9258; 1083-351X
• DOI: 10.1016/s0021-9258(18)82270-0

The role of extracellular superoxide in the pathogenesis of vasogenic edema was studied using transgenic mice expressing a 5-fold increase in extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD) activity in their brains. Increased EC-SOD expression offered significant protection against edema development after cold-induced injury (44% less edema than nontransgenic littermates, p < 0.05). Since iron may contribute to vasogenic edema by catalyzing the production of hydroxyl radical from superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, the effects of the chelator deferoxamine were studied. Deferoxamine reduced edema formation after cold-induced injury (43% less edema than controls, p < 0.05); however, treatment with iron-saturated deferoxamine also reduced edema development in mice (32-48% less edema, p < 0.05). This suggested that the protection offered by deferoxamine was independent of its ability to chelate iron. An iron-independent mechanism by which superoxide can contribute to vasogenic edema is via reaction with nitric oxide to produce the potentially toxic peroxynitrite anion, which is also scavenged by deferoxamine. Mice treated with an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase were protected against cold-induced edema (37% less edema, p < 0.05). EC-SOD transgenic mice received no additional protection by inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis, supporting this novel alternative mechanism of edema formation.