Inhibition of NADPH Oxidase is Neuroprotective after Ischemia—Reperfusion

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase (NOX) is well known as a major source for superoxide radical generation in leukocytes. Superoxide radicals play a significant role in brain ischemia–reperfusion (I/R) injury. Recent data have also shown expression of NOX in the brain. However, the manner by which NOX is involved in pathologic processes after cerebral ischemia remains unknown. Therefore, we subjected mice deficient in the NOX subunit, gp91 phox (gp91 phox -/-), those treated with the NOX inhibitor, apocynin, and wild-type (WT) mice to 75 mins of focal ischemia followed by reperfusion. At 24 h of reperfusion, the gp91 phox -/- and apocynin-treated mice showed 50% less brain infarction and 70% less cleaved spectrin compared with WT mice. The levels of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal, malondialdehyde, and 8-hydroxy-2‘-deoxyguanosine increased significantly after I/R, indicating oxidative brain injury. NADPH oxidase inhibition reduced biomarker generation. Furthermore, NOX was involved in postischemic inflammation in the brains, as less intercellular adhesion molecule-1 upregulation and less neutrophil infiltration were found in the NOX-inhibited mice after I/R. Moreover, gp91 phox expression increased after ischemia, and was further aggravated by genetic copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (SOD1) ablation, but ameliorated in SOD1-overexpressing mice. This study suggests that NOX plays a role in oxidative stress and inflammation, thus contributing to ischemic brain injury.