Department of Neurology, The Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital, Medical College of Southeast University, China.
Brain Res Bull. 2010 Oct 30;83(5):272-7. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2010.07.008. Epub 2010 Jul 16.
In vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that lithium treatment can protect neurons against excitotoxic and ischemic damage. Yet the possible beneficial effect of chronic low dose lithium on a model of traumatic brain injury (TBI) has not been intensively investigated. In this study, lithium (1 mmol/kg) was given daily, intraperitonealy, for 14 days before the onset of moderate controlled TBI and was continued until the mice were sacrificed. The results showed that in brain injured animals, chronic lithium treatment attenuated the loss of hemispheric tissue, cerebral edema and the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-1β. The neuronal degeneration in hippocampal CA3 and dentate gyrus sub-regions was also attenuated in the chronic lithium-treated mice as shown by Fluoro-Jade B staining. Moreover, chronic lithium treatment enhanced spatial learning and memory performance of injured mice in the Morris water maze. Our current study extended the protective role of lithium in the model of TBI and suggested that chronic lithium treatment might be a helpful therapeutic strategy for brain injury with multiple beneficial effects.
体外和体内研究表明，锂治疗可以保护神经元免受兴奋毒性和缺血性损伤。然而，慢性低剂量锂对创伤性脑损伤 (TBI) 模型的可能有益影响尚未得到深入研究。在这项研究中，锂 (1 mmol/kg) 在中度受控 TBI 发作前每天腹膜内给予 14 天，并持续到小鼠被处死。结果表明，在脑损伤动物中，慢性锂处理可减轻半球组织丢失、脑水肿和促炎细胞因子白细胞介素-1β的表达。如 Fluoro-Jade B 染色所示，慢性锂处理还减轻了海马 CA3 和齿状回亚区的神经元变性。此外，慢性锂处理增强了损伤小鼠在 Morris 水迷宫中的空间学习和记忆能力。我们目前的研究扩展了锂在 TBI 模型中的保护作用，并表明慢性锂处理可能是一种具有多种有益作用的脑损伤治疗策略。
