[Hokkaido igaku zasshi] The Hokkaido journal of medical science
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Hokkaido Igaku Zasshi · Jul 2000
[The roles of mitochondrial permeability transition in brain ischemia].
Mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) is a phenomenon which occurs under adverse conditions such as an increase in mitochondrial calcium content and oxidative stress. The MPT causes the opening of mitochondrial megachannels, loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, and uncoupling of mitochondrial respiration, leading to cellular energy failure. Recent experiments have suggested that the MPT also releases specific proteins from mitochondria and activates the cascades of programmed cell death. ⋯ CsA (0.1-10 microM) but not FK506 (0.1-1 microM) inhibited MPT. CsA (50 mg/kg, i.p.) dramatically protected CA1 neurons in the hippocampus for 7 days after 5-min forebrain ischemia in the gerbil. These results suggest that calcium is the major inducer of MPT of the brain mitochondria, and that CsA can potentially inhibit MPT and ameliorate the ischemic tissue injury of the brain.