Hypoxic preconditioning in neonatal rat brain involves regulation of excitatory amino acid transporter 2 and estrogen receptor alpha

Abstract

Exposure of the brain to a sublethal insult can protect against a subsequent brain injury. Hypoxic preconditioning induces tolerance to hypoxic--ischemic injury in neonatal rat brain and is associated with changes in gene and protein expression. To study the involvement of excitatory amino acid transporters (EAAT1 and EAAT2) and estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta) in neonatal hypoxia--induced ischemic tolerance, we examined changes in expression of these proteins in the cortex, hippocampus and striatum of newborn rats at different time points after exposure to sublethal hypoxia (8% O(2), 3h). Preconditioning with hypoxia 24h before hypoxia-ischemia afforded marked brain protection compar..