TY - JOUR
T1 - Sex- and Tissue-Specific Effects of Leukemia Inhibitory Factor on Mitochondrial Bioenergetics Following Ischemic Stroke
AU - Vekaria, Hemendra J.
AU - Shelley, Sarah J.
AU - Messmer, Sarah J.
AU - Kunjadia, Prashant D.
AU - McLouth, Christopher J.
AU - Sullivan, Patrick G.
AU - Fraser, Justin F.
AU - Pennypacker, Keith R.
AU - Pandya, Chirayu D.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 by the authors.
PY - 2025/5
Y1 - 2025/5
N2 - Oxidative stress due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and/or inflammation is considered to play an important role in ischemic stroke injury. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been shown to protect both oligodendrocytes and neurons from ischemia by upregulating endogenous anti-oxidants, though the effect of ischemia and the protective role of LIF treatment in mitochondrial function have not been studied. The goal of this study was to determine whether LIF protects ischemia-induced altered mitochondrial bioenergetics in reproductively senescent aged rats of both sexes (≥18 months old), approximately equivalent to the average age of human stroke patients. Animals were euthanized at 3 days after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery. We found that MCAO surgery significantly reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in both the ipsilateral striatum and prefrontal cortex in male aged rats compared to their respective contralateral regions of the brain. MCAO injury showed mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction only in the striatum in female rats; however, the prefrontal cortex remained unaffected to the injury. LIF-treated rats significantly prevented mitochondrial dysfunction in the striatum in male rats compared to their vehicle-treated counterparts. Collectively, MCAO-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and LIF’s potential as a therapeutic biomolecule exhibited sex- and tissue-specific effects, varying between the striatum and prefrontal cortex in male and female rats.
AB - Oxidative stress due to increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) formation and/or inflammation is considered to play an important role in ischemic stroke injury. Leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) has been shown to protect both oligodendrocytes and neurons from ischemia by upregulating endogenous anti-oxidants, though the effect of ischemia and the protective role of LIF treatment in mitochondrial function have not been studied. The goal of this study was to determine whether LIF protects ischemia-induced altered mitochondrial bioenergetics in reproductively senescent aged rats of both sexes (≥18 months old), approximately equivalent to the average age of human stroke patients. Animals were euthanized at 3 days after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery. We found that MCAO surgery significantly reduced mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in both the ipsilateral striatum and prefrontal cortex in male aged rats compared to their respective contralateral regions of the brain. MCAO injury showed mitochondrial bioenergetic dysfunction only in the striatum in female rats; however, the prefrontal cortex remained unaffected to the injury. LIF-treated rats significantly prevented mitochondrial dysfunction in the striatum in male rats compared to their vehicle-treated counterparts. Collectively, MCAO-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and LIF’s potential as a therapeutic biomolecule exhibited sex- and tissue-specific effects, varying between the striatum and prefrontal cortex in male and female rats.
KW - LIF
KW - MCAO
KW - mitochondrial bioenergetics
KW - prefrontal cortex
KW - striatum
KW - stroke
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U2 - 10.3390/biom15050738
DO - 10.3390/biom15050738
M3 - Article
C2 - 40427631
AN - SCOPUS:105006752759
VL - 15
JO - Biomolecules
JF - Biomolecules
IS - 5
M1 - 738
ER -