1. INTRODUCTION
Nitric oxide (NO) serves as a vital signaling molecule that regulates cellular metabolism and various physiological functions in the human body [
1,
2,
3,
4,
5]. The discovery of NO synthesis in mammalian cells has sparked extensive research efforts aimed at understanding its role in diverse fields of biology and medicine [
2,
6,
7,
8]. Endogenous NO production has been observed in a wide range of animal groups, plants, diatoms, slime molds, and bacteria [
9]. NO exhibits ubiquitous presence within the nervous system [
1,
2], cardiovascular system [
10,
11], as well as other functional systems of the body, including immunity and metabolism [
5,
12,
13]. NO also plays a significant role in many diseases, such as diabetes, cancer, ischemia, Alzheimer's disease, diseases of the cardiovascular system [
14,
15,
16,
17,
18,
19]. Among its crucial functions, NO plays a pivotal role in vasodilation [
20,
21]. Additionally, aside from its vasodilatory, neurotransmitter, and stress-limiting properties, NO has been implicated in oxidative stress reactions, the calcium glutamate cascade, and inflammatory processes [
2,
6,
22,
23,
24].
There is ample evidence pointing to the disruption of nitric oxide biosynthesis as the primary factor in the brain pathophysiological response to hypoxia-ischemia [
25,
26,
27]. The functional role of endogenous NO in the processes occurring during nervous system damage remains controversial and inadequately explored [
4,
5]. This is due to the fact that NO serves as a paradigmatic example of the classical two-faced Janus [
28,
29,
30]. Thus, an increase in the activity of neuronal NO synthase (nNOS) was found at the beginning of ischemia with a maximum in the third hour [
31], as well as the onset of expression of inducible NOS (iNOS) a day after ischemia [
32]. In acute hypoxia an overproduction of NO is also shown [
33]. By EPR spectroscopy it was found that NO production increased after 5 minutes of ischemia and lasted for 60 minutes [
34,
35]. An increase in the relative concentration of free NO by 132% 15 minutes after ischemia caused by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery was found by same method using a spin trap before ischemia [
13,
36]. On the other hand, a number of studies which conducted on brain ischemia models have not confirmed neurotoxic role of ischemically generated NO. For example, NO-synthase inhibitors L-NNA and L-NAME have not been found to reduce the size of lesion in focal cerebral ischemia in rats [
37,
38], but increase focal ischemic stroke [
39]. There are numerous studies on the use of NO donors as neuroprotective agents after ischemic injury [
40,
41,
42,
43,
44,
45]. It has been found that short-term use of NO donors before the onset of ischemia can protect function of endothelium in ischemic-reperfusion injury [
46]. It was also shown that inhalation of NO or nitrite encourage brain function during perinatal hypoxic and chemical intervention [
47].
Earlier, together with the team of prof. V.B. Koshelev (Moscow State University), we conducted studies aimed to study the content of NO in the focus of cerebral ischemia (left hemisphere) by EPR spectroscopy, which showed that in the ischemic part of the left hemisphere cortex, the NO content in the spin trap decreased 5 times 5 hours after an ischemic stroke, and this decrease persists for a day after the stroke [
48]. In another study, the authors of this article demonstrated that 5 hours after the onset of signs of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, the formation of NO in the hippocampus decreased by 2-3 times and this decrease persists for 24 and 72 hours [
49]. Significantly reduced NO content was found in the olfactory bulb of the rat brain 1 and 2 days after modeling ischemia caused by carotid artery ligation [
50]. The involvement of ATP-dependent K-channels in these processes has been shown [
51,
52].
Cerebral ischemia triggers the accumulation of excitatory amino acids in brain tissues and the activation of calcium-dependent nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms, namely neuronal NOS and endothelial NOS. However, while selective inhibition of neuronal NOS demonstrates neuroprotective effects, selective inhibition of endothelial NOS yields neurotoxic outcomes [
14,
15,
53,
54,
55]. Clinicians are familiar with such paradoxical effects of NO, who constantly take into account the individual reactions of each patient. The reason is the fact that the synthesis of NO by nNOS is accompanied by an overload of the ischemic neuron with calcium caused by glutamate. It is assumed that the NO generated by eNOS expressed in endothelial cells, unlike nos, has a beneficial effect [
27,
45]. Here, eNOS not only promotes vasodilation, but also increases the proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells and thereby enhances arteriogenesis after a stroke. nNOS inhibition protected hypoxicischemic-induced mice brain damage by the increased collateral flow. Therefore, the introduction of a 7-nitroindazole blocker can have potential utility for the treatment of ischemic-reperfusion injury in human beings [
56]. Such assumptions are supported by the results of a decrease in secondary brain damage after brain damage during inhalation of NO [
57,
58,
59].
Disruption of cerebral oxygen supply also occurs in cases where a blood vessel becomes thrombosed or an aneurysm ruptures, it often ends with the development of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke [
14,
15]. In processes developing in the brain of hypoxia-ischemia, the ambivalent role of NO is again manifested, which, according to modern concepts, can exert both neurotoxic and neuroprotective functions [
14,
28,
43,
51]. In response to the development of pathological processes in the brain such as hypoxia and ischemia, the regulatory systems of the brain, including the NO system, exhibit increased activity. This naturally leads to an elevation in oxygen consumption (which exacerbates hypoxia) and the accumulation of underoxidized products in brain tissue, which, in aggregate, disrupts the integrative activity of the brain [
60,
61]. During reperfusion, despite the restoration of blood flow to the ischemic area, a large number of free radicals (both reactive nitrogen forms and reactive oxygen forms) are produced, which serve as important factors of ischemic reperfusion injury [
55]. Thus, it is fundamentally important to take into account that the well-coordinated functioning of the NO system is disrupted with the development of hypoxia and cerebral ischemia. At the same time, cerebral ischemia is accompanied by multiple multidirectional changes in the NO content in the brain, which affects the functioning of the brain regulatory systems and the effectiveness of signal pathways to control the functions of all functional systems of the body [
61,
62,
63]. Thus, there is increasing evidence that NO plays an important role in neuroprotection in stroke, even if NO is usually regarded as a toxic gas. Therefore, we need to be dialectical about NO, and further research, including animal studies and clinical studies, can give us a new understanding of the treatment of stroke and other diseases of the central nervous system [
54].
Ischemia and trauma of the brain and spinal cord are characterized by primary injury and subsequent secondary phase of injury [
58,
64,
65]. A critical component of secondary injury is oxidative stress and increased formation of reactive oxygen species [
27,
66]. Secondary injury occurs not only at the site of the initial primary injury, but also leads to the spread of the lesion to neighboring, intact tissues. Also, during reperfusion, despite the restoration of blood flow to the ischemic area, a large number of free radicals, both reactive nitrogen forms and reactive oxygen forms, are produced, which serve as important factors of ischemic reperfusion injury [
55,
66].
Activation of antioxidant enzymes represents a crucial defense mechanism against highly toxic oxygen radicals. The majority of these enzymes are associated with copper-containing proteins [
67,
68]. The most famous of them is Cu,Zn-superoxide dismutase (SOD) [
68,
69,
70]. Various forms of SOD exist depending on the specific transition metal cofactor present in the enzyme's active site. For instance, Cu,Zn-SOD features copper as the active site cofactor and zinc as a conformation-stabilizing cofactor, as well as a number of others [
71]. The primary and essential defense mechanism against free radical oxidative processes involves the neutralization of superoxide radicals (O
2-) by the cytosolic enzyme Cu,Zn-SOD [
72]. This enzyme plays a significant role in the antioxidant protection of virtually all cells that come into contact with oxygen. Thus, maintaining a balanced copper level in the nervous system is crucial for its proper functioning. However, imbalances in copper have been implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and Huntington's diseases, while disruptions in SOD metabolism can lead to various pathological conditions.
Brain injury following subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs in two phases: an acute ischemic stroke during the initial bleeding and subsequent secondary events, among which the most fatal the cerebral vasospasm occurring 3-7 days later [
73]. Clinicians need experimental information about the patterns of development of spasm of blood vessels of the brain in order to timely correct and control the situation in clinical practice. Intracranial injury, in addition to spasm of blood vessels, can manifest as diffuse or focal damage of brain tissue and, to a certain extent, by a number of scientists and clinicians, refers to such volumetric pathologies, including but not limited to hematoma, cerebral aneurysm, tumor, and stroke [
74,
75]. Apart from the primary injury, secondary injuries usually accompanied in a cascade over the following hours or days [
73,
75,
76]. NO has been shown to play a multifaceted role in the regulation of cerebral blood flow both under normal physiological conditions and in pathology, for example, after a traumatic brain injury, with subarachnoid hemorrhage, severe traumatic brain injury, ischemic stroke [
15,
77,
78]. Several authors have highlighted the significance of NO as one of the triggers of the primary inflammatory pathway activated following hemorrhagic stroke [
79].
Considering the afore mentioned literature, we aimed to investigate not only of the dynamics of nitric oxide production, but also of the copper content in both injured and non-injured regions of the frontal lobes of the brain, as well as the hippocampus, during the modeling of a combined brain and spinal cord injury.
2. RESULTS
EPR spectroscopy was employed to study the intensity of NO production and copper content (as an indicator of the 1st and 3rd subunits of superoxide dismutase) in injured and non-injured (contralateral) areas of the brain (frontal lobe), as well as in the hippocampus after combined injury of the brain and spinal cord. The EPR spectrum of a sample from the frontal lobe of the rat brain was given in
Figure 1. It showed the determination of the intensity of the signals from the Cu
2+-(DETC)
2 and (DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO complexes with amplitudes equal to their contribution to the spectrum of the sample. The details of determining these parameters were provided in the experimental procedures section.
On
Figure 2 EPR spectra of the intact-control (Control rat), injured (Injured rat, injured area) and non-injured (Injured rat, non-injured area) regions (frontal lobe) of the rat brain seven days after inducing a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord was shown. The EPR signal of NO appeared as a triplet between 330-337 mT with a g-factor of 2.038 [
80]. Additionally, a distinct signal was observed from the Cu
2+-(DETC)
2 complex, representing the interaction of copper with DETC [
81,
82,
83]. The solid line represented the spectrum of the sample, while the dashed line corresponded to the signal of nitric oxide bound to the spin trap in the ((DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO) complex spectrum (
Figure 2). In the samples of biological tissues of rats that did not receive injections of spin trap components, no triplet was observed in the signal region ((DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO). The frames show the signal areas ((DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO) (
Figure 2 and
Figure 3). The relative changes in the amounts of the NO-containing complex and the Cu(DETC)
2 complex were evaluated by the difference of the maximum and minimum of signal intensities from these complexes. The details of determining these parameters were given in the experimental procedures section.
Figure 4A displayed the statistical analysis of integral intensities for the (DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO signal in the spectra of the investigated biological tissue samples obtained by EPR spectroscopy. This figure illustrated the spectral characteristics of both injured and non-injured (contralateral) brain areas after a combined injury of the brain and spinal cord, enabling the assessment of NO production in brain tissues. The results indicated a significant reliable decrease in NO production at 84% (P = 0.029, Mann-Whitney) in the injured brain area, as well as a significant but unreliable decrease in NO production at 66% (P = 0.38, Mann-Whitney) in the non-injured (contralateral) brain area, seven days after injury modeling. These findings demonstrated a distinct difference in NO production between the injured and contralateral brain areas (P = 0,05, Mann-Whitney). In the experimental data on the control samples, there were two data points close to 60; they were very different from the others. We carried out a processing option when excluding these two points from the statistical analysis (
Figure 4B). In both variants, there is a significant difference, as in a separate comparison of the two groups ("Control rats", "Injured rats-injured area") by t-test (P = 0.021), and when comparing all three groups by ANOVA test. In this case, a posteriori tests of different types showed a significant difference between these two groups (
Figure 4B).
Additionally,
Figure 4C presented statistical data on the integrated signal intensities of (DETC)
2-Cu. The results revealed that the copper content remains unchanged in both the injured and non-injured brain areas seven days after injury modeling. In summary, the simulation of injury led to a significant decrease in NO production in both the injured and non-injured areas of the brain, while there were no observed changes in the activity of the antioxidant system.
Figure 4.
The content of NO (A and B) and Cu (C) in the tissues from the frontal lobes of the control (Control rats) and injured (Injured rat) rats: injured (injured area) and non-injured (non-injured area) regions 7 days after the combined injury of the brain and spinal cord. The average integral intensity of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO and Cu(DETC)2 signal was shown in %. (*) indicates a significant difference of NO content between Control and injured groups (p<0.05).
Figure 4.
The content of NO (A and B) and Cu (C) in the tissues from the frontal lobes of the control (Control rats) and injured (Injured rat) rats: injured (injured area) and non-injured (non-injured area) regions 7 days after the combined injury of the brain and spinal cord. The average integral intensity of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO and Cu(DETC)2 signal was shown in %. (*) indicates a significant difference of NO content between Control and injured groups (p<0.05).
Figure 5 presented the EPR spectra of the hippocampus tissue of intact-control (Control rat) and injured ((Injured rat) rats seven days after a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord. The spectroscopic characteristics of the complexes observed in our experiments closely resembled those obtained in previous studies [
80,
81,
82]. The g-factor was determined to be g﬩= 2.025 for Cu
2+-(DETC)
2 and g = 2.035 for (DETC)
2-Fe
2+-NO. The EPR signal for this complex exhibits a triplet hyperfine structure. Similar data were previously obtained [
84].
The results of spectrum analysis, as shown in
Figure 5, indicated no significant (reliable) changes in NO production in the hippocampus following the modeling of a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord (an unreliable decrease of 34%). Furthermore, there was no observed alteration in the copper content, suggesting no changes in the activity of the antioxidant system.
Figure 5.
EPR spectrum of hippocampus tissues of the control (Control rat) and injured (Injured rat) rats 7 days after a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord. The signals of the tissue sample and the calculated spectrum of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex in the observed spectrum were shown, The signals were from: a) tissue sample, b) (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex, and c) Cu(DETC)2 complex. The dotted line showed the contribution of NO to the observed signal. The frame showed the signal area (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex. Temperature is 77o K. The rats were injected with (DETC)2-Fe2+ - citrate. gср=2.038.
Figure 5.
EPR spectrum of hippocampus tissues of the control (Control rat) and injured (Injured rat) rats 7 days after a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord. The signals of the tissue sample and the calculated spectrum of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex in the observed spectrum were shown, The signals were from: a) tissue sample, b) (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex, and c) Cu(DETC)2 complex. The dotted line showed the contribution of NO to the observed signal. The frame showed the signal area (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO complex. Temperature is 77o K. The rats were injected with (DETC)2-Fe2+ - citrate. gср=2.038.
3. DISCUSSION
Traumatic and ischemic brain injuries remain prominent challenges in modern medicine [
15,
27,
74,
78,
85]. The investigation of reparative processes in nervous tissue and the development of innovative methods to restore neuronal structures are currently focal points in physiology and medicine. These research efforts hold substantial significance for advancing novel therapeutic and rehabilitation strategies [
43,
52,
86].
Trauma and ischemia of the brain involve various pathological mechanisms that contribute to the disruption of nerve and glial cell integrity, as well as damage to blood vessels [
15,
86,
87]. The shared similarities in certain stages of the pathogenesis between these cerebral lesions imply that therapeutic strategies aimed at protecting nervous tissue after ischemic events may also be applicable after brain injuries [
54,
60,
89,
90]. All these processes undergo significant changes when nervous tissue is damaged due to injury or stroke, whether of ischemic or hemorrhagic nature.
Brain injuries disrupt the functioning of neural networks primarily due to mechanical damage to nervous tissue and blood vessels [
54,
91]. Apart from traumatic brain injury, dysfunctions of neurons and glia can develop due to compromised blood flow and the formation of hemorrhagic foci. In hemorrhagic strokes, the mechanical factor of nervous tissue compression in the cranial cavity is also present due to the formation of a hematoma. In ischemic strokes, brain tissue damage occurs due to hypoxia resulting from blood flow disturbances in the internal carotid arteries and/or vertebrobasilar region [
63]. Oxygen supply disruption to brain regions also occurs during blood vessel thrombosis or aneurysm rupture, which often leads to ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke [
14,
15]. During reperfusion, despite the restoration of blood flow to the ischemic area, a large number of free radicals (both reactive nitrogen forms and reactive oxygen forms) are produced, which serve as important factors of ischemic reperfusion injury [
55] (Wang et al., 2022).
In these processes of hypoxia-ischemia and mechanical brain damage, the role of NO appears to be contradictory, capable of both neurotoxic and neuroprotective functions [
28,
51]. Consequently, similarities are observed in the pathogenesis of brain injury and ischemic damage.
Using EPR spectroscopy, we investigated the intensity of NO production and the copper content in both injured and non-injured areas of the brain (frontal lobes), as well as in the hippocampus during the simulation of a combined injury to the brain and spinal cord. These molecular components have long been of interest to researchers studying the mechanisms of brain function in normal and pathological conditions. Various methodological approaches are employed for experimental analysis, with EPR spectroscopy being one of the most sensitive techniques available [
92,
93]. Significantly, the electron spin trap method for detecting and quantifying NO in biological tissues, developed by Prof. A.F. Vanin and colleagues, has played a crucial role in advancing the EPR spectroscopy technique [
94].
The experimental analysis of brain injuries revealed a notable reduction in NO production seven days after injury simulation, both in the injured and non-injured (contralateral) areas of the brain. These results showed a distinct difference in NO production between the damaged and contralateral regions of the brain. In the experimental data on the control samples, there were two data points close to 60; they are very different from the others. We carried out a processing option when excluding these two points from statistical analysis, in this case a significant difference was obtained, both when comparing the two groups separately ("Control rats", "Injured rats-injured area") by t-test (P = 0.021), and when comparing all three groups by ANOVA test. In this case, a posteriori tests of different types showed a significant difference between these two groups. We offered a general idea of the processes of behavioral changes and the dynamics of nitric oxide in
Figure 7.
Figure 6.
The content of NO (A) and Cu (B) in the hippocampus of the control (Control rats) and injured (Injured rats) rats 7 days after the combined injury of the brain and spinal cord. The average integral intensity of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO and Cu(DETC)2 signals was also shown in the figure.
Figure 6.
The content of NO (A) and Cu (B) in the hippocampus of the control (Control rats) and injured (Injured rats) rats 7 days after the combined injury of the brain and spinal cord. The average integral intensity of the (DETC)2-Fe2+-NO and Cu(DETC)2 signals was also shown in the figure.
Figure 7.
An experimental scheme demonstrating the NO content in the injured and non-injured areas of the rat brain 7 days after a combined brain and spinal cord injury.
Figure 7.
An experimental scheme demonstrating the NO content in the injured and non-injured areas of the rat brain 7 days after a combined brain and spinal cord injury.
In contrast, the copper content remained unchanged after seven days of injury modeling. Consequently, the trauma led to a significant decrease in NO production in both the injured and the contralateral intact brain area, while no alterations were observed in the antioxidant system's activity. Notably, no changes in NO production and copper content were observed in the hippocampus. This finding aligned with our previous measurements, where brain injury was simulated using a different approach [
78].
Considering the limited efficacy of current therapeutic approaches for brain injuries and strokes, and ongoing debates regarding the reperfusion period, it is prudent to conduct more in-depth research into the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of existing therapies. Moreover, it is essential to take into account the experimental findings presented by the authors of the article. These results highlighted notable distinctions in the dynamics of nitrosyl stress and the status of antioxidant protection between brain trauma and hemorrhagic stroke. Such differences offered an experimental foundation for the development of novel comprehensive therapeutic tactics in this field of medicine.