Nitrergic Response to Clostridium perfringens Infection in the Rat Brain Regions Effect of Red Light Irradiation

H.      A. Movsesyan; N.      Kh. Alchujyan; N.      H. Movsesyan; A.      G. Guevorkian; H.      L. Hairapetyan; K.      A. Barsegyan; G.      A. Kevorkian

doi:10.2174/187152412800792698

Abstract

A single intraperitoneal injection of a gram-positive pathogen Clostridium perfringens (Cp) causes a remarkable down-regulation the constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) with a simultaneous increase in the activity of inducible NOS (iNOS) and the level of reactive nitrogen species in the rat brain major regions (cortex, striatum, hippocampus and hypothalamus) at 48 h post-administration of Cp. Treatment by both a semiconductor laser (SCL) and/or a light-emitting diode (LED) with same wavelength, energy density and time exposure (continuous wave, λ=654 nm, fluence=1.27 J/cm2, time exposure=600 s) could modulate brain nitrergic response following Cp-infection. Besides, unlike the LED, the SCL-irradiation prevents the cNOS inhibition in all the studied brain regions and might be useful in restoring its function in neurotransmission and cerebral blood flow, along with providing a protective effect against nitrosative stress-induced iNOS-mediated injury in the brain regions.

Keywords: Brain, Clostridium perfringens, light-emitting diode, nitric oxide synthase, rat, semiconductor laser, central nervous system (CNS), Traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI)