Expression changes of the mRNA of Alzheimer's disease related factors in the permanent ischemic rat brain

Abstract

The rat with permanent occlusion of the bilateral common carotid arteries (2VO) is useful model for the study of dementia. The expression changes of amyloid precursor protein (APP), secretase, α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7NicR) and acetylcholine esterase (AChE), which are involved in Alzheimer's disease, were examined by quantitative RT/PCR in this model rat brain. The expression of APP, α7NicR and secretase were increased 4 d after 2VO. The α7NicR level at 2 d after operation already tended to increase. These result suggest that α7NicR expression was enhanced at early stage of brain ischemia. Using this model to find drugs which regulate the α7NicR expression will be useful to assay the materials with anti-dementive effect. © 2004 Pharmaceutical Society of Japan.