Microglia/macrophages proliferate in striatum and neocortex but not in hippocampus after brief global ischemia that produces ischemic tolerance in gerbil brain.

The current study determined whether short durations of ischemia that produce ischemia-induced tolerance stimulate glial proliferation in brain. Adult male gerbils were injected with BrdU (50 mg/kg) and dividing cells were detected using immunocytochemistry after sham operations, 2.5 or 5 minutes of global ischemia, or ischemia-induced tolerance. The 2.5-minute ischemia and the ischemia-induced tolerance did not kill hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, whereas the 5-minute ischemia did kill the neurons. At 4 days after 2.5-minute global ischemia, when cell proliferation was maximal, BrdU-labeled cells increased in striatum and in neocortex, but not in hippocampus. The majority of the BrdU-labeled cells were double-labeled with isolectin B4, showing that these dividing cells were primarily microglia or macrophages, or both. Similarly, BrdU-labeled microglia/macrophages were found in striatum and neocortex but not in hippocampus of most animals 4 days after ischemia-induced tolerance (2.5 minutes of global ischemia followed 3 days later by 5 minutes of global ischemia). No detectable neuronal cell death existed in striatal and cortical regions where the microglia/macrophage proliferation occurred. Though 3 of 7 animals subjected to 2.5 minutes of ischemia showed decreased myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) immunostaining and increased numbers of adenomatous polyposis coli-stained oligodendrocytes in lateral striatum, this did not explain the microglia/macrophage proliferation. Data show that ischemia-induced tolerance in the gerbil is associated with proliferation of microglia/macrophages in striatum and cortex but not in hippocampus. Because there is no apparent neuronal death, it is postulated that the microglia/macrophage proliferation occurs in response to an unknown nonlethal injury to neurons or glia and may be beneficial.