Astroglial activation accompanies heat shock protein upregulation in rat brain following single oral dose of geranylgeranylacetone.

Geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), more commonly known as an antiulcer agent, reportedly induces the heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) family in the gastric mucosa, liver and heart of rats. However, it has not been reported whether HSPs, and other factors that contribute to neuroprotection, are inducible in the brain following a single oral dose of GGA. The present study evaluated the consequences of oral GGA on astrocytic activation and the expression of HSP and revealed that a single oral dose caused a transient increase in the immunoreactivity (IR) of HSP70 and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in the hippocampus of the rat brain.