C-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 Proteins Expression Patterns in Human Cerebral Cortex Neurons after Ischemic Stroke

Background. The search for protein (these include c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1) expression that provide neuroplasticity mechanisms of the cerebral cortex after ischemic stroke (IS) patterns is an urgent task. Aims — to reveal c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 proteins expression patterns in human cerebral cortex neurons after IS. Materials and methods. We studied 9 left middle cerebral artery (LMCA) IS patients cerebral cortex samples from 3 zones: 1 — the zone adjacent to the necrotic tissue focus; 2 — zone remote from the previous one by 4–7 cm; 3 — zone of the contralateral hemisphere, symmetric to the IS focus. Control samples were obtained from 3 accident died people. Identification of targeted proteins NSE, c-fos, ERK1/2, MAP2, NOTCH1 was performed by indirect immunoperoxidase immunohistochemical method. Results. Moving away from the ischemic focus, there is an increase in the density of neurons and a decrease in the damaged neurons proportion, the largest share of c-fos protein positive neurons in zone 2, NOTCH1 positive neurons in zone 1, smaller fractions of ERK1/2 and MAP2 positive neurons compared to the control only in samples of zone 1. Conclusions. With the IS development, the contralateral hemisphere is intact tissue increased activation zone, while the zones 1 and 2 have pathological activation signs. In zone 1 of the range, the adaptive response of the tissue decreases, and in zone 2 it expands. Therefore, a key target for therapeutic intervention is zone 2.