Conclusion
These results suggest mitotherapy could reverse cell viability and mitochondrial dysfunction-induced apoptosis in the PFC tissue of aged rats subjected to stressful stimuli.
Methods
Aged (22 months old) male rats were randomly assigned into four groups: aged control (AC), aged rats treated with young mitochondria (A+M), aged rats subjected to chronic stress for four weeks (A+St), and aged rats subjected to chronic stress and treated with young mitochondria (A+St+M). A+M and A+St+M groups received a single ICV injection (10 μl) of fresh mitochondria isolated from the brain of young rats for five minutes (2 µl/min). Finally, the levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Cytochrome c (Cyt c), Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase-3 expression were investigated in the PFC.
Results
Young mitochondria administration reduced neuronal apoptosis in the PFC, associated with down-regulation of MDA, Bax, and Caspase-3 and up-regulation of Bcl-2. Moreover, fresh mitochondria partially improved the chronic stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction in aged rats, as indicated by reduced cytochrome c (Cyt c) release from the mitochondria.