TURKISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES, vol.52, no.5, pp.1532-1542, 2022 (SCI-Expanded)
Background/aim: Kisspeptin is a neuropeptide with a primary role on the onset of puberty and has beneficial effects on ischemia/
reperfusion (I/R) injury. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of kisspeptin administration on striatal I/R injury in mice.
Material and methods: Forty adult C57/BL6 mice were randomly divided into four groups: Sham, Kisspeptin, I/R, and I/R + Kisspeptin
groups. The groups were administered with either physiological saline (Sham and I/R groups) or kisspeptin (Kisspeptin and I/R +
Kisspeptin groups) intraperitoneally 40 min before the operation. A microdialysis probe was placed in the right striatum according
to stereotaxic coordinates. During the experimental period, artificial cerebrospinal fluid was passed through the micropump. Then,
transient cerebral ischemia was established by compressing both common carotid arteries with an aneurysm clip for 15 min and animals
were reperfused for 2 h. Throughout the process of microdialysis (before, during and after I/R period), samples were collected to
measure dopamine (DA), noradrenaline (NA), and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) at intervals of 20 min continuously. At the
end of the reperfusion period, the animals were decapitated, striatum was dissected, half of the animals were used for oxidative stress
analyses (reduced glutathione, glutathione S-transferase (GST), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), and the other
half were used for histopathology analyses.
Results: Number of glial cells was significantly increased in kisspeptin-administered groups. DA levels in ischemic animals were
decreased by kisspeptin administration (p < 0.0001). NA levels were reduced in animals administered with kisspeptin without I/R injury
(p < 0.05). DHPG levels reduced during the reperfusion period in ischemic animals (p < 0.05). Kisspeptin did not exhibit a significant
antioxidant activity in the ischemic animals, while GST and SOD levels were reduced in the I/R + kisspeptin group compared to the
kisspeptin group (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Our results suggest that kisspeptin may be regulating the neurotransmitter release and metabolism, as well as inflammatory
response in brain upon I/R injury.