Skip to main content
. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jan 27.
Published in final edited form as: Steroids. 2009 Jan 20;74(7):555–561. doi: 10.1016/j.steroids.2009.01.003

Figure 2. Neuroprotection conferred by long-term estradiol pretreatment is blocked by the MEK inhibitor PD98059.

Figure 2

Ovariectomized female rats were treated as described in Figure 1, except that the duration of global ischemia was 10 min. When animals were killed for histological evaluation, they exhibited physiological serum estradiol levels (33 ± 2.9 pg/ml). The upper panel shows representative low (4×) and high (20×) photomigrographs of CA1 pyramidal cells 7 days after ischemia or sham operation. The lower panel illustrates quantitation of surviving pyramidal neurons in CA1 at 7 days after surgery. Estradiol significantly increased the number of surviving neurons. Icv administration of the MEK inhibitor PD98059 (3 μg) at 0 and 12 h after reperfusion prevented the ability of estradiol to increase neuronal survival. Data are from Jover-Mengual et al., 2007. so, Stratum oriens; sp, stratum pyramidale; sr, stratum radiatum.

Scale bars, Lower magnification, 400 μm; higher magnification, 60 μm.

**, P <0.01 vs. all sham groups; ‡, P <0.01 ischemia + estradiol vs. ischemia or ischemia+estradiol+PD98059.