Figure 8.

The membrane expression of the GluR1 and GluR2 subunits of AMPA receptors and NR1 and NR2A subunits of NMDA receptors is altered in hippocampus of PCS rats and is normalized by treatment with infliximab. Rats were sacrificed and hippocampus dissected 8 weeks after PCS surgery. Samples incubated in the absence (−) or presence (+) of BS3 were subjected to Western blotting using antibodies for each subunit. Representative images are shown. Samples without BS3 represent the total amount of each protein. Samples with BS3 correspond to the non-membrane fraction. The band intensities were quantified and membrane expression was calculated as the difference of intensity between samples without and with BS3. Values are expressed as percentage of controls and are mean ± standard errors of 8–16 rats per group. One-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test was performed to compare all groups. For (A) GluR1 differences between groups were statistically different (p < 0.05, F = 1.5, Df between groups = 3). For (B) GluR2 statistics was p < 0.05, F = 3.2, Df between groups = 3. For (C) NR2A statistics was p < 0.001, F = 10.0, Df between groups = 3. For (D) NR1 statistics was p < 0.001, F = 1.3, Df between groups = 3. In all cases variances were not statistically different. Values significantly different from controls are indicated by asterisks and values different from PCS rats by a. ^*p < 0.05; ^ap < 0.05; ^**p < 0.01.