Na⁺/HCO₃^- Co-transporters Inhibitor S0859 Attenuates Global Cerebral Ischemia-reperfusion Injury of the CA1 Neurons in the Gerbil's Hippocampus

Background Metabolic acidosis plays a key role in transient global cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) induced delayed neuronal death (DND) of the hippocampal CA1 region of gerbils. Na+ coupled HCO3- transporters (NBCs) mediated Na+/HCO3- co-transportation can be activated by the pH gradient of intracellular and extracellular environments induced by acidosis. However, whether NBCs are activated and involved in I/R-induced neuronal injury is unknown. Objective In this work, we studied neuronal apoptosis, astrocyte activation, and hippocampus-dependent memory task using a well-established transient global cerebral I/R model of gerbils and investigated whether the specific NBCs inhibitor S0859 could reverse this injury. Methods To explore the role of S0859 in I/R-induced DND, we established a transient global cerebral I/R model of Mongolian gerbils and studied neuronal apoptosis by using Nissl stain and TUNEL assay. The excitability and NBCs current were analyzed by whole-cell patch-clamp, while the cognitive function was evaluated by Barnes maze. Results We found that I/R increased the NBCs current, inhibited the excitability of CA1 neurons, and led to apoptosis in CA1 neurons. Selective NBCs inhibitor S0859 protected CA1 neurons from I/R induced neuronal cell death, astrocyte accumulation, and spatial memory impairment. Conclusion These findings indicate that NBCs mediate transient global cerebral I/R induced DND of CA1 neurons, and NBCs inhibitors could be a promising target to protect neuronal functions after I/R.