3.5. Fer-1 inhibits ferroptosis process in an acute stage of PTE
Fer-1 is a well-known ferroptosis inhibitor, therefore, in the present work, we also explored ferroptotic events are involved in FeCl3-induced PTE. The indices reflecting lipid peroxidation which include 4-HNE level and GPx activity are analyzed. It was noteworthy that FeCl3 injection in the mice resulted in a remarkable increase of 4-HNE distribution in the hippocampus, especially in the CA3 subregion and this phenomenon was significantly reversed in FeCl3-induced PTE after Fer-1 treatment (Figure 6A). The mean intensity of CA3 region was measured and statistical analysis showed that FeCl3 operated a remarkable increase in 4-HNE level in the hippocampus of mice in the CA3 region, and administration of Fer-1 significantly reduced it in the acute stage but not the chronic stage of FeCl3-induced PTE (Figure 6B and Figure 6C). With the aspect of GPx, it was intriguing that enhanced GPx activity was found in the acute stage of PTE while administration of Fer-1 blocked its enzymatic activity (Figure 6D). Besides, although there was an obvious elevation of GPx activity in the chronic stage of PTE, Fer-1 treatment hardly affected FeCl3-induced increase of GPx activity (Figure 6E). Altogether, these results indicate that Fer-1 suppresses ferroptosis process, especially in the acute stage of PTE.