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Approximately 2 million individuals experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) every year in the United States. Secondary injury begins within minutes after TBI, with alterations in cellular function and chemical signaling that contribute to excitotoxicity. Post-traumatic seizures (PTS) are experienced in an increasing number of TBI individuals that also display resistance to traditional anti-seizure medications (ASMs). Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is a signaling pathway that is upregulated following central nervous system damage in zebrafish and aids injury-induced regeneration. Using a modified Marmarou weight drop on adult zebrafish, we examined PTS following TBI and Shh modulation. We found that inhibiting Shh signaling by cyclopamine significantly increased PTS in TBI fish, prolonged the timeframe PTS was observed, and decreased survival across all TBI severities. Shh-inhibited TBI fish failed to respond to traditional ASMs, but were attenuated when treated with CNQX, which blocks ionotropic glutamate receptors. We found that the Smoothened agonist, purmorphamine, increased Eaat2a expression in undamaged brains compared to untreated controls, and purmorphamine treatment reduced glutamate excitotoxicity following TBI. Similarly, purmorphamine reduced PTS, edema, and cognitive deficits in TBI fish, while these pathologies were increased and/or prolonged in cyclopamine-treated TBI fish. However, the increased severity of TBI phenotypes with cyclopamine was reduced by cotreating fish with ceftriaxone, which induces Eaat2a expression. Collectively, these data suggest that Shh signaling induces Eaat2a expression and plays a role in regulating TBI-induced glutamate excitotoxicity and TBI sequelae.

Absorption spectrophotometric and mass spectrometric properties of 1,2-benzoquinone, prepared in aqueous solution by the hexachloroiridate(IV) oxidation of catechol and isolated by HPLC, are reported. Its absorption spectrum has a broad moderately intense band in the near UV with an extinction coefficient of 1370 M−1cm−1at its 389 nm maximum. The oscillator strength of this band contrasts with those of the order-of-magnitude stronger ∼250 nm bands of most 1,4-benzoquinones. Gaussian analysis of its absorption spectrum indicates that it also has modestly intense higher energy bands in the 250−320 nm region. In atmospheric pressure mass spectrometric studies 1,2-benzoquinone exhibits very strong positive and negative mass 109 signals that result from the addition of protons and hydride ions in APCI and ESI ion sources. It is suggested that the hydride adduct is formed as the result of the highly polar character of ortho-quinone. On energetic collision the hydride adduct loses an H atom to produce the 1,2-benzosemiquinone radical anion. The present studies also show that atmospheric pressure mass spectral patterns observed for catechol are dominated by signals of 1,2-benzoquinone resulting from oxidation of catechol in the ion sources. Computational studies of the electronic structures of 1,2-benzoquinone, its proton and hydride ion adducts, and 1,2-benzosemiquinone radical anion are reported. These computational studies show that the structures of the proton and hydride adducts are similar and indicate that the hydride adduct is the proton adduct of a doubly negatively charged 1,2-benzoquinone. The contrast between the properties of 1,2- and 1,4-benzoquinone provides the basis for considerations on the effects of conjugation in aromatic systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]