Mitochondrial regulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production—Unexpected observations in early postnatal cerebral vasculature.

Nicotinamide-nucleotide-transhydrogenase (Nnt) is a mitochondrial protein. It is altered and functionally lacking in the C57BL/6J sub-strain. This leads to the generation of more radical oxygen species than in the C57BL/6N sub-strain. During studies on the effect of Nnt in perinatal hypoxia the cerebral vasculature was investigated in postnatal day 9 mice using post mortem arterial filling with silicone rubber compounds. Surprisingly, the tiny vessels were no longer uniformly filled and a bleb-like pattern occurred in both sub-strains. Furthermore, considerably more bleb-like spots were observed in the C57Bl/6J sub-strain than in the C57Bl/6N sub-strain. These blebs might be the result of feathery vessels bursting. It remains unclear how the mechanisms in the used strains differ. Nnt might influence the vascular structure or its development and mechanisms and should be investigated further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]