There is currently no knowledge about the expression profile of the autophagy (BECN1), mitophagy (BNIP3), and apoptosis (
CASP3) genes in the CA3 region of the hippocampus after
cerebral ischemia. In addition, it is unknown whether genes for BECN1, BNIP3, and
CASP3 have any effect on the neuronal death in the CA3 area of the hippocampus due to
ischemia. In this study, for the first time, we present, by means of a quantitative PCR protocol with
reverse transcriptase, the expression of BECN1 and
CASP3 genes in the neuronal CA3 region of the hippocampus with the co-expression of the mitochondrial BNIP3 gene, which genes are associated with
Alzheimer's disease, in the ischemic model of
Alzheimer's disease in the rat. The present study showed that after
ischemia, the
CASP3 gene was significantly expressed within 7-30 days, the BECN1 gene was significantly overexpressed on the thirtieth day, and the BINP3 gene was lowered below control values during post-ischemic follow-up period. The
caspase-dependent neuronal death in the CA3 region of the hippocampus after
ischemia is not accompanied by overexpression of the BNIP3 gene. Our data may therefore suggest a new insight into the BNIP3 gene in the regulation of neuronal mitophagy in neurodegeneration in the CA3 region of the hippocampus after
ischemia. This indicates no involvement of the BNIP3 gene along with the
CASP3 gene in the CA3 region of the hippocampus in delayed neuronal death after
brain ischemia.