Remote ischemic preconditioning plays a neuroprotective role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion mice by inhibiting mitophagy

Remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) represents a clinically feasible method for safeguarding vital organs against ischemic injury. However, its specific role in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury remains to be definitively elucidated. In this study, we investigated the neuroprotective effects of RIPC on mice at 7 days post-cerebral I/R and its involvement in mitophagy and mitochondrial dysfunction. Cerebral I/R led to impaired brain function, as well as structural and functional damage to mitochondria. Notably, RIPC treatment ameliorated the neurological dysfunction induced by cerebral I/R. Compared with the I/R group, the expression levels of NeuN, MBP, PDH, and Tom20 were significantly elevated in the RIPC + I/R group. Furthermore, mitochondria in the RIPC + I/R group exhibited more intact structure compared to those in the I/R group. In mice subjected to I/R injury, RIPC treatment markedly increased ATP content, ADP content, TAN level and glucose uptake while upregulating expression levels of Parkin, Pink1 and P62 proteins; it also reduced both the volume of ischemic foci and the number of mitochondrial autophagosomes along with decreasing LC3B II/I ratio. In conclusion, RIPC may exert a neuroprotective role by inhibiting excessive mitophagy during subacute stages following an ischemic stroke.