HACE1 exerts a neuroprotective role against oxidative stress in cerebral ischemia–reperfusion injury by activating the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway

HECT domain and Ankyrin repeat-containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase 1 (HACE1) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase involving oxidative stress, an important contributor in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI). It was proposed to be associated with the PI3K/AKT pathway and Nrf2 nuclear translocation, which are important players of oxidative stress. Therefore, we supposed that HACE1 might affect CIRI by regulating the PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 pathway. Here, we used the transient middle cerebral artery occlusion-reperfusion (tMCAO/R) model to induce CIRI in rats and found lower HACE1 expression in ischemic rats compared with the control. To explore the exact role of HACE1, the lentivirus vector carrying the HACE1 sequence was administrated to rats by intracerebroventricular injection (1 × 10