The Effect of Nrf1 and Nrf2 siRNA-injection on NRF-1 Protein Level in three Regions of Male Wistar Rats’ Brain

Introduction: nuclear respiratory factor-1 (nrf-1) is an important factor involved in cellular growth and mitochondrial replication. the nuclear factor, erythroid-derived 2, -like2 (nrf2) and nuclear erythroid 2-related factor 1 (nrf1) are two regulatory factors important for anti-oxidants defense system. materials and methods: to understand the effect of nrf2 and nrf1 downregulation on nrf-1 protein level, the effects of nrf1 and nrf2 silencing through small interfering rna (sirna) on nrf-1 protein level were examined by western blotting in hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, and amygdala. results: according to the current data, downregulation of nrf1 and nrf2 significantly reduced the level of nrf-1 protein level in the amygdala (%33), 4 and 8h after injection. in prefrontal cortex, nrf-1 protein level decreased (%27) 8h after sirna injection but it did not have any statistically significant effect on nrf-1 protein level in the hippocampus. conclusion: overall, it is argued that antioxidant defense system is important in mitochondrial respiration as using sirna against nrf1 and nrf2 could lower nrf-1 protein level.