Objective To investigate the effects of protein kinase inhibitor H-7 on the activation of calpain and caspase-3 in penumbra and core after focal cerebral ischemia in rats. Methods Rats received 1h focal cerebral ischemia by intraluminal filament. H-7 ( 125 μg/rat) was administered intracerebroventricularly 15 min before ischemia. The activities of calpain and caspase-3, the levels of calpastatin and microtubule-associated protein-2 ( MAP-2 ) , and the infarct volume were assessed by casein zymography,fluorometry, Western blot analysis,and staining the brain sections with 2,3 ,5-tripheny-ltetrazolium chlorides,respectively. Results Compared with ischemic control, H-7 markedly reduced the activities of μ-and m-calpain, and caspase-3 , increased the levels of MAP-2 in penumbra and core, and enhanced the levels of calpastatin in core. Moreover, animals treated with H-7 showed a significant reduction in infarct volume. Conclusions These data demonstrate the protection of H-7 against focal cerebral ischemia through inhibiting the activation of calpain and caspase-3. 相似文献