Effect of Tongxinluo on basic fibroblast growth factor mRNA after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

INTRODUCTION Neural stem cells (NSCs) are characterized by self-renewing and mul- ti-differentiated potencies. Exogenous factors, such as growth factors and cytokines, have great effects on the proliferation and differentia- tion of NSCs. Some researches …     

Protective effects of acupuncture on brain tissue following ischemia/reperfusion injury★

BACKGROUND： In patients with cerebrovascular disease, by means of the neuroendocrine system, acupuncture supports the transformation of a local pathological status into a physiological status. Recently, great progress has been made in studying the protective effects of acupuncture on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. OBJECTIVE： To summarize research advances in the protective effects of acupuncture on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. RETRIEVAL STRATEGY： Using the terms ＂acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation, cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and cerebral protection＂, we retrieved articles from the PubMed database published between January 1991 and June 1994. Meanwhile, we searched the China National Knowledge Infrastructure with the same terms. Altogether, 114 articles and their results were analyzed. Inclusive criteria： studies that were closely related to the protective effects of acupuncture on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury, or studies, whose contents were in the same study field and were published recently, or in the authorized journals. Exclusive criteria： repetitive studies. LITERATURE EVALUATION： Thirty articles that related to the protective effects of acupuncture on brain ischemia/reperfusion injury were included. Among them, 7 were clinical studies, and the remaining 23 articles were animal experimental studies. DATA SYNTHESIS： ① Animal experimental studies have demonstrated that acupuncture improves brain blood perfusion and brain electrical activity, influences pathomorphological and ultramicrostructural changes in ischemic brain tissue, is beneficial in maintaining the stability of intracellular and extracellular ions, resists free radical injury and lipid peroxidation, and influences cytokine, neurotransmitter, brain cell signal transduction, and apoptosis-regulating genes. ② Clinical studies have demonstrated that acupuncture not only promotes nutritional supply to local brain tissue in patients with cerebral infarction, but also increases brai     

Effects of nerve growth factor on the expression of caspase-12 of nerve cells in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion area

INTRODUCTIONApoptosis plays a key role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury [1-5].Recently, researches suggest that stress of endoplasmic reticulumcan mediate apoptosis [6-12]; especially, stress apoptosis of endoplas-mic reticulum mediated by caspase-…     

Effect of pre-ischemia on hypoxia-inducible factor expression in the brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) can lead to the adaptative reaction of body for hypoxia and ischemia. HIF-1 plays an important role in the response of ischemia-hypoxia. At present, there has been no overall report on the significance for the expression of HIF-1 following experimental cerebral ischemia. OBJECTIVE: To observe the expression of HIF-1 after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by immunohistochemical method. DESIGN: Completely randomly grouped controlled animal experiment. SETTING: Second Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University. MATERIALS: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley healthy male rats, with body mass of 250–330 g, were used in this study. Thirty-six rats were randomized into 3 groups: pre-ischemia group, sham-operation group and control group, with 12 rats in each. METHODS: This study was carried out in the clinical laboratory, People's Hospital of Ningjin County of Shandong Province from March 2006 to January 2007. Rats in the pre-ischemia group were created into pre-ischemia models by two embolisms twice. Three days after ischemic preconditioning, middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 2 hours with the same method. After being perfused for 22 hours, the rats were euthanized. In the sham-operation group, rats were not given the treatment of pre-ischemia. In the first operation, only common carotid artery (CCA) and its crotch were exposed in the first operation, and MCA was not blocked by inserting embolism. At postoperative 3 days, rats were euthanized after being subjected to MCAO for 2 hours and reperfusion 22 hours by the same procedure as that in the pre-ischemia group. As for each rat in the control group, only CCA and its crotch were exposed, and no any other treatment was carried out on them. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Brain tissue of each rat was performed immunohistochemical staining at reperfusion 22 hours after pre-ischemia, HIF-1 expression and brain infarct volume were detected. RESULTS: Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were involved in the experiment. During the experiment, 8 rats dropped out, and another 8 rats were supplemented. The infarct volume of rats in the pre-ischemia group was significantly smaller than that in the sham-operation group （t =3.22, P < 0.01）. HIF-1 expression was not found in the control group, but many HIF-1 positive cells were found in the other two groups. Absorbance in the pre-ischemia group was significantly higher than that in the sham-operation group (t =4.31, P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Slight ischemia caused preconditioning can increase HIF-1 content, and it is one of protective mechanisms for nerve cells.     

Vascular endothelial growth factor induced angiogenesis following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rabbits

INTRODUCTIONAt present, ischemic cerebrovascular diseases are mainly treated bythrombolysis, anticoagulation and anti-platelet aggregation, which arethe traditional methods for prevention and treatment of thrombosisand vasodilatation, to ameliorate blood …     

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression and blood brain barrier permeability in the rat brain after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury**☆

BACKGROUND： The integrity of the blood brain barrier （BBB） plays an important role in the patho-physiological process of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. It has been recently observed that metalloproteinase-9 （MMP-9） is closely related to cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury OBJECTIVE： This study was designed to observe MMP-9 expression in the rat brain after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury and to investigate its correlation to BBB permeability. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： This study, a randomized controlled animal experiment, was performed at the Institute of Neurobiology, Central South University between September 2005 and March 2006. MATERIALS： Ninety healthy male SD rats, aged 3-4 months, weighing 200-280 g, were used in the present study. Rabbit anti-rat MMP-9 polyclonal antibody （Boster, Wuhan, China） and Evans blue （Sigma, USA） were also used. METHODS： All rats were randomly divided into 9 groups with 10 rats in each group： normal control group, sham-operated group, and ischemia for 2 hours followed by reperfusion for 3, 6, 12 hours, 1, 2, 4 and 7 days groups. In the ischemia/reperfusion groups, rats were subjected to ischemia/reperfusion injury by suture occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery. In the sham-operated group, rats were merely subjected to vessel dissociation. In the normal control group, rats were not modeled. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： BBB permeability was assessed by determining the level of effusion of Evans blue. MMP-9 expression was detected by an immunohistochemical method. RESULTS： All 90 rats were included in the final analysis. BBB permeability alteration was closely correlated to ischemia/reperfusion time. BBB permeability began to increase at ischemia/reperfusion for 3 hours, then it gradually reached a peak level at ischemia/reperfusion for 1 day, and thereafter it gradually decreased. MMP-9 expression began to increase at ischemia/reperfusion for 3 hours, then gradually reached its peak level 2 days after perfusion, and thereafter it grad     

Effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide and nerve growth factor on spatial learning and memory abilities of rats following focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion

BACKGROUND: Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and nerve growth actor (NGF) cam improve spatial learning and memory abilities of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion; however, the effect of combination of them on relieving learning and memory injury following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion should be further studied. OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of exogenous CGRP and NGF on learning and memory abilities of rats with focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. DESIGN: Randomized controlled animal study. SETTING: Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Hospital of Xiamen; Department of Neurosurgery, the Second Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University; Department of Neurobiology, Basic Medical College of China Medical University. MATERIALS: A total of 30 healthy male SD rats, aged 8 weeks, of clean grade, weighing 250-300 g, were provided by Experimental Animal Department of China Medical University. All rats were randomly divided into sham-operation group, ischemia/reperfusion group and treatment group with 10 in each group. The main reagents were detailed as the follows: 100 g/L chloral hydrate, 0.5 mL CGRP (2 mg/L, Sigma Company, USA), and NGF (1× 106 U/L, 0.5 mL, Siweite Company, Dalian). METHODS: The experiment was carried out in the Department of Neurobiology, Basic Medical College of China Medical University from February to July 2005. Rat models of middle cerebral artery occlusion were established by method of occlusion, 2 hours after that rats were anesthetized and the thread was slightly drawn out for 10 mm under direct staring to perform reperfusion. Rats in the ischemia/reperfusion group received intraperitoneal injection of 1 mL saline via the abdomen at two hours later, while rats in the treatment group at 2 hours later received intraperitoneal injection of 2 mg/L CGRP (0.5 mL) and 1×106 U/L NGF (0.5 mL) once a day for 10 successive days. First administration was accomplished within 15 minutes after ischemia/reperfusion. Rats in the sham-operation group were separated of the vessels without occlusion or administration. The neural function was evaluated with Zea Longa 5-grade scale. Animals with the score of one, two and three points received Morris water-maze test to measure searching time on platform (omitting platform-escaping latency). Meanwhile, leaning and memory abilities of animals were reflected through testing times of passing through platform per minute. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Experimental results of omitting platform-escaping latency and spatial probe. RESULTS: Three and two rats in the ischemia/reperfusion group and treatment group respectively were not in accordance with the criteria in the process, and the rest were involved in the final analysis. ① Comparisons of platform-escaping latency during Morris water-maze test in all the three groups: Ten days after modeling, the platform-escaping latency in the ischemia/reperfusion group was obviously longer than that in sham-operation group (P < 0.01), and was significantly shorter than that in the treatment group (P < 0.01). ② Comparisons of times of passing through platform in all the three groups: Times of passing through platform were remarkably less in the ischemia/reperfusion group than those in the sham-operation group [(1.79±0.39), (4.30±0.73) times/minute, P < 0.01], and those were markedly more in the treatment group than the ischemia/reperfusion group [(3.16±1.03), (1.79±0.39) times/minute, P < 0.01]. CONCLUSION: CGRP and NGF are capable of ameliorating the abilities of spatial learning and memory in MCAO rats, which indicates that CGRP and NGF can protect ischemic neurons.     

The effects of Shuxuetong on the pathology of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and GABA and TNF-α expression in gerbil models

Objective To study the protective effect and mechanism of Shuxuetong on gerbil brain tissue from the area of ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion animal model by transient clipping bilateral common carotid arteries in gerbils. Pathological changes in the hippocampal tissue were observed at different reperfusion time （12 h, 3 d, 7 d）. The expression levels of GABA and TNF-α in the hippocampal CA1 subfield were observed using immunohistochemitry at 12 h, 3 d after reperfusion. The difference of above indices among false operation group, ischemia-reperfusion group and treatment group were compared. Results The injuries of pathology to hippocampal area in ischemia-reperfusion group were more serious than treatment group. The expression levels of GABA in treatment group were significantly increased compared with ischemia-reperfusion group, but the expression levels of TNF-α between the two groups have no difference. Conclusion Shuxuetong has protective effect on brain tissue of ischemia-reperfusion by enhancing the expression of GABA in the hippocampal tissue.     

Neuroprotective effects of recombinant human erythropoietin on facial motoneurons after facial nerve injury in rats★

BACKGROUND： Erythropoietin and recombinant human erythropoietin （rhEPO） inhibit apoptosis of motor neurons caused by spinal cord injury and brain damage in rats. However, it still remains to be shown whether rhEPO can protect facial motoneurons （FMNs） as Well. OBJECTIVE： To test the neuroprotective effects of rhEPO on injured VMNs, as well as the influence on Caspase-3 expression. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： Randomized, controlled, animal experiment. This study was performed at the Central Laboratory of Basic Medical College, Chongqing Medical University from January to October 2007. MATERIALS： Seventy-five female SD rats, weighing 210-230 g. rhEPO injection was provided by Sansheng pharmaceuticals company, Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, China, and the License number was HMLN S20010001. METHODS： A total of 75 female rats were randomly divided into rhEPO treatment, control, and sham operation groups, with 25 rats in each group. Rat models of facial nerve injury were established in the rhEPO treatment group and the control group by crushing the main trunk of the left facial nerve. Surgical microscopic observation of the facial nerve damage displayed perineurial disruption. The left stylomastoid foramen of the sham operation group were only exposed, but without nerve injury. The rhEPO treatment group was treated with rhEPO （5 000 U/kg, i.p.） once following injury and once a day for two weeks. The control and sham operation groups were treated with the same dose of normal saline （i.p.）, once following injury and once a day for two weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Rats were sacrificed 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after injury, FMN survival after facial nerve injury was analyzed by Toluidine blue staining, and then survival ratios （L/R） were calculated. The number of apoptotic profiles in the injured FMNs were evaluated by TUNEL staining. Expression of Caspase-3 in the facial nucleus was detected by immunohistochemistry methods. RESULTS： A total of 75 rats were included in the final analysi     

13-Methyltetradecanoic acid mitigates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

13-Methyltetradecanoic acid can stabilize cell membrane and have anti-inlfammatory, antioxidant and anti-apoptotic effects. Previous studies mainly focused on peripheral nerve injury, but seldom on the central nervous system. We investigated whether these properties of 13-methyltetradecanoic acid have a neuroprotective effect on focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury, and detected the expression of basic ifbroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor. This study established rat models of middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion injury by ischemia for 2 hours and reperfusion for 24 hours. At the beginning of reperfusion, 13-methyltetradecanoic acid 10, 40 or 80 mg/kg was injected into the tail vein. Results found that various doses of 13-methyltetradecanoic acid effectively reduced infarct volume, mitigate cerebral edema, and increased the mRNA and protein expression of basic ifbroblast growth factor and vascular endothe-lial growth factor at 24 hours of reperfusion. The effect was most signiifcant in the 13-methyltetradecanoic acid 40 and 80 mg/kg groups. The ifndings suggest that 13-methyltetradecanoic acid can relieve focal ischemia/reperfusion injury immediately after reperfusion, stimu-late the upregulation of basic ifbroblast growth factor and vascular endothelial growth factor to exert neuroprotective effects.     

褪黑素对SD大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤后c-fos表达的影响

目的探讨褪黑素在大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤中的神经保护作用及可能机制。方法选取45只雄性SD大鼠,分为假手术组(5只)、脑缺血再灌注组(20只)、褪黑素干预组(20只);脑缺血再灌注组和褪黑素干预组根据时间点第6小时、第1天、第3天、第7天分为4个组,每组5只。采用Longa线栓法建立大鼠左侧大脑中动脉栓塞(MCAO)模型,采用HE染色检测脑组织的病理改变,TUNEL染色检测神经细胞的凋亡,免疫组织化学(免疫组化)法及蛋白质印迹法(Western Blotting)观察大鼠脑组织内c-fos表达情况。结果在脑缺血再灌注组的各时间点的HE染色显示,胶质细胞呈现程度不一的增生,神经元出现坏死;褪黑素干预能减轻脑缺血再灌注后胶质细胞增生及神经元的坏死。在TUNEL染色凋亡检测中,脑缺血再灌注组各时间点的神经细胞凋亡升高;褪黑素干预组各时间点的细胞凋亡数低于脑缺血再灌注组(P <0.05)。在免疫组化及蛋白质印迹检测中,脑缺血再灌注组c-fos表达增加,在第1天时达到高峰,之后表达逐步降低;在褪黑素干预组,c-fos表达趋势与缺血再灌注组一致,但表达水平比缺血再灌注组相应时间点低,差异有统计学意义(P <0.05)。结论褪黑素能够减轻脑缺血再灌注后神经元的损伤,降低c-fos的表达,表明褪黑素可能通过调控c-fos的表达在脑缺血再灌注中发挥神经保护作用。     

步长脑心通胶囊对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤的神经保护作用

目的研究步长脑心通胶囊对脑缺血再灌注(IR)损伤的神经保护作用。方法采用Longas法制备大鼠脑IR模型,分为IR组、步长脑心通组;再灌注后2h开始给药,依照IR的持续时间不同又分为1d、3d、7d、10d及15d共5组。各时相点取材,用HE染色和电镜观察脑部组织学改变,用干湿重法进行脑含水量测定;免疫组化染色检测脑组织血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)的表达,并使用多媒体彩色病理图像分析系统进行定量分析。结果与IR组比较,步长脑心通组脑组织中皱缩或肿胀神经元数目少,胞浆肿胀较轻,胶质细胞肿胀不明显,血管周围间隙水肿和渗出较轻;脑含水量及VEGF的表达差异具有显著性(均P<0.05)。结论步长脑心通胶囊可减少IR后脑含水量并增强VEGF表达,从而起到神经保护作用。     

水通道蛋白4在大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤中的作用

目的研究水通道蛋白4(AQP4)在缺血再灌注损伤大鼠脑内表达及作用。方法以大脑中动脉线栓法建立大鼠缺血再灌注模型,采用干湿法测定模型的脑组织含水量及伊文氏蓝含量;免疫蛋白印记(WesternBlot)技术分析在缺血再灌注不同时程脑内AQP4的表达情况,以及AQP4与脑含水量和伊文氏蓝水平的相关性,并与对照组比较。结果与对照组相比,实验组大鼠脑组织含水量及伊文氏蓝水平在缺血再灌注后不同时间点明显高于对照组(P<0.05～0.01);AQP4蛋白表达明显增高(均P<0.05),并随着缺血再灌时间的延长,其表达量亦逐渐增加,在再灌后24～48h达到高峰。缺血再灌注后AQP4脑内的表达与脑组织含水量及伊文氏蓝水平呈正相关(r=0.38、r=0.45,均P<0.05)。结论AQP4的高表达参与了脑缺血再灌注后继发的血脑屏障的开放和脑水肿的发生,是脑水肿产生的重要分子基础。     

bFGF和PDGF-B蛋白在脑缺血再灌注大鼠模型中的表达和血管形成的研究

目的 探讨脑缺血再灌注大鼠不同时间碱性成纤维细胞生长因子(bFGF)和血小板源性生长因子-B(PDGF-B)的表达水平及其与血管形成的关系。方法 采用线栓法制备大鼠大脑中动脉局灶性脑缺血再灌注(MCAO/R)模型,分为假手术组和MCAO/R组,MCAO/R组缺血2 h后根据再灌注时间窗的不同分为0、6、24 h、3、7、14、21 d共7组,应用HE染色观察病理变化并测定脑梗死体积,用免疫组化法检测CD34蛋白的表达水平并计数微血管密度(MVD),用免疫组化法检测bFGF和PDGF-B蛋白的表达水平。结果 bFGF蛋白表达水平在MCAO/R 6 h后即开始升高,3 d到达高峰,7 d开始降低。PDGF-B蛋白表达水平在MCAO/R 24 h后明显升高,3 d到达高峰,7 d有所下降,持续到14 d左右。MVD表达在MCAO/R 3 d开始升高,7 d到达高峰。bFGF和PDGF-B蛋白表达水平与MVD变化呈正相关(P<0.01)。结论 局灶性脑缺血再灌注损伤可诱导bFGF、PDGF-B和新生血管表达增加,激活内源性脑保护机制。     

Effects of kallikrein gene transfer on penumbral microvascular proliferation and on regional cerebral blood flow following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

BACKGROUND： Recent findings have demonstrated that the kallikrein-kinin system （KKS） participates in the pathological process of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Kallikrein gene transfer exhibits neural protective effects following cerebral infarction. OBJECTIVE： To observe the effects of kallikrein gene transfer on vascular proliferation in the peripheral infarct focus and on regional cerebral blood flow （rCBF） following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The completely randomized, controlled experiment was performed at the Lin Baixin Laboratory Center, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sun University between September 2007 and April 2008. MATERIALS： pUCI9-HTK plasmid was constructed and maintained in the Laboratory for Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, China. Mouse anti-human kallikrein 1 monoclonal antibody was purchased from R＆D Systems, USA. METHODS Ninety healthy, male, Sprague Dawley rats were used. Middle cerebral artery occlusion （MCAO） was established in all rats to induce cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Following MCAO establishment, all rats were randomly divided into three groups （n = 30）： blank control, saline, and pAdCMV-HTK. The saline and pAdCMV-HTK groups were stereotactically micro-injected with 5μL of physiological saline or with pAdCMV-HTK [multiplicity of infection （MOI） = 20], respectively, into the ischemic penumbra. In the blank control group, only sham injection was performed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： At 12, 24, and 72 hours after treatment, cerebral infarction volume was measured by 2, 3, 5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride （TTC） staining. Exogenous HTK expression, as well as regional vascular endothelial growth factor （VEGF） expression, was detected by immunohistochemistry. rCBF was examined by 14C-iodoantipyrine micro tracing. In addition, neurological severity score （NSS） was performed. Higher scores indicated more severe neurological deficits. RESULTS： NSS res     

bFGF对大鼠局灶性缺血再灌注脑组织的保护作用

目的探讨bFGF对大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤后神经细胞凋亡和脑组织中SOD、MDA含量变化的影响。方法应用线栓法制作大鼠局灶性脑缺血再灌注模型,大脑中动脉阻塞1h再灌注损伤24h,检测假手术组、缺血再灌注组和bFGF组的凋亡细胞数和脑组织中SOD、MDA的含量。结果假手术组偶见凋亡细胞,缺血再灌注组和bFGF组凋亡细胞数分别是26.35±5.67和18.65±5.91,与缺血再灌注组相比,bFGF组缺血区皮质凋亡神经元明显减少(P<0.05)。SOD,MDA测定结果显示三组间比较,具有显著性差异(P<0.01和P<0.05)。结论抗氧化作用可能是bFGF减少大鼠脑缺血再灌注损伤后细胞凋亡的分子机制之一。