Temporal changes in sensitivity of rats to cerebral ischemic insult

2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 82-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip E. Vinall ◽  
Michael S. Kramer ◽  
Lynn A. Heinel ◽  
Robert H. Rosenwasser

Object. Experimental rat models are often used to study cerebral ischemia, yet rats are nocturnal animals that have activity cycles that are the opposite of those of humans. In the following study the authors examined the circadian rhythm of sensitivity to an ischemic insult in rats by using an intraluminal thread technique to produce reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion.Methods. Ischemia (2 hours of blockage followed by 22 hours of reperfusion) was induced in rats according to the 24-hour clock at either 100, 400, 700, 1000, 1300, 1600, 1900, or 2200 hours (11–14 rats per time period). The rat brains were removed, coronally sectioned, stained with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride and analyzed using commercially available software. Analysis of variance and cosinor-rhythmometry statistical tests were used for analysis of data. The time of day when the ischemic infarct was induced had a significant (p = 0.011) influence on the volume of the lesion. The volume of total brain infarct produced at 400 hours (7.65 ± 1.31%) was more than three times greater than the volume produced at 1600 hours (2.1 ± 0.34%). Cosinor-rhythm analysis indicated a peak occurrence of infarct volume at 6:02 (95% confidence interval 5:49–6:16). The size of the infarct correlated with core body temperature rhythms, which varied by 1.3 ± 0.62°C (mean ± standard deviation).Conclusions. Circadian rhythms, as well as the reversed natural body rhythms of the rat compared with humans, should be considered when extrapolating data to human or other animal studies. Temporal rhythms may also provide information concerning the cascading disease processes associated with cerebral ischemia.

2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (6) ◽  
pp. 1072-1076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetsuryu Mitsuyama ◽  
Takakazu Kawamata ◽  
Fumitaka Yamane ◽  
Akira Awaya ◽  
Tomokatsu Hori

Object. A synthetic heterocyclic pyrimidine compound, MS-818 (2-piperadino-6-methyl-5-oxo-5,6-dihydro-(7H) pyrrolo-[3,4-d] pyrimidine maleate) is reported to have a variety of biological activities including neurite outgrowth, astrocyte differentiation, suppression of neuronal apoptosis, regeneration of injured peripheral nerves, fracture repairs, angiogenesis, and superovulation. To be able to explicate the neurotrophic effects of MS-818, the authors evaluated its effect on the reduction of infarct volume and amelioration of sensorimotor dysfunction in a rat model of focal ischemia. Methods. Forty male Sprague—Dawley rats were subjected to right middle cerebral artery occlusion and assigned to one of four treatment groups (10 animals in each group). The MS-818 (1, 5, or 10 mg/kg) or phosphate-buffered saline (control group) was administered intraperitoneally at onset of ischemia and again 24 hours later. The rats were killed 48 hours after they underwent surgery to induce stroke, and infarct volume was determined using an image-analysis computer software program following staining with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride. Postischemic neurological deficit and body weight were also assessed. Conclusions. Significant reductions in infarct volume (total and cortical infarction) were found in all the MS-818—treated groups compared with the control group. Furthermore, MS-818 induced significant amelioration of sensorimotor dysfunction, as indicated by the results of forelimb and hindlimb placing tests. The present findings suggest that MS-818, which has a much smaller molecular weight than neurotrophic peptides, represents a new approach to the treatment of focal cerebral ischemia.


1987 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isabelle M. Germano ◽  
Henry M. Bartkowski ◽  
Mary E. Cassel ◽  
Lawrence H. Pitts

✓ Recent studies suggest that nimodipine, a potent calcium-channel antagonist that causes significant cerebrovascular dilatation, may improve neurological outcome after acute experimental permanent focal cerebral ischemia when given before or immediately after occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) in various animals. The authors describe the effect of nimodipine on cerebral ischemia in a rat model. At 1,4, or 6 hours after occlusion of the MCA, rats were treated in a double-blind technique with either nimodipine, placebo, or saline. Neurological and neuropathological evaluation was performed at 24 hours. Neurological outcome was better in rats treated with nimodipine 1, 4, or 6 hours after occlusion (p < 0.001, p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively), and the size of areas of infarction was statistically smaller in nimodipine-treated groups (p < 0.01, p < 0.01, p < 0.05, respectively) when compared with control rats treated with saline or placebo. The best neurological outcome and the smallest area of infarction were found in nimodipine-treated rats 1 hour after occlusion. Compared with controls, the size of the periphery of the infarcted area was smaller in nimodipine-treated rats. The results show that nimodipine improves neurological outcome and decreases the size of infarction when administered up to 6 hours after ischemic insult. These results suggest a possible mechanism of action of nimodipine on the “penumbra” of the ischemic area.


2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 582-588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Yang ◽  
Qiu Li ◽  
Marian T. Nakada ◽  
Tao Yang ◽  
Ashfaq Shuaib

Object. Antagonists of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (GPIIb/IIIa) receptor complex are currently used for the treatment of acute coronary syndromes. The platelet GPIIb/IIIa mediates platelet aggregation, and blocking this receptor complex can reduce or prevent arterial thrombosis. To study the recanalization efficacy of a GPIIb/IIIa antagonist in treating cerebral ischemia, we investigated the therapeutic effects of murine 7E3 F(ab′)2 in a focal embolic cerebral ischemia model in rats. Methods. Focal cerebral ischemia was produced by introducing an autologous thrombus into the right side of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups of 10 rats each: control, 7E3 F(ab′)2 administered 1 hour postischemia, and 7E3 F(ab′)2 administered 3 hours postischemia. Animals in the therapeutic groups received intravenous infusion of 6 mg/kg 7E3 F(ab′)2 at 1 or 3 hours following cerebral embolization. Brain infarct volume, neurobehavioral scores, duration of bleeding, and findings on angiograms of the MCA (before and after infusion) were assessed in all animals. Angiographic evaluation revealed full MCA recanalization in three of 10 animals in each 7E3 F(ab′)2 treatment group. Animals in these groups exhibited a significant reduction in infarct volume when compared with animals in the control group: 1) infarct volume 1 hour postischemia, 22 ± 13.9% (p = 0.005); 2) infarct volume 3 hours postischemia, 22.1 ± 14.8% (p = 0.008); and 3) infarct volume in control animals, 42.4 ± 16%. Postischemia treatment with 7E3 F(ab′)2 also improved the animal's neurobehavioral performance. The duration of bleeding significantly increased by more than two times, but there was no associated increase in intracerebral hemorrhage in any group. Conclusions. On the basis of their findings, the authors conclude that murine 7E3 F(ab′)2 is a potent and safe antiplatelet agent in this experimental focal embolic cerebral ischemia model. Neuronal lesions were significantly reduced when the treatment was delayed up to 3 hours.


1997 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 139-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin M. Bednar ◽  
Cordell E. Gross ◽  
Sheila R. Russell ◽  
David Short ◽  
Patricia C. Giclas

✓ Although complement activation is associated with tissue injury during inflammatory and ischemic states, complement activation in states of acute cerebral ischemia before and after administration of tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) has not yet been examined and is the focus of this investigation. Twenty-four New Zealand White rabbits weighing 3 to 3.5 kg were used for this study. Of these, 20 were subjected to intracranial autologous clot embolization via the internal carotid artery. Three hours postembolization, rabbits received an intravenous infusion of TPA (6.3 mg/kg, 20% bolus with the remainder infused over a 2-hour interval; 12 animals) or vehicle (eight animals). All animals were observed for a total of 7 or 8 hours postembolization. These two groups were compared to a cohort undergoing sham operation with subsequent TPA infusion (four animals). Plasma samples to quantify complement component C5 hemolytic activity (C5H5O) were obtained at the following time points: 30 minutes before and after clot embolization; 1 hour before and 1 hour after the initiation of therapy with TPA or vehicle and at the completion of the protocol; 7 to 8 hours after clot embolization. The C5 activation was not detected as the result of acute cerebral ischemia. However, animals receiving TPA with or without concomitant clot embolization exhibited C5 activation as assessed by a reduction in C5 hemolytic function, both 1 hour after initiation of TPA infusion (78.7 ± 10.3% and 77.5 ± 9.9% of baseline value, respectively; mean ± standard error of the mean [SEM]) and at the end of the protocol, 2 hours after the completion of the TPA infusion (72.5 ± 8.8% and 53.3 ± 8.1%, respectively; mean ± SEM, p < 0.05, each group). This study supports the conclusion that TPA, but not acute cerebral ischemia, may activate the complement cascade in this rabbit model of thromboembolic stroke.


1986 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 693-696 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Richard Marsh ◽  
Robert E. Anderson ◽  
Thoralf M. Sundt

✓ The adverse effect of a minimal cerebral blood flow (CBF) in models of global ischemia has been noted by many investigators. One factor believed important in this situation is the level of blood glucose, since a continued supply of this metabolite results in increased tissue lactate, decreased brain pH, and increased cell damage. The authors have extended these observations to a model of focal incomplete ischemia. Brain pH was measured in fasted squirrel monkeys in regions of focal incomplete ischemia after transorbital occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA). In both control and hyperglycemic animals, CBF was reduced to less than 30% of baseline. At 3 hours after MCA occlusion, brain pH in the control group was 6.66 ± 0.68 as compared to 6.27 ± 0.26 in the glucose-treated group. This difference was statistically significant by Student's unpaired t-test (p < 0.05). Thus, hyperglycemia results in decreased tissue pH in regions of focal incomplete cerebral ischemia in monkeys.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 808-814 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mette K. Schulz ◽  
Lars Peter Wang ◽  
Mogens Tange ◽  
Per Bjerre

Object. The success of treatment for delayed cerebral ischemia is time dependent, and neuronal monitoring methods that can detect early subclinical levels of cerebral ischemia may improve overall treatment results. Cerebral microdialysis may represent such a method. The authors' goal was to characterize patterns of markers of energy metabolism (glucose, pyruvate, and lactate) and neuronal injury (glutamate and glycerol) in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), in whom ischemia was or was not suspected.Methods. By using low-flow intracerebral microdialysis monitoring, central nervous system extracellular fluid concentrations of glucose, pyruvate, lactate, glutamate, and glycerol were determined in 46 patients suffering from poor-grade SAH. The results in two subgroups were analyzed: those patients with no clinical or radiological signs of cerebral ischemia (14 patients) and those who succumbed to brain death (five patients).Significantly lower levels of energy substrates and significantly higher levels of lactate and neuronal injury markers were observed in patients with severe and complete ischemia when compared with patients without symptoms of ischemia (glucose 0 compared with 2.12 ± 0.15 mmol/L; pyruvate 0 compared with 151 ± 11.5 µmol; lactate 6.57 ± 1.07 compared with 3.06 ± 0.32 mmol/L; glycerol 639 ± 91 compared with 81.6 ± 12.4 µmol; and glutamate 339 ± 53.4 compared with 14 ± 3.33 µmol). Immediately after catheter placement, glutamate concentrations declined over the first 4 to 6 hours to reach stable values. The remaining parameters exhibited stable values after 1 to 2 hours.Conclusions. The results confirm that intracerebral microdialysis monitoring of patients with SAH can be used to detect patterns of cerebral ischemia. The wide range from normal to severe ischemic values calls for additional studies to characterize further incomplete and possible subclinical levels of ischemia.


1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Toshihiko Kuroiwa ◽  
Makoto Shibutani ◽  
Riki Okeda

✓ The effect of suppression of postischemic reactive hyperemia on the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and ischemic brain edema after temporary focal cerebral ischemia was studied in cats under ketamine and alpha-chloralose anesthesia. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured by a thermal diffusion method and a hydrogen clearance method. The animals were separated into three groups. In Group A, the left middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded for 6 hours. In Group B, the MCA was occluded for 3 hours and then reperfused for 3 hours; postischemic hyperemia was suppressed to the preischemic level by regulating the degree of MCA constriction. In Group C, the MCA was occluded for 3 hours and reperfused for 3 hours without suppressing the postischemic reactive hyperemia. The brain was removed and cut coronally at the site of rCBF measurement. The degree of ischemic edema was assessed by gravimetry in samples taken from the coronal section and correlated with the degree of BBB disruption at the corresponding sites, evaluated by densitometric determination of Evans blue discoloration. The findings showed that 1) ischemic edema was significantly exacerbated by postischemic hyperemia during reperfusion in parallel with the degree of BBB opening to serum proteins, and 2) suppression of postischemic hyperemia significantly reduced the exacerbation of ischemic edema and BBB opening. These findings indicate that blood flow may be restored without significant exacerbation of postischemic edema by the suppression of postischemic hyperemia in focal cerebral ischemia.


1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 853-859 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arnd Doerfler ◽  
Michael Forsting ◽  
Wolfgang Reith ◽  
Christian Staff ◽  
Sabine Heiland ◽  
...  

✓ Acute ischemia in the complete territory of the carotid artery may lead to massive cerebral edema with raised intracranial pressure and progression to coma and death due to uncal, cingulate, or tonsillar herniation. Although clinical data suggest that patients benefit from undergoing decompressive surgery for acute ischemia, little data about the effect of this procedure on experimental ischemia are available. In this article the authors present results of an experimental study on the effects of decompressive craniectomy performed at various time points after endovascular middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in rats. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in 68 rats using an endovascular occlusion technique focused on the MCA. Decompressive cranioectomy was performed in 48 animals (in groups of 12 rats each) 4, 12, 24, or 36 hours after vessel occlusion. Twenty animals (control group) were not treated by decompressive craniectomy. The authors used the infarct volume and neurological performance at Day 7 as study endpoints. Although the mortality rate in the untreated group was 35%, none of the animals treated by decompressive craniectomy died (mortality 0%). Neurological behavior was significantly better in all animals treated by decompressive craniectomy, regardless of whether they were treated early or late. Neurological behavior and infarction size were significantly better in animals treated very early by decompressive craniectomy (4 hours) after endovascular MCA occlusion (p < 0.01); surgery performed at later time points did not significantly reduce infarction size. The results suggest that use of decompressive craniectomy in treating cerebral ischemia reduces mortality and significantly improves outcome. If performed early after vessel occlusion, it also significantly reduces infarction size. By performing decompressive craniectomy neurosurgeons will play a major role in the management of stroke patients.


1998 ◽  
Vol 89 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter J. Kirkpatrick ◽  
Joseph Lam ◽  
Pippa Al-Rawi ◽  
Piotr Smielewski ◽  
Marek Czosnyka

Object. Signal changes in adult extracranial tissues may have a profound effect on cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) measurements. During carotid surgery NIRS signals provide the opportunity to determine the relative contributions from the intra- and extracranial vascular territories, allowing for a more accurate quantification. In this study the authors applied multimodal monitoring methods to patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy and explored the hypothesis that NIRS can define thresholds for cerebral ischemia, provided extracranial NIRS signal changes are identified and removed. Relative criteria for intraoperative severe cerebral ischemia (SCI) were applied to 103 patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy. Methods. One hundred three patients underwent carotid endarterectomy. An intraoperative fall in transcranial Doppler—detected middle cerebral artery flow velocity (%ΔFV) of greater than 60% accompanied by a sustained fall in cortical electrical activity were adopted as criteria for SCI. Ipsilateral frontal NIRS recorded the total difference in concentrations of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin (Total ΔHbdiff). Interrupted time series analysis following clamping of the external carotid artery (ECA) and the internal carotid artery (ICA) allowed the different vascular components of Total ΔHbdiff (ECA ΔHbdiff and ICA ΔHbdiff) to be identified. Data obtained in 76 patients were deemed suitable. A good correlation between %ΔFV and ICA ΔHbdiff (r = 0.73, p < 0.0001) was evident. Sixteen patients (21%) fulfilled the criteria for SCI. All patients who demonstrated an ICA ΔHbdiff of greater than 6.8 µmol/L showed SCI, and in two patients within this group nondisabling watershed infarction developed, as seen on postoperative computerized tomography scans. No patient with an ICA ΔHbdiff less than 5 µmol/L exhibited SCI or suffered a stroke. Within the resolution of the criteria used an ICA ΔHbdiff threshold of 6.8 µmol/L provided 100% specificity for SCI, whereas an ICA ΔHbdiff less than 5 µmol/L was 100% sensitive for excluding SCI. When Total ΔHbdiff was used without removing the ECA component, no thresholds for SCI were apparent. Conclusions. Carotid endarterectomy provides a stable environment for exploring NIRS-quantified thresholds for SCI in the adult head.


2001 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-401 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tõnu Rätsep ◽  
Toomas Asser

Object. In this study the authors evaluated the relative role of cerebral hemodynamic impairment (HDI) in the pathogenesis of delayed cerebral ischemia and poor clinical outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Methods. Cerebral hemodynamics were assessed daily with transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasonography in 55 consecutive patients with verified SAH. Hemodynamic impairment was defined as blood flow velocity (BFV) values consistent with vasospasm in conjunction with impaired autoregulatory vasodilation as evaluated using the transient hyperemic response tests in the middle cerebral arteries. A total of 1344 TCD examinations were performed, in which the evaluation of HDI was feasible during 80.9% and HDI was registered during 12% of the examinations. It was found that HDI occurred in 60% of patients and was frequently recorded in conjunction with severe vasospasm (p < 0.05) and a rapid increase of BFV values (p < 0.05). Detection of HDI was closely associated with the development of delayed ischemic brain damage after SAH (p < 0.05). Furthermore, because delayed ischemia was never observed in cases in which vasospasm had not led to the development of HDI, its occurrence increased significantly the likelihood of subsequent cerebral ischemia among the patients with vasospasm (p < 0.05). Detection of HDI was independently related to unfavorable clinical outcome according to Glasgow Outcome Scale at 6 months after SAH (p < 0.05). Conclusions. The results showed that HDI is common after SAH and can be evaluated with TCD ultrasonography in routine clinical practice. Detection of HDI could be useful for identifying patients at high or low risk for delayed ischemic complications and unfavorable clinical outcome after SAH.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document