A new hippocampal model for examining intracerebral hemorrhage-related neuronal death: effects of deferoxamine on hemoglobin-induced neuronal death.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE There is an urgent need to develop a model in which to study the mechanism of intracerebral hemorrhage-induced neuronal death in vivo. METHODS This study was divided into 2 parts: (1) Rats received either an infusion of hemoglobin, ferrous iron, or saline into the right hippocampus; (2) Rats had an infusion of hemoglobin and then were treated with either deferoxamine or vehicle. Rats were killed for hippocampus size, DNA damage, and neuronal death measurements. RESULTS Compared with saline, hemoglobin or iron injection caused hippocampal neuronal death. Systemic use of deferoxamine reduced hemoglobin-induced DNA damage, hippocampal neuronal death, and atrophy. CONCLUSIONS This article demonstrates a new model and indicates that iron has a key role in hemoglobin-induced neuronal death.