Endothelin-mediated vasoconstriction may theoretically aggravate ischemic neuronal damage. Although investigators have demonstrated that endothelins are produced by cerebral microvessel endothelial cells, astrocytes and neurons in vitro, whether endothelins are produced during cerebral ischemia is still unclear. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to measure endothelin-1 in brain tissue a...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE While polymorphonuclear leukocytes may contribute to the "no-reflow" phenomenon after focal cardiac and skeletal muscle ischemia/reperfusion, their contribution to acute focal cerebral ischemia is unresolved. We have examined the role of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in microvascular perfusion defects after focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in a baboon model of reversibl...

Stroke is the second leading cause of death. Experimental animal models of cerebral ischemia are widely used for researching mechanisms of ischemic damage and developing new drugs for the prevention and treatment of stroke. The present study aimed to comparatively investigate neuroprotective effects of aspirin (ASA), decursinol (DA) and new synthetic aspirin-decursinol adduct (ASA-DA) against t...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Intraischemic mild hypothermia has been shown to be neuroprotective in reducing cerebral infarction in transient focal ischemia. As a more clinical relevant issue, we investigated the effect of delayed intraischemic and postischemic hypothermia on cerebral infarction in a rat model of reversible focal ischemia. We also examined the effect of hypothermia on the inflammator...

We determined the role of endogenous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in cerebral vasodilation/hyperemia and early BBB disruption following ischemic stroke. A cranial window was prepared over the left frontal, parietal and temporal cortex in mice. Transient focal cerebral Ischemia was induced by directly ligating the middle cerebral artery (MCA) for two hours. Regional vascular response and cerebral bloo...

Electroacupuncture (EA) may reduce inflammatory injury by inhibiting nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) signaling pathway activation after ischemic stroke. Thus, we explored temporal and spatial expression of cylindromatosis (CYLD), a negative feedback inhibitor of the NF-κB signaling pathway, to learn whether CYLD is essential for EA and reduction of inflammatory injury after focal cerebral ischem...

Large body of evidences has indicated that the renin – angiotensin system (RAS) and its effector peptide Angiotensin II may be involved in the pathophysiology of stroke. Previous studies showed that preischemic RAS inhibition reduced brain injury but effects of post-ischemic RAS inhibition on ischemic/reperfusion injuries have not completely been elucidated. Therefore, the present study has inv...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We have developed a dynamic CT method to measure absolute cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), and mean transit time (MTT). In this study we evaluated the ability of CT-derived functional maps to detect infarction in a rabbit model of focal cerebral ischemia. METHODS Sequential dynamic CT studies were performed at 2 different slices in 5 control rabbi...

We studied the effect of focal cerebral ischemia on the "state" of brain water using proton nuclear magnetic resonance imaging. Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in five halothane-anesthetized rats via tandem occlusion of the left common carotid artery and the left middle cerebral artery. The proton transverse relaxation time, the proton density, and the water diffusion coefficient were measu...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Heat-shock proteins (HSPs) are highly conserved proteins that are induced by a variety of stresses. HSP70 is a 70-kDa HSP family known to have cytoprotective effects against various insults. The role of HSP70 in cerebral ischemia remains to be elucidated in vivo. METHODS To investigate the effect of reduced HSP70 levels on cerebral ischemia, focal cerebral ischemia by i...