A modified suture technique produces consistent cerebral infarction in rats

Honggang Zhao, William G. Mayhan, Hong Sun

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Intraluminal occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is used extensively in cerebral ischemia research. We tested a modified nylon suture in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) under two anesthesia regimens. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups (Group 1, Poly-l-lysine-coated suture under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia; Group 2, modified suture under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia; Group 3, Poly-l-lysine-coated suture under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia with mechanical ventilation; Group 4, modified suture under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia with mechanical ventilation; Group 5, Poly-l-lysine-coated suture under isoflurane anesthesia; Group 6, modified suture under isoflurane anesthesia) and subjected to 2-hour MCAO. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was monitored by Laser-Doppler flowmetry. Neurological evaluation and ischemic lesion (TTC stain) were assessed at 24 hours of reperfusion. The total ischemic lesion (sum of areas with lacking and intermediate TTC staining) was similar among all six groups. Compared with a Poly-l-lysine-coated suture technique, the modified suture technique produced a lower rCBF, larger infarct size, smaller variance of infarct size, and greater neurological deficit. In addition, isoflurane significantly reduced infarct size. We conclude that the use of this modified suture technique with ketamine/xylazine anesthesia and mechanical ventilation produces a more consistent change in cerebral ischemic damage following MCAO in rats.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)158-166
Number of pages9
JournalBrain Research
Volume1246
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 30 2008

Keywords

  • Anesthetic
  • Middle cerebral artery occlusion model
  • Rat
  • Transient focal ischemia

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Neuroscience
  • Molecular Biology
  • Clinical Neurology
  • Developmental Biology

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