Study on the expression and mechanism of inflammatory factors in the brain of rats with cerebral vasospasm

Q. Huang, G. Wang, Y.-L. Hu, J.-X. Liu, J. Yang, S. Wang, H.-B. Zhang

Department of Neurosurgery, Beijing Luhe Hospital Capital Medical University, Beijing, China. briidi@163.com

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• Neurology

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the significance of IL-1 and ICAM-1 in rat’s subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) cerebral vasospasm (CVS) model.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 30 Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into the SAH group and the Sham group. Cisterna magna auto blood injection was used to prepare the CVS models. We studied and compared changes in the basilar arteries diameters before and after SAH. We measured the cerebrovascular inner diameter before and after SAH modeling using the ultrasound. ELISA method was used to measure the expression of IL-1 and ICAM-1 in peripheral blood. The expression of MAPK and P38 in the brain was tested using Western blot. Brain cells apoptosis was studied using TUNEL method.

RESULTS: Cerebrovascular inner diameter reduced significantly in the SAH group as compared to the control group. The expression of IL-1 and ICAM-1 increased significantly after 48 hours. Compared to the Sham group, p-38 and p-MAPK expression levels in the SAH group increased significantly after 48 hours. Results showed that 48 hours after the operation, the level of apoptosis was significantly higher in the SAH group.

IL-1 and ICAM-1 expression levels were associated with a P38-MAPK signal pathway in the brain. p38 and MAPK activation were closely related to apoptosis in the cortex.

CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that the cerebral basilar vasospasm was occurred in rats 48 hours after ASH onset, with an increase in IL-1 and ICAM-1 expression and brain cells apoptosis.

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