Male SD rats were randomly divided into five groups:
sham group (
Sham), model group (Model), and
Dauricine groups of low, middle and high doses. To make the transient focal
cerebral ischemia-
reperfusion injury model, the middle cerebral artery on the right side of rat was occluded by inserting a
nylon suture through the internal carotid artery for 1 h, followed by reperfusion for 24 h after withdrawing the
suture.
Dauricine groups, different doses of
Dauricine (2.5, 5, 10 mg x kg(-1) as low, middle and high dose respectively) were administered intraperitoneally at the beginning of the
cerebral ischemia, and at 11 h and 23 h after reperfusion. At the same time,
Sham group and Model group was administered saline as controls. Brain samples of rats were treated with
paraformaldehyde perfusion fixation 24 h after blood reperfusion and then collected for making pathological sections. Apoptotic changes of neuronal cells in the brain penumbra of rat were evaluated in situ by terminal deoxyribonucleotidyl transferasemediated dUTP-
digoxigenin nick end-labelling (TUNEL).
Cytochrome C (Cyt-C) release and the expression of
caspase -3 and
caspase -9 proteins of the ischemic-reperfusion brain tissue were determined by immunohistochemistry assay.
RESULT: TUNEL-positive cells in groups of middle and high doses of
dauricine (18.9 +/- 2.02 and 15.9 +/- 2.9 cells/mm2 respectively) decreased significantly compared with model group (25.5 +/- 3.3 cells/mm2, P<0.05). Cyt-C release and the expression of
caspase-3 and
caspase-9 proteins in groups of middle and high doses of
dauricine were also inhibited compared with Model group (P<0.01).
CONCLUSION: