The endovascular perforation rodent model for experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) studies is criticized for lack of control over bleeding. Presently, there is no practical grading system to categorize the severity of SAH depending on the amount of blood. We outline a simple and objective novel SAH grading system by examining the subarachnoid blood clots in the basal cisterns, and evaluate for correlation with neurological status and cerebral vasospasm. Effects of simvastatin, known to reduce vasospasm, were examined using this grading system. Seventy-seven adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided randomly into three groups: sham-operated (n=24), SAH (n=32), and SAH+simvastatin (n=25). High-resolution brain pictures were used to grade the severity of SAH and categorize animals into mild, moderate and severe groups. The SAH grades were compared with neurological scores and internal carotid artery parameters such as diameter, perimeter and wall thickness at 24h. Two investigators verified the grading system independently. The SAH grade showed linear correlation functionally with neurological status (r=0.42, p<0.01) and morphometrically with the degree of vasospasm (|r|>0.7, p<0.01), and also between two independent investigators (r=0.937, p<0.001). Simvastatin improved neurological score in moderate and severe (p<0.05) but not mild SAH groups (p=0.28). This grading system has the potential to be adopted for SAH experimental rodent models.

Aneurismal subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is a devastating disease that is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. The mortality is approximately 50%, with 30% of survivors having significant morbidity. There is substantial evidence to suggest that oxidative stress is significant in the development of acute brain injury and cerebral vasospasm following SAH. There are several sources for the excessive generation of free radicals following SAH, including disrupted mitochondrial respiration and extracellular hemoglobin. There is also the upregulation of free radical producing enzymes such as inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), xanthine oxidase, NADPH oxidase (NOX), as well as enzymes involved in the metabolism of arachidonic acid. Additionally, intrinsic antioxidant systems such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) are inhibited. Experiments have linked free radicals to the apoptosis of neurons and endothelial cells, BBB breakdown and the altered contractile response of cerebral vessels following SAH. Antioxidant therapy has provided neuroprotection and antispasmotic effects in experimental SAH and some therapies have demonstrated improved outcomes in clinical trials. These studies have laid a foundation for the use of antioxidants in the treatment of aneurismal SAH.

Objective-Accumulated evidence suggests that the primary cause of poor outcome after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is not only cerebral arterial narrowing, but also early brain injury (EBI). Our objective was to determine the effect of recombinant osteopontin (r-OPN), a pleiotropic extracellular matrix glycoprotein, on post-SAH EBI in rats. Design-Controlled in vivo laboratory study. Setting-Animal research laboratory.Subjects-One hundred seventy-seven male adult Sprague-Dawley rats, 300-370g.Interventions-The endovascular perforation model of SAH was produced. SAH or shamoperated rats were treated with an equal volume (1μL) of pre-SAH intracerebroventricular administration of two dosages (0.02 and 0.1μg) of r-OPN, albumin or vehicle. Body weight, neurological scores, brain edema and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption were evaluated, and Western blot analyses were performed to determine the effect of r-OPN on matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9, substrates of MMP-9 (zona occludens [ZO]-1, laminin), tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP)-1, inflammation (interleukin-1β), and nuclear factor (NF)-κ B signaling pathways. Measurements and MainResults-Treatment with r-OPN prevented a significant loss in body weight, neurological impairment, brain edema, and BBB disruption after SAH. These effects were associated with the deactivation of NF-κB activity, inhibition of MMP-9 induction, the maintenance of TIMP-1, and the consequent preservation of the cerebral microvessel basal lamina protein laminin, and the tight junction protein ZO-1.Conclusions-These results demonstrate that r-OPN treatment is effective for post-SAH EBI. Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a common and devastating neurological disorder (1). Cerebral vasospasm has been believed to be a leading cause of mortality and morbidity (2). Recent randomized clinical trials, however, showed that clazosentan significantly reduced angiographic vasospasm but failed to improve long-term neurological outcome (3,4). This means that the treatment efforts targeting only angiographic vasospasm might not be enough to achieve a better outcome. Thus, new research efforts have focused on clarifying the pathophysiology of early brain injury (EBI) following SAH, and on developing protective strategies against it (5).Osteopontin (OPN) is a secreted extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein that is involved in both physiological and pathological processes in a wide range of tissue (6). The biological functions of OPN are highly variable, and often seemingly contradictory depending on the biological scenario surrounding its induction (7). However, there is compelling evidence that OPN can, in a variety of situations, help cells survive an otherwise lethal insult (8). For example, endogenous OPN induction has consistently been found to have protective effects on ischemic injuries involving the brain and other organs (9,10). Moreover, the administration of recombinant OPN (r-OPN) markedly reduced the infarct size via anti-apoptotic actions in a transient focal cerebral ischemi...

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are zinc-dependent endopeptidases which are capable of degrading many types of extracellular matrix proteins and involved in the process of tissue remodeling in various pathologic conditions, including inflammatory diseases, tumor cell invasion, and angiogenesis. Previous studies suggest that MMPs, in particular MMP-2 and MMP-9, are deleterious in the brain after stroke (Power et al. 2003;Svedin et al. 2007). In acute stage after ischemic stroke, the effect of MMP activity is correlated to degradation of neurovascular matrix and opening of blood-brain barrier (BBB), which promotes vasogenic edema and results in neurological deficits. However, recent studies suggest that MMPs were also indicated to be involved in the repairing phase in the delayed stage after cerebral ischemia, including neuroblasts migration and neuronal plasticity (Lee et al. 2006;Zhao et al. 2006 AbstractThe present study was designed to investigate the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in the immature brain and the long term effects of early MMPs inhibition after hypoxicischemic (HI) injury. HI was induced by unilateral ligation of the right carotid artery followed by hypoxia (8% O 2 for 2 h) in P7 rat pups. GM6001, a broad spectrum MMPs inhibitor, was injected (50 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) intraperitoneally at 2 h and 24 h after HI injury. Blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity, brain edema, MMP-2/-9 activity, TIMP-1/-2 and tight junction protein (TJP) level were evaluated using IgG staining, Evan's blue extravasation, brain water content, zymography and western blot. Doxycycline, another MMPs inhibitor, was injected (10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg) intraperitoneally at 2 h after HI, then BBB integrity and brain edema were measured at 48 h post-HI using brain water content measurement and IgG staining. The long-term effects of early MMPs inhibition (GM6001, 100 mg/ kg) were evaluated by neurobehavioral tests, body weight, and brain atrophy measurement. GM6001 attenuated brain edema and BBB disruption at the dosage of 100 mg/kg. MMP-2 activity increased at 24 h and peaked at 48 h after HI, whereas MMP-9 activity peaked at 24 h and tapered by 48 h after HI. MMP-9/-2 activities were significantly attenuated by GM6001 at 24 h and 48 h after HI. The degradation of TJPs (ZO-1 and occludin) at 48 h after HI was reversed by GM6001 treatment. Early MMPs inhibition had long-term effects that attenuated ipsilateral brain tissue loss, and improved neurobehavioral outcomes after HI. These results suggest that early MMPs inhibition with a broad-spectrum inhibitor provides both acute and long-term neuroprotection in the developing brain by reducing TJPs degradation, preserving BBB integrity, and ameliorating brain edema after neonatal HI injury. Keywords: blood-brain barrier, hypoxic/ischemic, matrix metalloproteinase, neonatal.

Since free radicals play a role in the mechanisms of brain injury after hemorrhagic stroke, the effect of melatonin (a potent antioxidant and free-radical scavenger) on outcomes was investigated after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. ICH was induced by clostridial collagenase infusion into the right caudate putamen, and several time points and doses of melatonin were studied. Brain edema and neurological function at 24 h were unchanged in comparison with vehicle-treated groups, in spite of oxidative stress reductions. Repeated treatment with the lower dose of melatonin (5 mg=kg) given at 1 h and every 24 h thereafter for 3 days after ICH, led to normalization of striatal function and memory ability over the course of 8 weeks, and less brain atrophy 2 weeks later. These results suggest that melatonin is safe for use after ICH, reduces oxidative stress, provides brain protection, and could be used for future investigations of free radical mechanisms after cerebral hemorrhage.