ABSTRACT
AIM: To study effect of endogenous carbon monoxide on intracellular calcium concentration and explore the mechanism in brain protection of endogenous CO in focal cerebral ischemia in rats. METHODS: SD rats were divided into three groups randomly, which including hemin, ZnPP group and saline group as control. Respectively saline, hemin, ZnPP were injected intra-peritoneally twelve hours before middle cerebral artery was occluded. Twenty four hours after MCAO model was set up, the concentration of carbon monoxide in blood and intracellular calcium in neural cells was examined. RESULTS: Contrast to saline group, the concentration of CO in blood rose up while intracellular calcium in occluded side decreased in hemin group; the concentration of CO in blood went down while intracellular calcium in occluded side rose up in ZnPP group, there was significant difference among them (P0.05). CONCLUSIONS: It may be one of mechanisms on brain protection in ischemic cerebral tissue that carbon monoxide affected intracellular calcium concentration of neural cells by regulating Ca~(2+)-K~+ channel on cell membrane as a messenger gaseous molecular and neurotransmitter. [