ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To observe the effect of rhubarb in treating secondary damage of central nerve system (CNS) in rats with acute hemorrhagic stroke (AHS) and to explore the possible mechanism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>The rat's AHS model was established by autologous blood injection, the effect of rhubarb on the secondary damage of CNS, plasminogen (PLG) in brain and tissue type plasminogen activator (t-PA) were observed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>(1) The nerve function deficit signs reappeared in about 70% model rats 4 - 6 days after modeling and reached the peak at day 6 - 8, scored as 1.63 +/- 0.72 on day 4 and as 2.32 +/- 1.12 on day 7; (2) Rhubarb could effectively improve the secondary nerve function damage, with the nerve deficit scores kept to 1.24 +/- 0.19 from day 4 on, and no sign of secondary CNS damage was shown. The nerve deficit score was 1.22 +/- 0.15 on day 7 in the rhubarb treated group, showing significant difference as compared with that in the model group (P<0.05); (3) The specific amplified products of t-PA mRNA on day 3 and that of PLG mRNA on day 7 in CNS of model group were significantly higher than those in the sham operated group and the rhubarb treated group.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Rhubarb could effectively reduce the secondary CNS damage in rats with AHS, it might be related with the suppressive effect of rhubarb on tPA mRNA and PLG mRNA expression in CNS.</p>