Objective To study the effects of NEP1-40 on
axon regeneration, motor
function recovery of affected
limbs and RhoA
signal pathway in
cerebral ischemia-
reperfusion rats for exploring the possible mechanisms.
Methods A total of 60
adult male Sprague-Dawley (SD)
rats were equally divided into sham operation group (sham group),
cerebral ischemia-
reperfusion control group (
control group), intra-
lateral ventricle injection of PBS group (PBS group), and intra-
lateral ventricle injection of NEP1-40 group (NEP1-40 group). The
middle cerebral artery ischemia-
reperfusion model (MCAI/R) was established by
nylon monofilament occlusion
method in
rats. The changes in
growth associated
protein-43 (
GAP-43) and RhoA expressions were determined by
Western blotting technique. The motor function of affected
limbs was tested by the "staircase test" of Montoya’s design. Results ① The expression of
GAP-43 in NEP1-40 group was higher than that in the control and the PBS groups at 7 d and 14 d after MCAI/R, peaking at 7 d; ② The expression of RhoA in NEP1-40 group was significantly lower than that in the control and the PBS groups at each
time point; ③ The results of "staircase test" in NEP1-40 group were much higher than those in the
control group and the PBS groups at each
time point after MCAI/R. Conclusion NEP1-40 can improve
axon regeneration in
cerebral ischemia-
reperfusion rats and promote the recovery of motor function. The mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of RhoA
signal pathway.