Edaravone attenuates brain edema and injury by down-regulating expressions of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and aquaporin-4 after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in mice / 国际脑血管病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the effects on brain tissue p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and aquaporin 4 (AQP4) and neuroprotective effect of edarvone after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in mice.Methods A total of 196 healthy male Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups:a sham operation group,an ischemia-reperfusion group,a saline control group,and an edaravone group (n =49 in each group).A middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) mothod was used to induce a cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model.At 2 h after ischemia,immediately after reperfusion in the edaravone group and the saline control group,edaravone (5 mg/kg) and the same volume of saline were injected intraperitoneally in mice,then repeated once every 24 h.At 2 h after MCAO,the brain water content and infarct volume at different time points after reperfusion (12 h,24 h,48 h,and 3 d) were measured respectively.At 24 h after MCAO,the expressions of AQP4 and p38 MAPK in the brain tissue of ischemic peripheral cortex were measured by Western blotting.Results The volumes of cerebral infarction (all P ＜ 0.01) and the brain water contents (all P ＜0.05) in the edaravone group were decreased than those in the ischemia-reperfusion group and saline control group at different time points,and they were most significant at 48 h.After 24-h reperfusion,the expression levels of AQP4 (0.985 ± 0.129,1.024 ± 0.117,0.713 ± 0.231) and phospho-p38 MAPK (1.123 ± 0.142,1.214 ± 0.096,0.986 ± 0.087) in the brain tissue of ischemic peripheral cortex in the ischemia-reperfusion group,the saline control group,and the edaravone group were upregulated significantly than those in the sham operation group (AQP4:0.265 ± 0.123;phospho-p38 MAPK:0.465 ±0.023;all P ＜0.01),but edaravone group were significantly lower than the ischemia-reperfusion group and the saline control group (all P ＜ 0.05).Conclusions Edaravone can downregulate the expression level of AQP4 and effectively protect cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in mice,Its mechanism may be associated with the inhibition of p38 MAPK pathway.