Effects of stepwise reperfusion after cerebral infarction on reperfusion injury

<p>The present study aims to investigate the effect of mechanically avoiding hyperperfusion on reperfusion injury. Experiments were performed using a CB17-strain mouse cerebral ischemia model with excellent reproducibility of infarct foci. After occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery for 45 minutes under sevoflurane anesthesia, the experimental group was divided into two groups as follows: "full opening immediately after occlusion (Total reperfusion group)" and "full opening after 30 minutes of half opening (stepwise reperfusion group)". In each group, brain sections were frozen after reflux fixation on the next day and after 2 and 3 days. Pericytes, neurons, glial cells, neural stem cell markers, and apoptosis markers were evaluated using immunohistochemistry staining. Three days later, we performed triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining to check the expression of cerebral infarcts. We found no difference in the occurrence of cerebral infarction and neuronal loss in the cerebral cortex; however, in the total reperfusion group, pericyte damage and loss were more frequent in the area from the cerebral cortex to the striatum. Therefore, if blood flow after cerebral infarction of unknown onset can be restored gradually to reduce hyperperfusion immediately after recanalization, reperfusion injury can be reduced, and this may be beneficial for nerve regeneration. (J Osaka Dent Univ 2024; 58: 259-265)</p>