Preventive and therapeutic effects of erythropoietin on cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage in rats

XIONG Ping; TANG Xiao-ping

doi:10.13798/j.issn.1009-153X.2018.04.010

Abstract：Objective To observe the effect of erythropoietin (EPO) on the cerebral vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH)and its mechanism in rats.Methods Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into normal(n=6),SAH(n=18),sham operation(n=18) and treatment groups (n=18). Each rat received intraperitoneal injection of EPO (3000IU/kg) within 30 minutes after SAH in the treatment group and1 day.Each rat in sham and SAH groups received the intraperitoneal injection of isovolumic physiologic saline once a day.Six rats were sacrificed respectively 1,3 and 7 days after establishment of SAH model in SAH,sham and EPO treatment groups. The rats in sham group were sacrificed at 1 day,3 days and 7 days after successful modeling in order to take basilar arteries.The basilar artery spasm was observed after hematoxylin-eosin staining.The expressions of nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)and endothelial nitric oxide synthase(eNOS)in the walls of the basilar arteries were detected by immunohistochemical technique in all the groups 1,3 and 7 days after SAH.Results The diameters of the basilar arteries were significantly bigger in normal and sham operation groups than that in the EPO treatment group(P<0.05),which was significantly bigger than that in the SAH group 1,3 and 7 days after SAH(P<0.05).The basilar arteries walls were significantly thicker in SAH group than that in the EPO treatment group (P<0.05), which was significantly thicker than those in the normal and sham operation groups 1,3 and 7 days after SAH(P<0.05).The levels of eNOS expressions were significantly higher in the normal and sham operation groups than that in EPO treatment group(P<0.05),which was significantly higher than that in the SAH group 1,3 and 7 days after SAH(P<0.05).The level of NF-κB expressions were significantly lower in the normal and sham operation groups than that in EPO treatment group(P<0.05),which was significantly lower than that in SAH group 1,3 and 7 days after SAH(P<0.05).Conclusions That EPO relives cerebral vasospasm after SAH may be achieved by upregulating the expression of eNOS and inhibiting the expression of NF-κB in the vessel walls in the rats.