Edaravone reduces astrogliosis and apoptosis in young rats with kaolin-induced hydrocephalus

• Published in: Child's nervous system Vol. 33; no. 3; pp. 419 - 428
• Main Authors: Garcia, Camila Araújo Bernardino, Catalão, Carlos Henrique Rocha, Machado, Hélio Rubens, Júnior, Ivair Matias, Romeiro, Thais Helena, Peixoto-Santos, José Eduardo, Santos, Marcelo Volpon, da Silva Lopes, Luiza
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.03.2017
• Subjects: Animals; Antidiarrheals - toxicity; Antipyrine - analogs & derivatives; Antipyrine - pharmacology; Antipyrine - therapeutic use; Apoptosis - drug effects; Body Weight - drug effects; Caspase 3 - metabolism; Disease Models, Animal; Exploratory Behavior - drug effects; Free Radical Scavengers - pharmacology; Free Radical Scavengers - therapeutic use; Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein - metabolism; Gliosis - drug therapy; Gliosis - etiology; Gliosis - pathology; Hydrocephalus - chemically induced; Hydrocephalus - complications; Hydrocephalus - diagnostic imaging; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Kaolin - toxicity; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neuroglia - drug effects; Neuroglia - pathology; Neurosciences; Neurosurgery; Original Paper; Phosphopyruvate Hydratase - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Young rats; Neuroprotection; Edaravone; Hydrocephalus
• ISSN: 0256-7040; 1433-0350
• DOI: 10.1007/s00381-016-3313-x

Purpose We investigated the possible neuroprotective effects of the free radical scavenger edaravone in experimental hydrocephalus. Methods Seven-day-old Wistar rats were divided into three groups: control group (C), untreated hydrocephalic (H), and hydrocephalic treated with edaravone (EH). The H and EH groups were subjected to hydrocephalus induction by 20% kaolin intracisternal injection. The edaravone (20 mg/kg) was administered daily for 14 days from the induction of hydrocephalus. All animals were daily weighed and submitted to behavioral test and assessment by magnetic resonance imaging. After 14 days, the animals were sacrificed and the brain was removed for histological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical studies. Results The gain weight was similar between groups from the ninth post-induction day. The open field test performance of EH group was better ( p  < 0.05) as compared to untreated hydrocephalic animals. Hydrocephalic animals (H and EH) showed ventricular ratio values were higher ( p  < 0.05), whereas magnetization transfer values were lower ( p  < 0.05), as compared to control animals. Astrocyte activity (glial fibrillary acidic protein) and apoptotic cells (caspase-3) of EH group were decreased on the corpus callosum ( p  > 0.01), germinal matrix ( p  > 0.05), and cerebral cortex ( p  > 0.05), as compared to H group. Conclusions We have demonstrated that administration of edaravone for 14 consecutive days after induction of hydrocephalus reduced astrocyte activity and that it has some beneficial effects over apoptotic cell death.