Hepatocyte growth factor suppresses ischemic cerebral edema in rats with microsphere embolism

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 448; no. 1; pp. 125 - 129
• Main Authors: Takeo, Satoshi, Takagi, Norio, Takagi, Keiko, Date, Ichiro, Ishida, Kumi, Besshoh, Shintaro, Nakamura, Toshikazu, Tanonaka, Kouichi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 19.12.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Edema - drug therapy; Brain Edema - etiology; Calcium - metabolism; Cerebral ischemia; Cobalt - administration & dosage; Disease Models, Animal; Edema; Embolism - complications; Functional Laterality; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Hepatocyte growth factor; Hepatocyte Growth Factor - therapeutic use; Ion; Male; Medical sciences; Microspheres; Neurology; Potassium - metabolism; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sodium - metabolism; Time Factors; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Edema; Ion; Cerebral ischemia; Hepatocyte growth factor; Nervous system diseases; Rat; Rodentia; Central nervous system; Cardiovascular disease; Cerebral disorder; Encephalon; Vascular disease; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Animal; Central nervous system disease; Brain ischemia; Cerebrovascular disease
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.10.026

The present study was aimed at determining whether human recombinant hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) ameliorates cerebral edema induced by microsphere embolism (ME). Rats were injected with 700 microspheres (48μm in diameter). Continuous administration of HGF at 13μg/3 days/animal into the right ventricle was started from 10min after embolism to the end of the experiment by using an osmotic pump. On day 3 after the ME, the rats were anesthetized, and their brains were perfused with an isotonic mannitol solution to eliminate constituents in the vascular and extracellular spaces. Thereafter, tissue water and cation contents were determined. A significant increase in tissue water content of the right hemisphere by ME was seen. This ME-induced increase in water content was associated with increases in tissue sodium and calcium ion contents and decreases in tissue potassium and magnesium ion contents of the right hemisphere. The treatment of the animal with HGF suppressed the increases in water and sodium and calcium ion contents, but not the decreases in potassium and magnesium ion contents. These results suggest that HGF suppresses the formation of ischemic cerebral edema provoked intracellularly in rats with ME.