A more consistent intraluminal rhesus monkey model of ischemic stroke

• Published in: Neural regeneration research Vol. 9; no. 23; pp. 2087 - 2094
• Main Authors: Zhao, Bo, Shang, Guowei, Chen, Jian, Geng, Xiaokun, Ye, Xin, Xu, Guoxun, Wang, Ju, Zheng, Jiasheng, Li, Hongjun, Akbary, Fauzia, Li, Shengli, Lu, Jing, Ling, Feng, Ji, Xunming
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd 01.12.2014; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China%Department of Anesthesiology, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China%Department of Laboratory Animal Science, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China%Radiology Department, Beijing Youan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, China%Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, MI, USA; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd
• Subjects: Blood pressure; Care and treatment; Carotid arteries; Catheters; Coronary vessels; Diagnosis; Experiments; Laboratory animals; Medical research; Monkeys & apes; Primates; Rhesus monkey; Stroke; Surgery; Technical Updates; Veins & arteries; 中风; 微创手术; 恒河猴; 数字减影血管造影; 模型; 磁共振成像; 脑缺血; 腔内; United States; United States > US; China; model middle cerebral artery; brain injury; interventional therapy; rhesus monkeys; neuroregeneration; digital subtraction angiography; infarction; magnetic resonance image; microcoil; nerve regeneration; stroke; neuroimaging; micro-coil
• ISSN: 1673-5374; 1876-7958
• DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.147936

Endovascular surgery is advantageous in experimentally induced ischemic stroke because it causes fewer cranial traumatic lesions than invasive surgery and can closely mimic the pathophysiology in stroke patients. However, the outcomes are highly variable, which limits the accuracy of evaluations of ischemic stroke studies. In this study, eight healthy adult rhesus monkeys were randomized into two groups with four monkeys in each group： middle cerebral artery occlusion at origin segment （M1） and middle cerebral artery occlusion at M2 segment. The blood flow in the middle cerebral artery was blocked completely for 2 hours using the endovascular microcoil placement technique （1 mm × 10 cm） （undetachable）, to establish a model of cerebral ischemia. The microcoil was withdrawn and the middle cerebral artery blood flow was restored. A reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion model was identified by hematoxylin-eosin staining, digital subtraction angiography, magnetic resonance angiography, magnetic resonance imaging, and neurological evaluation. The results showed that the middle cerebral artery occlusion model was successfully established in eight adult healthy rhesus monkeys, and ischemic lesions were apparent in the brain tissue of rhesus monkeys at 24 hours after occlusion. The rhesus monkeys had symptoms of neurological deficits. Compared with the M1 occlusion group, the M2 occlusion group had lower infarction volume and higher neurological scores. These experimental findings indicate that reversible middle cerebral artery occlusion can be produced with the endovascular microcoil technique in rhesus monkeys. The M2 occluded model had less infarction and less neurological impairment, which offers the potential for application in the field of brain injury research.