Caveolin is a signaling molecule in mammalian cells that might be involved in the pathogenesis and mechanism of cerebral ischemia. In this study, cerebral ischemia was induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo)-reperfusion. This foca...
Caveolin is a signaling molecule in mammalian cells that might be involved in the pathogenesis and mechanism of cerebral ischemia. In this study, cerebral ischemia was induced by transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo)-reperfusion. This focal cerebral ischemia model is widely used and produces a typical neurological deficiency. This study investigated the changes in motor function and the expression of caveolins and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the brains of 12-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats subjected to MCAo. The rats were evaluated 24, 48, and 72 hours after MCAo. Neurological and motor dysfunction were analyzed using the modified neurological severity score (mNSS), gait analysis, and the balance beam test. The expression of iNOS and caveolins was detected using on RT-PCR method. On assessing the behavior of MCAo rats, neurological deficiency, motor dysfunction, and impaired balance were detected. In addition, the expression of iNOS expression was increased, whereas that of caveolin-1 and -3 was decreased in MCAo-brain tissue. These results imply that iNOS and caveolins are strong causative factor of brain impairment at the molecular level after focal cerebral ischemia.