Green Tea Treatment Attenuates Oxidative Damage and Neuromotor Deficit Induced by an Experimental Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Rats

The present study shows the neuroprotective effect of green tea supplementation (GT; Camellia sinensis) in a model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH) in rats. ICH was induced by intra-striatum collagenase infusion in male Wistar rats. GT (400 mg Kg-1) was administered via gavage for 10 days after ICH. We assessed the effect of GT on neuromotor recovery and oxidative damage. Our results show that ICH causes neuromotor deficits observed by Neurological Deficit Scale (NDS), Open Field (OF) and Rotarod (RR). GT treatment attenuates this deficit on day 3 for NDS and OF and on day 7 for RR. Also, ICH increases Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) production and lipid peroxidation, what is not observed in ICH + GT group. Currently, there are no effective pharmacologic or non-pharmacologic neuroprotective treatments for ICH. Nutritional interventions that help on its outcome are important, since they are generally accessible and have few side effects.