The neuroprotective effects of UCF-101 on rat focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion

Objective To investigate the neuroprotective effects of protease inhibitor 5-[5-(2-nitrophenyl) furfuryliodine]-1,3-diphenyl-2-thiobarbituric acid(UCF-101) on the regulation of neuronal apoptosis and the expression of Caspase-9 in rats during cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Rats were randomly divided into sham operated group, ischemia-reperfusion group and UCF-101 treated group. The focal cerebral ischemia models of Wistar rats were established by the right middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) with thread occlusion method. 2hs after the right middle cerebral artery occlusion, reperfusion began and continued for 24h, the infarct volumes were calculated by TTC, TUNEL was used to measure apoptotic neurons; the expression of Caspase-9 was detected by immunohistochemistry. Results There was no focal ischemia in sham operated group, the number of TUNEL positive neurons and the expression of Caspase-9 were distinctively higher in ischemia-reperfusion group than in sham operated group. The infarct volume and the number of TUNEL positive neurons and the expression of Caspase-9 were significantly decreased in UCF-101 treated group compared with ischemia-reperfusion group(P0.05). Conclusion The protective effect of UCF-101 on the neurons during the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion might be related to the decrease of the quantity of the apoptosis neurons and the expression of apoptotic protein Caspase-9.