[Rapamycin treatment starting at 24 h after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion exhibits protective effect on brain injury in rats].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether rapamycin treatment starting at 24 h after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) has protective effect on brain injury in rats. METHODS: The rat I/R model was established by middle cerebral artery occlusion according to Longa's method. A total of 104 Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham group, model group, and rapamycin-treated groups (6 h or 24 h after modeling). Neurological function was assessed with neurological severity score (NSS). Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and Fluoro-Jade B (FJB) staining were used to examine the infarct volume and neuronal apoptosis, respectively. The expression of p-S6 protein in mTOR signaling pathway was detected by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Compared with sham group, NSS of the model group was significantly increased and TTC staining indicated obvious infarct area (all P 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Rapamycin treatment starting at 24 h after I/R exhibits protective effect on brain injury in rats.