title: Interferon-beta administration confers a beneficial outcome in a rabbit model of thromboembolic cerebral ischemia.
abstract: We demonstrate that treatment with the cytokine human interferon-beta (IFN-beta) resulted in a beneficial outcome in a rabbit model of thromboembolic cerebral ischemia. Rabbits administered subcutaneously with IFN-beta prior to (pre-treatment) or after (post-treatment) the introduction of an autologous blood clot into the middle cerebral artery have consistently smaller subcortical infarct volumes compared to control (untreated) counterparts. The average subcortical infarct volume of pre-treatment rabbits is 46.3+/-9.3 mm(3) (n=4), and that of post-treatment rabbit is 40.0+/-23.1 mm(3) (n=4). Both are significantly lower (P=0.003 and P=0.004, respectively) than the average subcortical infarct volume of control rabbits (121.6+/-32.9 mm(3), n=5). Although the precise mechanism responsible for the beneficial effect of IFN-beta on stroke is not yet clear, our results are in line with the known anti-inflammatory potential and anti-apoptotic function of IFN-beta.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, 30 Medical Drive, Singapore 117609, Singapore.
authors.forename: Haiping
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Lixia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xin
authors.forename: Bernard P L
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Teoh
authors.forename: Bor Luen
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Y H
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D016899:Interferon-beta / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology; D011817:Rabbits; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D016899:Interferon-beta