title: Acute normovolaemic haemodilution with a novel hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4) reduces focal cerebral ischaemic injury in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study investigated the neuroprotective effect of acute normovolaemic haemodilution with a novel hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4, HES) on focal cerebral ischaemia-reperfusion injury and determined optimum degree for haemodilution in the rat.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups (n = 10 each): hydroxyethyl starch, saline and controls. Animals in the hydroxyethyl starch and saline groups were haemodiluted until haematocrit decreased to 30% of baseline. In another experiment male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10 each): HES30, HES25 and HES20 and controls. Rats in the HES30, HES25 and HES20 groups were haemodiluted with hydroxyethyl starch until the haematocrit decreased to 30%, 25% and 20%, respectively. At 15 min after haemodilution, all the rats were subjected to a right middle cerebral artery occlusion for 120 min. Neurologic deficit scores and infarct volumes were assessed 24 h after reperfusion.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Haemodilution with hydroxyethyl starch improved neurologic outcome (P < 0.01) and reduced infarct volume (P < 0.01) compared to saline and controls. Haemodilution with saline augmented infarct volume (P < 0.05 vs. controls). Neurologic deficit scores in HES30 and HES25 groups were significantly lower compared to controls (P < 0.05) while infarct volumes in controls and HES20 were significantly larger compared to HES30 and HES25 (P < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study demonstrates that acute normovolaemic haemodilution with a novel hydroxyethyl starch (130/0.4) reduces infarct volume and improves neurological outcome after focal cerebral ischaemia in a rat stroke model. Neuroprotection by haemodilution was highest at haematocrit dilution between 25% and 30%, while ischaemic injury was exacerbates when haematocrit was diluted to 20%.
authors.affiliation: Fourth Military Medical University, Xijing Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Xi'an, Shaanxi, China. mzkxlz@126.com
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.forename: Q
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D006438:Hemodilution / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D006895:Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D006895:Hydroxyethyl Starch Derivatives