[Effect of folic acid for treatment of acute cerebral infarction in rats].
OBJECTIVE
To test whether folic acid offers protection of the brain tissue against acute cerebral infarction in rats.


METHODS
Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (n=8), pre-treatment (n=12) and treatment (n=16) groups, all having routine feed for 7 days. The rats in the control and treatment groups were given normal saline daily, and those in the pre-treatment group received folic acid suspension daily. All the rats were then subject to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 24 h followed by reperfusion. On and after the operation day, the rats in the control group were given normal saline and those in the other two groups were given folic acid suspension daily. Neural function deficiency was evaluated on a daily basis after the operation, and on day 6 after the operation, brain biopsy was performed for examination with TTC staining. Monocyte chemokine -1 (MCP-1) in both normal and infarct tissues was measured by ELISA.


RESULTS
On day 6 after the operation, the neural function deficiency scores of the control, pre-treatment and treatment groups were 4.56∓3.63, 2.94∓2.94 and 1.00∓1.00, and the percentages of the infarct area (to the whole brain area) were (44.23∓10.06)%, (20.64∓6.78)% and (14.61∓13.51)%, respectively. The contents of MCP-1 in the infarct area of the brain tissues were 168.58∓107.21 ng/L, 152.91∓64.78 ng/L, and 97.74∓46.19 ng/L in the 3 groups, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Folic acid can protect brain tissue against acute cerebral infarction in rats.
Wuhan Union Hospital, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.E-mail: Hangzhou.wang@live.cn.
Ruoyu
R
Wang
Lili
L
Luo
Bangjian
B
Zhou
Pazilya
P
Abdugeni
Yaojun
Y
Peng
Suming
S
Zhang
D000818:Animals; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy
D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D005492:Folic Acid