title: Effect of combination therapy using hypothermia and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor in a rat transient middle cerebral artery occlusion model.
abstract: Stroke is the third leading cause of death. Hypothermia has been recognized as an effective method in reducing brain injury. In this study, we assessed the effects of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) as a neuroprotective agent and mild hypothermia on mortality, behavioral function, infarct volume, and brain edema in Wistar rats.
  
  
  
  Forty male rats were used in five groups (eight rats in each group): control, hypothermy, G-CSF, combination hypothermy + CSF, and sham. Rats were anesthetized by injection of chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg) intraperitoneally. Transient cerebral ischemia was induced by 60-min intraluminal occlusion of left middle cerebral artery. Hypothermia, initiated at the time of reperfusion and G-CSF was started one hour after reperfusion at a dose of 15 mg/kg subcutaneously. The motor behavior was measured using Garcia's index and animals were assigned for the assessments of infarction, brain swelling, and mortality rate.
  
  
  
  The mortality was 38.46% (control group) and reduced in other groups. Neurological deficit score of control group (40.31 ± 1.56) was significantly lower than in treatment groups. The total cerebral infarct volume of treatment group was significantly lower than control group (43.96 ± 44.05 mm3). Treatment with hypothermy plus G-CSF (2.69 ± 0.24%) could significantly reduce brain swelling volume than other treatment groups.
  
  
  
  Our major finding is that mild hypothermic treatment plus G-CSF significantly reduced mortality rate and edema and improved neurological function. The results suggest that the combination of hypothermia and G-CSF is more effectively than other treatment groups being used alone.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Anatomy, Medical School, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.|Dept. of Anatomy, Medical School, AJA University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Laya
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ghahari
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Anatomy, Medical School, Semnan 
  University of Medical Science, Semnan, Iran.
authors.forename: Manouchehr
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Safari
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Advanced Technology in Medicine, Dept. of Anatomy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohamad Taghi
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Joghataei
authors.affiliation: Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Advanced Technology in Medicine, Dept. of Anatomy, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mehdizadeh
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Anatomy, Medical School, Iran University of Medical Science, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mansoureh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soleimani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000150:complications*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
keywords: Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor; Rats; Brain ischemia; Hypothermia