title: [Protective effect of Apelin-13 on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the protective effect of Apelin-13 on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focal transient cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was induced in male SD rats using modified suture occlusion technique. The rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: Sham group, Model group, Apelin-low dose (A) group, Apelin-middle dose (B) group and Apelin-high dose (C) group. Apelin-13 was injected into lateral cerebral ventricle, and the neurological function score, brain edema, infarct volume, apoptosis, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and extracellular regulated kinase1/2 (ERK1/2) protein were measured.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Neurological function scores, percentage of brain water content, infarct volumes and TUNEL-positive cells in B and C groups were lower than those in Model group (P<0.05). The level of MDA in the tissue bomogenate of brain tissue in the surrounding area of ischemia of B and C groups was lower than that of Model group, while the activity of SOD was higher (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in ERK1/2 protein expression among the groups (P>0.05). P-ERK1/2 increased in Model group and A, B, and C groups compared with Sham group (P<0.05), and that of A, B, and C group was higher than that of Model group (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Apelin-13 may play an important role by inhibiting oxidative stress to protect against focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury; ERK1/2 signaling pathway may be involved in the protective mechanism of Apelin-13.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Hunan Province, Changsha 410013, China.E-mail: gywu7508@163.com.
authors.forename: Guangyong
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Liang
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Daguang
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: Zhifei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001929:Brain Edema; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; C495199:apelin-13 peptide; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase