Stroke is the third major cause of mortality and disability in whole word and the major cause of death in Brazil. After ischemic injury, functional deficits are generally severe and permanent, because Central Nervous System has a limitated capacity of regeneration. This limitated regeneration is caused, among other factors, by chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CSPG) accumulation in injury site, what causes inhibition of plasticity in extracellular microenvironment. Chondroitinase-ABC enzyme (ChABC) has been studied to remove CSPG, showing good results in increasing plasticity. This research aimed to evaluate effects of CSPG removing in rats submitted to ischemic injury in sensory-motor cerebral cortex. To achieve the aim, there were used 20 Wistar rats, divided in 4 experimental groups (control and treated) of 7 and 14 days of surviving times. There was induced ischemic injury in sensorymotor cortex by microinjections of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a vasoconstrictor peptide. Treatment was done with an implantation of an ethyl-vinyl-acetate polymer saturated with ChABC (treated-group) or BSA (control group). In morphological analysis, we evaluated injury area. There was no significant difference between treated and control groups, as can be seen in means of each group: control 7 days (1653,8 ± 162,57mm²), treated 7 days (2067,3 ±
235,42mm²), control 14 days (1267,16 ± 280,6mm²), treated 14 days ( 1323,8 ± 297,05mm²). Number of astrocytes was evaluated too, but there was no significant difference between treated and control groups, as we can see in means: control 7 days (16,6±4,67 cells/field), treated 7 days (21,07±1,87 cells/field) control 14 days (17,46±0,80 cells/field), treated 14 days (18,51±2,60 cells/field). The expression of degraded chondroitin was evaluated in qualitative analysis, showing major expression in treated-groups, 7 and 14 days after injury. In behavioral analysis, we have done two functional tests. In cylinder test, treated animals had less asymmetry in 7 days after injury, with significant difference in relation to control group. In horizontal ladder test, treated animals had less difference between surviving groups than control animals. In 7 days after injury, treated animals had the same performance of preoperated baseline. Behavioral performances showed that ChABC was efficient in to increase performances in earlier times of surviving. This means that CSPG removing opens plastic window in ischemic injuries, without influence in injury size or number of astrocytes in glial scar, but with functional increment. New studies have to be done, associated ChABC to supporting therapies in ischemic injuries treatment.
|
