Effects of Mild Hypothermia on Inflammatory Response in Rats Undergoing Cerebral Focal Ischemia and Reperfusion

Objective To investigate the effects of mild to moderate hypothermia on the inflammatory response following cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in rats.Methods Twenty four SD rats were randomly divided into control group, hypothermic 1/2 h group, hypothermic 1 h group, and hypothermic 3 h group. Every group has six rats. By means of Zea Longa animal model, histological techniques were used to evaluate leukocyte infiltration and neuronal damage in ischemic brain tissue after 3 h ischemia following 24 h reperfusion. Results There was a significant increase in leukocyte infiltration in the ischemic brain tissue of control group.Compared with the control group, mild to moderate hypothermia could inhibit leukocyte infiltration, especially in hypothermia 3 h group.Conclusions Our data support the idea that mild to moderate hypothermia may play some role in anti inflammatory reponse following cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.