Experimental model of brain oedema in rats
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1
Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine, Czechia
OBJECTIVES: Clinically very serious condition of ischaemia and brain injury are often associated with brain oedema. The aim of this study was to establish a reliable model of brain oedema in experimental rats enabling to study structural and behavioural manifestations, with the prospect for future treatment.
METHODS:
Brain oedema was induced by water intoxication. Animals received distilled water in the amount corresponding to 20% of their body weight in three doses intraperitoneally in 8-hour interval during 24 hours.
A standard CT scan of the brain was obtained in the region of interest corresponding to the area of coronary sections with pixel size 0.125 mm in position A (bregma +2.43 mm), position B (bregma -2.92 mm), position C (bregma -12.73 mm). Densitometrically determined mean values (MV), expressed in Hounsfield units (HU) were processed by standard statistical methods.
Structural manifestations of brain oedema were revealed as signs of myelin disintegration (oedematous vesicles, varicosity, myelin fragmentation) at histological sections stained with Black Gold in hippocampal areas CA1 and CA3 and in the dentate gyrus and cerebral cortex at time intervals of one hour, one day, three days and one week after the oedema induction.
Laboras apparatus (Metris B.V., Netherlands) was used to analyse behavioural pattern of experimental animals for one hour after the oedema induction.
RESULTS: The average MV density was 120.49 ± 6.79 HU for the control measurement and 88.01 ± 4.72 HU after the hyperhydration, which represents decrease in the density by 32.48 HU (p< 0.001). In the control measurement the average value of HU for the position A was 121.98, for position B 112.4 and for position C 127.08. In conditions of hyperhydration, the average MV density in position A was 89.95 HU in position B 84.67 HU and in position C 89.43 HU. The differences between the CG and EG were in all positions A, B, C statistically significant (p<0.001). In the control measurement, the differences between position A x B (p<0.05) and B x C (p<0.001) were statistically significant. After hyperhydration no significant difference between the position A, B, C was found.
Various forms of myelin disintegration were observed and other signs of structural integrity impairment were identified in all areas studied in all animals with brain oedema. The progression of myelin damage depended on the time elapsed after the oedema induction.
Animals after hyperhydration exhibited lower locomotor activity during initial part of the measurement (first 30 min). Data reflect the fact, that exploratory activity was significantly lower immediately after hyperhydration, while habituation process was not affected by the treatment.
CONCLUSION:
Experimental model of brain oedema has the CT characteristics of clinical cases. Water intoxication brought about a decrease of brain tissue density, expressed in HU. At the same time structural and functional consequences were observed. The development of axonal changes initiated by brain oedema only (without ischemia or brain injury) is a novel observation.
Study of the behaviour of experimental animals can be considered as a highly objective physical examination of the degree of brain impairment. Results revealed evident reduction of locomotor activity in animals with induced brain oedema.
Acknowledgements
Supported with grant P – 34/LF 1/7
Keywords:
Brain oedema,
Water Intoxication,
CT density,
axonal changes,
locomotor activity
Conference:
SAN2016 Meeting, Corfu, Greece, 6 Oct - 9 Oct, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Oral Presentation in SAN 2016 Conference
Topic:
Oral Presentations
Citation:
Pokorny
J,
Kozler
P,
Hrachovina
V and
Maresova
D
(2016). Experimental model of brain oedema in rats.
Conference Abstract:
SAN2016 Meeting.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2016.220.00083
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Received:
01 Aug 2016;
Published Online:
01 Aug 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Prof. Jaroslav Pokorny, Charles University in Prague, First Faculty of Medicine, Prague 2, 12800, Czechia, pokorny@lf1.cuni.cz