Authors : Tiina Virtanen , Juhani Sivenius and Jukka Jolkkonen
Abstract: Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats is perhaps the most common experimental stroke model. MCAO in rats is associated with a severe loss of body weight of unknown etiology. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether dehydration, stress, or altered hormonal secretion contribute to weight loss after MCAO. The right middle cerebral artery of male Wistar rats was occluded for 120 min using the intraluminal filament method. Sham-operated rats were used as controls. Body weight and sensorimotor deficit were measured after surgery. Rats were killed 3 and 12 h, and 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 28 d after surgery and blood samples were obtained by cardiac puncture. Plasma osmolality, corticosterone, leptin, and TSH, all of which might be associated with loss of body weight, were measured. There were no differences in plasma osmolality, corticosterone, or TSH between ischemic and sham-operated rats after surgery or were only transiently elevated in ischemic rats. Plasma leptin decreased in ischemic rats on postoperative days 1, 3, 7, and 28. These data suggest that weight loss after MCAO in rats is not associated with dehydration or long-lasting postoperative stress.
Tiina Virtanen , Juhani Sivenius and Jukka Jolkkonen , 2003. Dehydration and Stress Do Not Explain Severe Weight Loss After Experimental Stroke in Rats. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 2: 247-252.