Abstract
It is known that proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1 and IL-6) and vasoactive factors (iNOS and HO-1) play roles in vasospasm and cerebrovascular inflammation following subarachnoid haemorrhage. Previous studies indicate that urgosedin significantly reduced the plasma level of proinflammatory cytokines in rats receiving intravenous injections of lipopolysaccharide. In this study, we investigated the effects of urgosedin on the mRNA expression of inflammation related genes in the brain tissue of rats subjected to experimental SAH using semi-quantitative RTPCR. The results showed that gene expression of iNOS or IL-6 was not detected in all groups of rats (n=4-5/group). The expression of IL-1 or HO-1 mRNA in brain tissue appeared to be the same among all groups of rats. The SAH rats treated with urgosedin showed a significant decrease in the levels of TNF-α mRNA expression as compared to SAH rats. These data suggest that urgosedin could reduce inflammation via the downregulation of TNF-α mRNA expression in rat brain tissue subjected to experimental SAH. © 2008 Springer-Verlag.