The present study aimed to explore the mechanism underlying the protective effects of hydrogen sulfide against neuronal damage caused by cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. We established the middle cerebral artery occlusion model in rats via the suture method. Ten minutes after middle cerebral artery occlusion, the animals were intraperitoneally injected with hydrogen sulfide donor compound sodium hydrosulfide. Immunofluorescence revealed that the immunoreactivity of P2X7 in the cerebral cortex and hippocampal CA1 region in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury decreased with hydrogen sulfide treatment. Furthermore, treatment of these rats with hydrogen sulfide significantly lowered mortality, the Longa neurological deficit scores, and infarct volume. These results indicate that hydrogen sulfide may be protective in rats with local cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by down-regulating the expression of P2X7 receptors.
Keywords: 2,3,5-triphenyl-2H-tetrazolium chloride staining; NSFC grant; P2X7 receptor; animal model; brain injury; cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury; hydrogen sulfide; immunofluorescence; middle cerebral artery occlusion; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; protection; sodium hydrosulfide.