Home › Cell Biology › Focal Cerebral Ischemia Model by Endovascular Suture Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery in the Rat
Cell Biology JoVE (Open Access) Citable · DOI

Focal Cerebral Ischemia Model by Endovascular Suture Occlusion of the Middle Cerebral Artery in the Rat

DOI: 10.3791/1978-v
What you'll learn
  • ✓ Perform endovascular middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) surgery in rats
  • ✓ Induce focal cerebral ischemia and manage reperfusion timing
  • ✓ Visualize and quantify brain infarction using TTC staining and MRI
Protocol

Surgical induction of ischemic brain damage in the rat is a widely used model for stroke research. Here we demonstrate the induction of focal cerebral ischemia by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. Visualization of the resulting infarct by histological staining and magnetic resonance imaging is also shown.

Difficulty
advanced
Total time
~2-3 hours per rat (surgery + recovery); infarct visualization 24-48 hours post-ischemia
Model organism
Rat (Sprague Dawley or similar strain)
Biosafety
BSL-1

Steps

1
Prepare surgical site and anesthetize rat

Anesthetize the rat and position for surgery. Prepare the surgical field aseptically for access to the external carotid artery.

▶ 01:51
2
Expose and isolate middle cerebral artery

Perform surgical dissection to expose the external carotid artery and create access to the middle cerebral artery territory.

▶ 03:01
3
Occlude MCA via endovascular suture insertion

Insert a monofilament suture retrogradely through the internal carotid artery to occlude the middle cerebral artery and induce focal ischemia.

▶ 03:01
4
Withdraw suture to restore blood flow

Remove the occluding suture to allow reperfusion of the ischemic territory and terminate the ischemic period.

▶ 10:41
5
Monitor post-ischemic behavioral recovery

Observe and document neurological deficits and recovery in the rat following reperfusion.

▶ 11:52
6
Identify infarct using TTC histological staining

Stain brain tissue sections with 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) to visualize and quantify the region of infarction.

▶ 12:52
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