Therapeutic effects of human urocortin-1, -2 and -3 in intracerebral hemorrhage of rats. (August 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Liew, Hock-Kean; Huang, Li-Chuan; Yang, Hui-I; Peng, Hsiao-Fen; Li, Kuo-Wei; Tsai, Andy Po-Yi; Chen, Shin-Yuan; Kuo, Jon-Son; Pang, Cheng-Yoong
• Is Part Of: Neuropeptides. Volume 52(2015)
• Page Start: 89
• Page End: 96
• Publication Date: 2015-08
• Subjects: Brain edema -- Brain lesion -- Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) -- Neuroprotection -- Urocortins; Neuropeptides -- Periodicals; Neuropeptides; Neuropeptides -- Périodiques; Neuropeptides; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 572.65
• DOI: 10.1016/j.npep.2015.05.004
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0143-4179

Abstract

Abstract: Urocortin exerts neuroprotective effects in intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) of rats. For pre-clinical trial, we intended to study the neuroprotective efficacy of human UCN (hUCN)-1, -2 and -3 in treating ICH rats. ICH was induced by infusing bacterial collagenase VII (0.23 U in sterile saline) to the striatum. The hUCN-1, -2, and -3 were administrated (2.5 μg/kg, i.p.) at 1 h after ICH insult, respectively. Neurological deficits were evaluated by modified Neurological Severity Scores. Brain edema and hematoma expansion was evaluated by coronal T2-WI and DWI magnetic resonance imaging on 1, 3, 6, 24, and 56 h after ICH insult. Blood–brain barrier permeability was evaluated by Evans blue assay on day 3 after ICH. Brain lesion volume was evaluated by morphormetric measurement on day 7 after ICH. Our results demonstrated that the hUCN-1 significantly reduced hematoma, blood–brain barrier disruption and neurological deficits on day 3, and brain lesion volume on day 7 after ICH insult. The prediction of secondary structure of the hUCNs clarifies that the percentage of alpha-helix, random coil and extended strand between rat-UCN (rUCN)-1 and hUCN-1 are the same. The structure similarity between human- and rat-UCN-1 may be one of the reasons that both can exert similar therapeutic potential in ICH rats.