Stroke is the number one cause of disability and third leading cause of death in the world. Creative Biolabs offers various well-characterized ischemic stroke models (focal ischemic stroke & global ischemic stroke) for studies of neuroprotection and reduction of the infarct. We can conduct a battery of behavioral tests, functional recovery tests, and neuropathological analysis customized to clients' needs.
Introduction of Stroke & Brain Ischemia
Stoke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain results in cell death. Stoke is divided into two major categories: ischemic (brain ischemia) and hemorrhagic (subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage). Brain ischemia is a condition in which there is insufficient bold flow to the brain to meet metabolic demand, leading to cerebral hypoxia and thus to cerebral infarction/ischemic stroke. There are two types of ischemia: focal ischemia, which is confined to a specific region of the brain; and global ischemia, which encompasses wide areas of brain tissue. About 87% of strokes are ischemic, the rest being hemorrhagic.
Overview of Stoke & Brain Ischemia Models
A variety of animal stroke models have been developed, with the aim of identifying the mechanisms that underlie cerebral ischemia and developing new agents for stroke therapy. The majority of stroke experiments use small animals (e.g. mice, rats, rabbits) due to their clear advantages over larger animals: lower cost and greater acceptability from an ethical perspective. The rat is one of the most commonly animals used for many reasons: similar cerebral vasculature and physiology to that of humans, small brain size suitable for fixation, easy to conduct reproducible studies. Genetically-engineered mice are particularly useful for furthering our understanding of components of ischemic pathophysiology and in designing potential new preventative, neuroprotective, and therapeutic drugs and interventions.
For stroke research, currently, there are a number of well-characterized ischemic stroke models, including both global ischemia models and focal ischemia models. As a research partner specialized in designing pharmacology and efficacy studies for different neurological diseases, Creative Biolabs is able to utilize the following models for the evaluation of potential therapeutics:
Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion (MCAO) Model (transient/permanent)
The transient or permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model is one of the models that most closely simulate the human ischemic stroke. It has been involved in the majority of studies that address pathophysiological processes or neuroprotective agents.
The endothelin-1 model of focal stroke is based on the application of endothelin-1 (ET-1), which is a potent and long-acting vasoconstrictive peptide. It can be applied directly onto the exposed MCA, as an intracerebral injection, or onto the cortical surface, which leads to a dose-dependent ischemic lesion with marginal ischemic edema.
Photothrombotic Ischemia Model
The photothrombotic stroke model aims to induce an ischemic damage within a given cortical area by means of photo-activation of a previously injected light-sensitive dye. Briefly, a photoactive dye (e.g., eose bengal) is injected intraperitoneally (mice) or intravenously (rats), and the intact skull is irradiated within minutes by a light beam at a specific wavelength. This procedure generates oxygen radicals that lead to endothelial damage, platelet activation, and thrombosis, resulting in local blood flow interruption.
Global Ischemic Four-Vessel Occlusion (4-VO) Rat Model
4 VO in rats provides a rodent model of reversible forebrain ischemia. It has been widely used to study mechanisms of ischemia-induced neuronal death and to test the effects of neuroprotective drugs. This global ischemia model involves permanent occlusion of vertebral arteries and transient occlusion of carotid arteries.
The extensive range of rodent neurological disease models available at Creative Biolabs to test the efficacy of different interventions includes:
Creative Biolabs establishes flexibly tailored study protocols that fit each therapeutics testing requirements. Besides, our scientists are experienced with rapidly validating models from the literature. If the model you need is not presented here, do not hesitate to contact us to learn how we can tailor our program to your specific needs.
For Research Use Only.
