The+role+of+Rho-Rho-kinase+pathway+and+the+neuroprotective+effects+of+fasudil+in+chronic+cerebral+ischemia.pdf

NEURAL REGENERATION RESEARCH September 2015,Volume 10,Issue 9 RESEARCH ARTICLE The role of Rho/Rho-kinase pathway and the neuroprotective effects of fasudil in chronic cerebral ischemia * * Ya-yun Yan, Xiao-ming Wang, Yan Jiang, Han Chen, Jin-ting He, Jing Mang, Yan-kun Shao , Zhong-xin Xu Department of Neurology, China-Japan Union Hospital, Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin Province, China Abstract *Correspondence to: The Rho/Rho-kinase signaling pathway plays an important role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion Yan-kun Shao, M.D. or Zhong-xin Xu, injury. However, very few studies have examined in detail the changes in the Rho/Rho-kinase M.D., yankunshao@163.com or signaling pathway in chronic cerebral ischemia. In this study, rat models of chronic cerebral zhongxinxu@163.com. ischemia were established by permanent bilateral common carotid artery occlusion and intra- gastrically administered 9 mg/kg fasudil, a powerful ROCK inhibitor, for 9 weeks. Morris water orcid: maze results showed that cognitive impairment progressively worsened as the cerebral ischemia 0000-0002-1267-3208 (Yan-kun Shao) proceeded. Immunohistochemistry, semi-quantitative RT-PCR and western blot analysis showed 0000-0001-7066-7159 (Zhong-xin Xu) that the expression levels of Rho-kinase, its substrate myosin-binding subunit, and its relat- ed protein alpha smooth muscle actin, significantly increased aft