The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the
caspase-3 inhibitor
z-DEVD-fmk on the apoptosis of the brain tissues of rats with acute
cerebral infarction.
Middle cerebral artery occlusion was used to establish a rat model of
infarction, and the rats were randomly divided into a
sham group (n=15), model group (n=15) and treatment group (n=15).
z-DEVD-fmk (2.5 µg/kg) was injected into the intracranial artery of rats in the treatment group, while the same volume of
phosphate-buffered
saline solution was administered to the rats of the
sham and model groups. After 48 h, all rats were sacrificed and their brain tissues were removed. The
caspase-3 mRNA level,
protein level and activity, brain cell apoptosis index and
infarction scope of the three groups were analyzed. Neurological impairment was also assessed. At 48 h after model establishment, the
caspase-3 mRNA and
protein levels in the brain tissues of the model group were significantly higher than those of the
sham group, and those in the treatment group were significantly lower than those in the model group (P<0.05); however, they remained significantly higher than those in the
sham group.
Caspase-3 activity in the model group was significantly higher than that in the
sham group, and treatment with the
caspase-3 inhibitor significantly reduced
caspase-3 activity compared with that in the model group (P<0.05). The apoptosis index and
infarction scope in the model and treatment groups were significantly increased compared with those in the
sham group, and were significantly lower in the treatment group than in the model group (P<0.05). The neurological impairment of rats in the model and treatment groups was increased significantly compared with that in the
sham group, and the treatment group exhibited a significantly lower level of neurological impairment than the model group (P<0.05). In conclusion, the
caspase-3 inhibitor
z-DEVD-fmk effectively inhibited apoptosis and delayed the
necrosis of brain tissue cells in rats with acute
cerebral infarction, and had certain protective effects on brain tissue.