In
Alzheimer's disease and
ischemic stroke, intranasal
insulin can act as a
neuroprotective agent. However, whether intranasal
insulin has a
neuroprotective effect in
intracerebral hemorrhage and its potential mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, a mouse model of autologous blood-induced
intracerebral hemorrhage was treated with 0.5, 1, or 2 IU
insulin via intranasal delivery, twice per day, until 24 or 72 hours after surgery. Compared with saline treatment, 1 IU intranasal
insulin treatment significantly reduced
hematoma volume and
brain edema after
cerebral hemorrhage, decreased blood-brain barrier permeability and neuronal degeneration damage, reduced neurobehavioral deficits, and improved the survival rate of mice. Expression levels of p-AKT and p-GSK3β were significantly increased in the perihematoma tissues after intranasal
insulin therapy. Our findings suggest that intranasal
insulin therapy can protect the neurological function of mice after
intracerebral hemorrhage through the AKT/GSK3β signaling pathway. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the North Sichuan Medical College of China (approval No. NSMC(A)2019(01)) on January 7, 2019.