Estrogens Decrease Reperfusion-Associated Cortical Ischemic Damage

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Abstract
Background and Purpose—Early identification of irreversible cerebral ischemia is critical in defining strategies that influence neuronal survival after stroke. We used MRI to investigate the effects of 17β-estradiol (E2) on the temporal evolution of focal ischemia. Methods—Female rats were ovariectomized and divided into 1 of 2 groups: ovariectomy alone (OVX; n=4) or ovariectomy with estrogen replacement (OVX+E2; n=3). Both groups were then subjected to 1-hour middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), with the use of a standardized endovascular monofilament model, followed by reperfusion. Sequential diffusion-weighted (DWI) and T2-weighted (T2WI) MRI were obtained during and after the MCAO. In separate groups of animals (n=5 for OVX and OVX+E2), cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured by laser-Doppler methods before, during, and after occlusion. Results—DWI detected similar lesion characteristics during MCAO in both groups. In the OVX group, lesion size did not change during reperfusion, but the signal inte...

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