Abstract W MP81: Excess Salt Increases Infarct Size Produced by Photothrombotic Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Without Increasing Blood Pressure in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Abstract

Background and Purpose: Cerebral circulation is known to be vulnerable to excess salt (e.g., impaired vasodilation, increased oxidative stress, accelerated spontaneous stroke, and enhanced blood-brain barrier [BBB] disruption). To our knowledge, however, no study has investigated the effects of excess salt on focal ischemic injury. Methods: After 14 days of salt loading or water, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR, Izumo strain, n=43) or normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY, n=11) were subjected to photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO), and infarct volume was determined at 48 h after MCAO. Brain albumin and hemoglobin contents, as indices of BBB disruption, were determined with SELDI-TOF-MS in ischemic brain tissue. Effects of excess salt on the lower limits of cerebral blood flow (CBF) autoregulation were also determined. Results: Two-way analysis of variance confirmed a significant effect of saline on the volumes of drinking in SHR (p=0.000). Resting mean arterial blood pressure (BP) in SHR was 137±15 (S.D.) mmHg and 141±7 mmHg in the salt loading and control groups, respectively. After MCAO, regional CBF, determined with two ways of laser-Doppler flowmetry (one-point measurement or manual scanning), was more steeply decreased in the salt-loaded group than in the control group. In SHR, infarct volume in the salt-loaded group was 112±27 mm3, which was significantly larger than 77±12 mm3 in the control group (p=0.002), while albumin and hemoglobin levels in discrete brain regions were not different between the groups. In WKY, salt loading did not significantly increase infarct size. CBF response to hemorrhagic hypotension (i.e., autoregulation) was not affected by excess salt. Conclusions: We demonstrated that excess salt increased infarct size produced by photothrombotic MCAO without increasing BP in SHR but not in WKY. Excess salt did not deteriorate both vasogenic edema and hemorrhagic transformation of ischemic brain tissue after MCAO. The detrimental effects of excess salt were considered to be the result of compromised CBF in the ischemic brain tissue supplied by collateral circulation. A future study will investigate the mechanisms underlying the salt sensitivity to focal brain ischemia independent of BP changes.