Modified Silicon‐Coated Nylon Suture in A Rat Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model

Abstract

Due to anatomical variations of the arterial circle the infarct size is not uniform in traditional nylon suture‐produced a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. We modified nylon suture by coating silicon to 4–0 nylon suture 3 mm from the tip for 17 mm, and tested the modified suture in a rat MCAO model. Sprague‐Dawley rats were divided into four groups (Group A, traditional suture under katemine/xylazine anesthesia; Group B, modified suture under katemine/xylazine anesthesia; Group C, traditional suture under isoflurane anesthesia; Group D, modified suture under isoflurane anesthesia) and subjected to 2 hours MCAO. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was monitored through a Laser‐Doppler flow probe attached to the lateral aspect of the skull. Neurological evaluation and ischemic region were assessed 24 hours after reperfusion. The total ischemic volume (infarct and penumbra) was similar among all four Groups (Group A, 56.0 ± 5.2%; Group B, 66.2 ± 3.4%; Group C, 59.4 ± 2.8%; Group D, 59.2 ± 5.2%). However, the infarct size was significantly larger in modified suture‐produced MCAO rats under either ketamine/xylazine anesthesia (Group A, 20.3 ± 2.3% vs. Group B, 35.4 ± 5.1%) or isoflurane anesthesia (Group C, 6.4 ± 0.9% vs. Group D, 12.9± 1.6%). In addition, neurological evaluation demonstrated that modified suture‐produced MCAO groups showed greater neurological deficits than traditional suture‐produced MCAO groups. We conclude that modified silicon‐coated nylon suture provides more uniform occlusion of the middle cerebral artery than the traditional nylon suture.