Apoptosis occurs in the penumbra zone during short-duration focal ischemia in the rat.

To investigate the appearance of apoptosis in short-duration focal ischemia, the authors induced left middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion in male rats by insertion of an intraluminal suture. The total number of apoptotic cells was determined by hematoxylin-eosin staining and TUNEL labeling and confirmed by gel electrophoresis. The data indicate that the total number of apoptotic cells increased with ischemia duration (P = 0.

Inhibition of cyclin-dependent kinases improves CA1 neuronal survival and behavioral performance after global ischemia in the rat.

Increasing evidence suggests that cyclin-dependent kinases participate in neuronal death induced by multiple stresses in vitro. However, their role in cell death paradigms in vivo is not well characterized. Accordingly, the authors examined whether cyclin-dependent kinase inhibition resulted in functionally relevant and sustained neuroprotection in a model of global ischemia.