Aquaporin-4 gene silencing protects injured neurons after early cerebral infarction.

Aquaporin-4 regulates water molecule channels and is important in tissue regulation and water transportation in the brain. Upregulation of aquaporin-4 expression is closely related to cellular edema after early cerebral infarction. Cellular edema and aquaporin-4 expression can be determined by measuring cerebral infarct area and apparent diffusion coefficient using diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI).

Relationship between AQP4 expression and structural damage to the blood-brain barrier at early stages of traumatic brain injury in rats.

Background: Although some studies have reported that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays an important role in the brain edema after traumatic brain injury (TBI), little is known about the AQP4 expression in the early stage of TBI, or about the correlation between the structural damage to the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and angioedema. The aim of this project was to investigate the relationship between AQP4 expression and damage to the BBB at early stages of TBI.

Methods: One hundred and twenty healthy adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into two groups: sham operation group (SO) and TBI group.

Reperfusion of the rat brain tissues following acute ischemia: the correlation among diffusion-weighted imaging, histopathology, and aquaporin-4 expression.

Background: Although some studies have reported that aquaporin-4 (AQP4) plays a role in the post-ischemic edema formation and diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), little is known about the AQP4 expression in stage of the reperfusion following acute cerebral ischemia, as well as the correlation between histopathology and DWI. The aim of the study was to investigate the correlation among DWI, histopathology and the AQP4 expression in the reperfused rat brain tissues following acute ischemia.

Methods: Seventy Wistar rats were randomly divided into a control group (group A), and several occluded and reperfusion groups.