Effects of Edaravone on Neurological Function and Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha and Interleukin 8 Levels in Patients with Cerebral Infarction.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the effects of edaravone on neurological function, tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α), and interleukin (IL)-8 levels in patients with cerebral infarction.

Methods: A total of 96 patients with cerebral -infarction who were admitted to the department of neurology in our hospital were enrolled in the present study, and they were randomly assigned to Group A (n = 48) and Group B (n = 48). Group A was treated with conventional therapy plus edaravone for 2 weeks and Group B with conventional therapy alone for 2 weeks. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine serum TNF-α and IL-8 levels before and after treatment, and Pearson correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the correlation between serum TNF-α and IL-8 levels as well as National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score.

Results: After treatment, Group A had a lower NIHSS score and serum TNF-α and IL-8 levels as well as higher activities of daily living score than Group B (all p < 0.05). In addition, after treatment, no significant differences were observed between the 2 groups in terms of the presence of adverse reactions (p > 0.05). Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant positive correlation between serum TNF-α and IL-8 levels as well as NIHSS score (r = -0.567 and r = -0.556, both p < 0.05).

Conclusion: Edaravone can improve the neurological function of patients without causing evident adverse reactions, thereby improving quality of life, which may be correlated to decreased serum TNF-α and IL-8 levels.