Induction of Acute Ischemic Stroke in Mice Using the Distal Middle Artery Occlusion Technique

Summary

Here, we present a protocol to establish a distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) model through transcranial electrocoagulation in C57BL/6J mice and evaluate the subsequent neurological behavior and histopathological features.

Abstract

Ischemic stroke remains the predominant cause of mortality and functional impairment among the adult populations globally. Only a minority of ischemic stroke patients are eligible to receive intravascular thrombolysis or mechanical thrombectomy therapy within the optimal time window. Among those stroke survivors, around two-thirds suffer neurological dysfunctions over an extended period. Establishing a stable and repeatable experimental ischemic stroke model is extremely significant for further investigating the pathophysiological mechanisms and developing effective therapeutic strategies for ischemic stroke. The middle cerebral artery (MCA) represents the predominant location of ischemic stroke in humans, with the MCA occlusion serving as the frequently employed model of focal cerebral ischemia. In this protocol, we describe the methodology of establishing the distal MCA occlusion (dMCAO) model through transcranial electrocoagulation in C57BL/6 mice. Since the occlusion site is located at the cortical branch of MCA, this model generates a moderate infarcted lesion restricted to the cortex. Neurological behavioral and histopathological characterization have demonstrated visible motor dysfunction, neuron degeneration, and pronounced activation of microglia and astrocytes in this model. Thus, this dMCAO mouse model provides a valuable tool for investigating the ischemiastroke and worth of popularization.

Introduction

Stroke is a common acute cerebrovascular disease characterized by high incidences of disability and fatality¹. Of all stroke cases, nearly 80% belong to ischemic stroke². Up to now, intravenous thrombolysis remains one of a limited number of productive approaches for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. However, the effectiveness of thrombolytic treatment is restricted by the narrow effective time window and the occurrence of hemorrhagic transformation³. In the long-term rehabilitation phase following an ischemic stroke, a considerable number of patients are likely to experience durable neurolo....

Protocol

The experimental protocol was approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee of Jianghan University and was conducted in accordance with Experimental Animals Ethical Guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control of China. Adult male C57BL/6J mice, 10 weeks old, weighted 24-26 g, were used in this protocol. All mice were housed under a 12-h light/dark cycle controlled environment with food and water ad libitum.

1. Preoperative preparation

NOTE: The key instruments and equipment required for this protocol are shown in Figure 1.

1. P....

Results

The key instruments used to perform the dMCAO are the microsurgical instruments set, the isoflurane vaporizer, and the monopolar microsurgical electrocoagulation generator shown in Figure 1. The experimental procedure of this study is illustrated in Figure 2. In brief, a small bone window craniotomy was employed to expose the distal MCA, which was subsequently coagulated to induce permanent focal cerebral ischemia in C57BL/6 mice. Furthermore, the ischemic insul.......

Discussion

In the present protocol of the craniotomy electrocoagulation dMCAO model, the surgical procedures are conducted with minimal invasiveness, wherein only a portion of the temporalis muscle is separated to mitigate the adverse effects on masticatory function. The mice all recovered well after the procedure, with no observed instances of feeding difficulties. The MCA can be easily discerned in the temporal bone of the mouse, thereby facilitating precise identification of suitable craniotomy locations. This dMCAO model-induce.......

Materials

List of materials used in this article

Name	Company	Catalog Number	Comments
2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium Chloride (TTC)	Sigma-Aldrich	108380	Dye for TTC staining
24-well culture plate	Corning (USA)	CLS3527	Vessel for TTC staining
4% paraformaldehyde	Wuhan Servicebio Technology Co., Ltd.	G1101	Tissue fixation
5% bovine serum albumin	Wuhan BOSTER Bio Co., Ltd.	AR004	Non-specific antigen blocking
5-0 Polyglycolic acid suture	Jinhuan Medical Co., Ltd	KCR531	Material for surgery
Anesthesia machine	Midmark Corporation	VMR	Anesthetized animal
Antifade mounting medium	Beyotime Biotech	P0131	Seal for IF staining
Automation-tissue-dehydrating  machine	Leica Biosystems (Germany)	TP1020	Dehydrate tissue
Depilatory cream	Veet (France)	20220328	Material for surgery
Diclofenac sodium gel	Wuhan Ma Yinglong Pharmaceutical  Co., Ltd.	H10950214	Analgesia for animal
Drill tip (0.8 mm)	Rwd Life Science Co., Ltd.		Equipment for surgery
Eosin staining solution	Wuhan Servicebio Technology Co., Ltd.	G1001	Dye for H&E staining
Eye ointment	Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd	H44023098	Material for surgery
Fluorescence microscope	Olympus (Japan)	BX51	Image acquisition
GFAP Mouse monoclonal antibody	Cell Signaling Technology Inc. (Danvers, MA, USA)	3670	Primary antibody for IF staining
Goat anti-mouse Alexa 488-conjugated IgG	Cell Signaling Technology Inc. (Danvers, MA, USA)	4408	Second antibody for IF staining
Goat anti-rabbit Alexa 594-conjugated IgG	Cell Signaling Technology Inc. (Danvers, MA, USA)	8889	Second antibody for IF staining
Grip strength meter	Shanghai Xinruan Information Technology Co., Ltd.	XR501	Equipment for behavioral test
Hematoxylin staining solution	Wuhan Servicebio Technology Co., Ltd.	G1004	Dye for H&E staining
Iba1 Rabbit monoclonal antibody	Abcam	ab178846	Primary antibody for IF staining
Isoflurane	Rwd Life Science Co., Ltd.	R510-22-10	Anesthetized animal
Laser doppler blood flow meter	Moor Instruments (UK)	moorVMS	Blood flow monitoring
Meloxicam	Boehringer-Ingelheim	J20160020	Analgesia for animal
Microdrill	Rwd Life Science Co., Ltd.	78001	Equipment for surgery
Microsurgical instruments set	Rwd Life Science Co., Ltd.	SP0009-R	Equipment for surgery
Microtome	Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA)	HM325	Tissue section production
Microtome blade	Leica Biosystems (Germany)	819	Tissue section production
Monopolar electrocoagulation generator	Spring Scenery Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.	CZ0001	Equipment for surgery
Mupirocin ointment	Tianjin Smith Kline & French Laboratories Ltd.	H10930064	Anti-infection for animal
NeuN Rabbit monoclonal antibody	Cell Signaling Technology Inc. (Danvers, MA, USA)	24307	Primary antibody for IF staining
Neutral balsam	Absin Bioscience	abs9177	Seal for H&E staining
Paraffin embedding center	Thermo Fisher Scientific (USA)	EC 350	Produce paraffin blocks
Pentobarbital sodium	Sigma-Aldrich	P3761	Euthanized animal
Phosphate buffered saline	Shanghai Beyotime Biotech Co., Ltd	C0221A	Rinsing for tissue section
Shaver	Shenzhen Codos Electrical Appliances Co.,Ltd.	CP-9200	Equipment for surgery
Sodium citrate solution	Shanghai Beyotime Biotech Co., Ltd.	P0083	Antigen retrieval for IF staining