Objective To observe the feasibility of electrocoagulation of the middle cerebral artery in mice to induce occlusion of the middle cerebral artery and to establish a mouse model of cerebral ischemia.
Methods The cerebral ischemia model of adult male Balb/c mice was established by direct occlusion of the middle cerebral artery by electrocoagulation (model group, n=20 mice). Mice with occlusion of the middle cerebral artery by electrocoagulation were used as the sham-operated group (sham-operated group, n=20 mice). Modified neurological function severity score (mNSS) was used to evaluate the neurological damage in model group and sham-operated group at 24h and 72h after operation.
Results 24 hours after the operation, the brain tissue sections of the Balb/c mice in the model group were taken from the injured area and stained with hematoxylin-eosin. Microscopically, the ischemic brain tissue edema was observed, accompanied by the formation of cavities, and the local brain tissue structure changed. Loose and lightly colored, the number of nerve cells is significantly reduced, the cell body of nerve cells is reduced, the outline of some cells is not clear, and different degrees of cell degeneration and necrosis, nuclear pyknosis, and disappearance of nucleoli can be seen. The neurological deficit score of the model group was significantly lower than that of the sham operation group at the 24th hour after operation (P<0.05), and the difference could be maintained until the 72nd hour after operation.
Conclusion Electrocoagulation can successfully create a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia in Balb/c mice.