Objective: It is well known that residual cortical cerebral blood flow plays a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of cerebral ischemia and can influence the outcome of recanalization therapy. This study examined the impact of residual cortical cerebral blood flow on the neuroprotective efficacy of human albumin in a rat transient cerebral ischemia model.
Methods: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 2 hour middle cerebral artery occlusion. According to different magnitudes of residual cortical cerebral blood flow during cerebral ischemia, rats were divided into three groups: Group I, cerebral blood flow <25% of the baseline; Group II, cerebral blood flow between 25 and 50% of the baseline; Group III, cerebral blood flow >50% of the baseline. The infarct volume and brain swelling were observed after 48 hours of reperfusion. Neurological scores and motor function were also evaluated.
Results: After 2 days of reperfusion, human albumin therapy significantly (p<0.01) reduced total infarct volume and improved the neurological and motor function compared with the stroke group only in Group II. In Group I and in Group III, whether human albumin was administered or not, rats in Group I always showed a poor outcome and rats in Group III always showed an excellent outcome.
Conclusion: Our study suggests that human albumin has neuroprotection in acute stroke treatment only within a magnitude range of residual cortical cerebral blood flow during ischemia.