Effect of hematoma puncture and drainage on blood-brain barrier permeability and neuronal apoptosis in rats with cerebral hemorrhage

Objective To explore the mechanism of hematoma puncture and drainage in the treatment of cerebral hemorrhage at molecular level. Methods Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were induced cerebral hemorrhage models by autologous blood basal ganglia injection, and randomly divided into control group and puncture and drainage group (n=12). The rats in the control group did not receive intervention, while rats in the puncture and drainage group received puncture and drainage for hematoma. Modified neurological severity scale (mNSS) was performed on rats from the two groups before and after operation; 6 rats were taken from each group for HE staining and TUNEL to detect the number of apoptotic nerve cells in the brain tissues around the hematoma; 6 rats were taken from each group to detect the infiltration amount of brain Evans blue (EB). Results The mNSS scores of the puncture and drainage group after surgery (11.01±1.63) were significantly higher than those before surgery (9.62±2.05, P<0.05), and significantly higher than those in the control group (10.13±0.82, P< 0.05). The number of apoptotic nerve cells in the peripheral brain tissues of hematoma in the puncture and drainage group ([136.56±13.35] cells/mm2) was significantly smaller as compared with that in the control group ([297.19±51.90] cells/mm2), and the amount of EB infiltration ([289.67±122.43] μg/g brain tissue) in the puncture and drainage group was significantly decreased as compared with that in the control group ([325.48±51.43] μg/g brain tissue, P<0.05). Conclusions Puncture and drainage for hematoma can improve the microenvironment of brain tissues around hematoma, alleviate the damage of blood-brain barrier, and inhibit the apoptosis of nerve cells. Although it can lead to aggravation of temporary neurological function damage, it is still an effective treatment method for cerebral hemorrhage. Key words: Hematoma puncture and drainage; Intracerebral hemorrhage; Cell apoptosis; Blood-brain barrier