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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Evaluating Cell Death Signaling by Immunofluorescence in a Rat Model of Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 3, 2025
Circulating apoptotic factors in patients with acute cerebral infarction
Chorng-Horng Lin1, Michael Chen, Mu-Chien Sun
1Department of Bioresources, DaYeh University, Changhua, Taiwan.
Objective:
Studies on animal models have shown that apoptosis plays a role in acute ischemic stroke, but the clinical significance of apoptosis in human stroke has not been well established.
Design And Methods:
Acute ischemic stroke patients who had been examined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were recruited, and their blood samples were collected after informed consent obtained. Sixteen samples were taken from 7 patients and 4 control subjects. DNA was extracted from the plasma and analyzed. The plasma level of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was analyzed by western blot, and relative caspase 3/7 activity was assayed.
Results:
Soluble and membrane-associated TNF-alpha were found to be higher in the plasma from ischemic stroke patients than in that from the controls. Further, this result was more significant in patients with grey matter lesions than white matter lesions.
Conclusions:
Apoptotic factors are detected in the plasma of patients with acute ischemic stroke and might be related to infarct area.
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