Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2026

Isolation and Flow Cytometric Assessment of Neuroimmune Interactions in a Mini-Stroke Murine Model
Published on: June 20, 2025
Expression of Na-K-Cl cotransporter and edema formation are age dependent after ischemic stroke
Fudong Liu1, Padmastuti Akella, Sharon E Benashski
1Department of Neuroscience, University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, Connecticut, USA.
Abstract:
Age is the most important independent risk factor for stroke; however aging animals are rarely used in stroke studies. Previous work demonstrated that young male mice had more edema formation after an induced stroke than aging animals. An important contributor to cerebral edema formation is the Na-K-Cl cotransporter (NKCC). We examined the expression of NKCC in young (10-12 weeks) and aging (15-16 months) C57BL6 male mice after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and investigated the effect of pharmacological inhibition of NKCC with Bumetanide on cerebral edema formation. Both immunofluorescent staining and Western blotting analysis showed that NKCC expression was significantly higher in the ischemic penumbra of young compared to aging mice after stroke. Edema formation was significantly more robust in young mice and was reduced with Bumetanide. Bumetanide had no effect on cerebral edema in aging mice after MCAO. This suggests that NKCC expression and edema formation are age dependent after ischemic stroke.
Related Concept Videos
Ischemic Stroke ll: Pathophysiology
Cerebral Edema ll: Pathophysiology
Cerebral Edema l: Introduction
Cytotoxic Edema: Pathophysiology
Regulation of Stroke Volume
Preload refers to the degree of stretch on the heart before it contracts. It's analogous to the stretching of a rubber band; the more it's stretched, the more forcefully it snaps back. This concept is encapsulated in the Frank-Starling law of the...
Ischemic Stroke l: Introduction

