Establishing a new rat model of central venous sinus thrombosis and analyzing its pathophysiological and apoptotic...

This study aims to establish a new animal model of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and to investigate the pathophysiological and apoptotic changes of CVST. Fifty-eight adult Sprague-Dawley rats were used in the present study. They were randomized into three groups, namely control (n=6), embolism (n=26) and sham-operated (n=26) groups. In the embolism group, a self-made plastic graft was inserted in the superior sagittal sinus of each rat during the operation. Each plastic graft had a total length of 0.4 cm, its conical anterior segment had the largest diameter of 0.12 cm and its posterior segment became gradually thin and flat with a width of 0.2 cm and length of 0.1cm. In both the embolism and the sham-operation groups, the rat brains were resected at 6h, 1, 3, and 5 days post-surgery. Gross observation and water content of samples were assessed. Immunohistochemistry for caspase 3, Bcl-2 and Bax were also performed. In the embolism group, cerebral edema reached a peak level at 6h after surgery and then gradually recovered. Significant elevated positive rates of caspase 3, Bcl-2 and Bax after embolism operation were observed, reaching peaks at 1 day time point. Yet, Bcl-2/Bax decrease significantly during the follow-up, indicating apoptosis induction in embolism operation group. The new rat CVST model made by inserting a solid graft into the superior sagittal sinus is reproducible and reliable. Apoptosis plays a crucial role during the development of CVST pathophysiology.