Short-term preoperative dietary restriction is neuroprotective in a rat focal stroke model

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cardiovascular Surgery
• Metabolic Research

Background:

• Stroke is a significant complication of cardiovascular surgery, leading to substantial mortality and morbidity.
• Current strategies for mitigating perioperative stroke are limited, with few options to reduce incidence or severity preoperatively.
• Preoperative interventions to enhance neuroprotection in at-risk individuals remain largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neuroprotective potential of short-term preoperative dietary restriction in rat models of focal stroke.
• To assess the impact of fasting and protein-restricted diets on stroke outcomes and molecular markers of damage and protection.

Main Methods:

• Rats were preconditioned with either 3 days of water-only fasting or 6 days of a protein-free diet.
• Transient middle cerebral artery occlusion was induced to model severe and mild focal strokes.
• Infarct volume, functional recovery, and molecular markers of inflammation and damage were evaluated post-reperfusion.

Main Results:

• Three days of preoperative fasting significantly reduced infarct volume in a severe focal stroke model.
• Dietary protein restriction for 6 days improved functional recovery and reduced injury in a mild cortical stroke model.
• Neuroprotection was linked to modulated innate immunity, including altered levels of neutrophil chemoattractant and suppressed pro-inflammatory markers.

Conclusions:

• Short-term dietary restriction, including fasting and protein restriction, can provide significant neuroprotection against focal stroke in preclinical models.
• These findings suggest that preoperative dietary interventions are a viable and translatable strategy to reduce perioperative stroke severity.
• This approach offers a simple method to potentially improve outcomes for patients undergoing high-risk elective vascular surgery.