Ketamine inhibits c-Jun protein expression in mouse hippocampus following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

A model of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion was established in mice. Mice were treated with ketamine via intraperitoneal injection immediately following ischemia or ischemia/reperfusion. Ketamine did not remarkably change infarct volume in mice immediately following ischemia, but injection immediately following ischemia/reperfusion significantly decreased infarct volume. Ketamine injection immediately after ischemia or ischemia/reperfusion inhibited c-Jun protein expression in mouse hippocampus, but nuclear factor kappa B expression was unaltered. In addition, the Longa scale score for neural impairment was not reduced in mice following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion. These results indicate that ketamine can protect mice against cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury by modulating c-Jun protein expression in mouse hippocampus.