HSP90β regulates EAAT2 expression and participates in ischemia‑reperfusion injury in rats

Cerebrovascular diseases (CVDs) have become a global public health problem and ischemia‑reperfusion injury, the major cause of neurological impairment exacerbation, is closely related to excitotoxicity. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of changes in heat shock protein (HSP)90β expression and verify whether HSP90β regulates EAAT2 expression in a cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion injury model. Healthy adult Sprague‑Dawley (SD) male rats were used to establish a control group, sham‑operated group, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) group, empty virus group and lentivirus group. A model of cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion was established using the MCAO method. Lentivirus construction and injection were used to interfere with the expression of HSP90β. The modified neurological severity score was used to assess neurological deficits. Triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining was used to detect infarct areas. Immunofluorescence was used to detect HSP90β expression localization and the expression levels of HSP90β and EAAT2 were determined using western blotting and reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. An MCAO model was successfully established and it was found that HSP90β, but not HSP90α, was upregulated after MCAO. HSP90β expression coincided with astrocyte markers in the ischemic penumbra area, while no expression was observed in microglia. Inhibition of HSP90β expression improved neurological deficits and alleviated brain injury by increasing EAAT2 expression. These results suggested that HSP90β is involved in the process of cerebral ischemia‑reperfusion injury in rats and that inhibition of HSP90β expression increases EAAT2 levels, conferring a neuroprotective effect in MCAO model rats.