Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model of transient focal ischemia

All experiments with mice were performed in accordance with protocols approved by the Animal Care and Use Committee of Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. C57BL/6 mice (24–25 g) or il-17a^–/– mice (24–25 g) were anesthetized i.p. with ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (8 mg/kg). Focal cerebral ischemia was induced by MCAO with a 6–0 silicone-coated nylon monofilament, as previously described.³¹ Occlusion was confirmed by laser-Doppler flowmeter (Periflux system 5000, PERIMED, Stockholm, Sweden) with a probe placed on thinned skull over the lateral parietal cortex.³¹ After 60 min of occlusion, the filament was removed and reperfusion was verified. Body temperature was maintained at 37±0.5 °C with a feed-back temperature control unit until the mice had recovered from surgery. Our previous studies showed no physiological differences between groups.^{6, 31}