Measurement of neurological scores and infarct volume

Neurological deficits of rats were evaluated blindly based on the Zea Longa standard [36] 48 h after the reperfusion with a 5-point scale system: 0 means no symptoms of neurological dysfunction; 1 means failure to fully stretch the contralateral torso and forelimb; 2 means movement to the ipsilateral side when held by the tail; 3 means action of falling over to the affected side; 4 means no spontaneous walking. For the measure of infarct volume, the removed brain in each group (n=8) was cut into coronal slices (2 mm) at 48 h after MCAO. The slices were incubated for 30 min in a 2% solution of TTC. The images of TTC-stained brain slices were then captured. Infarct volumes were expressed as percentages with the formula: ([total contralateral hemispheric volume]-[total ipsilateral hemispheric stained volume])/(total contralateral hemispheric volume)×100%.