ICH models

The time-line of the study design was shown in Fig. 1. A collagenase-induced ICH model in mouse was established as previously reported (Krafft et al., 2012). Briefly, ketamine (100 mg/kg) and xylazine (10 mg/kg, intraperitoneal, ip injection) were used for anesthesia for the mice. Bacterial collagenase (0.075 units, Type VII-S, Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.) was dissolved in 0.5 μL saline, and infused into the right basal ganglia at a rate of 0.1667 μL/min, using an infusion pump (Stoelting, Wood Dale, IL, USA). The needle was left for an additional 10 min to prevent possible leakage of the collagenase solution, and withdrawn slowly at a rate of 1 mm/min. The cranial burr hole was sealed with bone wax, the skin was sutured, and 0.4 mL of normal saline was injected subcutaneously. Animals were allowed to recover fully under observation. The sham operation was performed with needle insertion only.

Time-line of study design. ICH: intracerebral hemorrhage. BBB: blood-brain barrier.