Cerebral Infarct Size Measurement Service in Animal Models of Stroke

Rodent models have long been used as one of the most important tools to understand the mechanisms of ischemic stroke. In many preclinical stroke studies, the effect of treatment is assessed by statistically comparing the cerebral infarct size of the treatment group with that of the placebo group. Infarct volume is a direct measurement of one of the final pathologic steps leading to defects caused by ischemic stroke. Several methods exist to measure infarct volume in experimental stroke models. The traditional method of using postmortem histologic examination to study the extent of neuronal death (infarction) is still considered the gold standard. In addition, there are a range of different calculations/estimates used to determine infarct area and volume.

Fig. 1. Infarct size was showed by TTC staining of brain sections. (Nematipour et al., 2020)

Infarct Volume Measurement Service

Ace Therapeutics provides reliable infarct volume measurement services to quantify cerebral infarct size in animal models of stroke. We quantitate infarct volume non-invasively using histologically stained brain sections (e.g. hematoxylin and eosin, cresyl violet or 2,3,4-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC)) or using T2-weighted MRI. Our team of highly skilled experts ensures precise and reliable measurements, providing our clients with accurate data for their studies.

In both transient and permanent focal ischemia models, infarct volume is typically analyzed after 12-24 h. The following is a specific protocol for calculating cerebral infarct volume through TTC staining:

• Remove the brain tissue and place it in a brain mold, cut it into 5 slices through the coronal plane, with a thickness of 2 mm/slice, then stain it with TTC, and then fix it with 4% paraformaldehyde for 24 hours. Use absorbent paper to absorb the water stains on the surface, and finally put it into the scanner to scan and obtain the picture.
• Use image processing software to analyze the pictures, calculate the areas of cerebral infarction and normal tissue, and use the following formula to calculate the percentage of cerebral infarction volume:
  Hemispheric volume = [(front area + back area)/2] × slice thickness
  Percentage of total cerebral infarction volume = (Σ (contralateral normal tissue volume - ipsilateral normal tissue volume)) / (Σ contralateral normal tissue volume × 2) × 100%

Application

Our infarct volume measurement outcomes provide an objective, quantitative assessment of brain damage and serve as an experimental endpoint or measurement in studies using stroke animals.

Why Choose Us

• Allow accurate and reproducible quantification of ischemic lesions in focal cerebral ischemia in animals.
• Rapid acquisition of images directly from TTC-stained brain sections via flatbed color scanner.
• Our professionals are skilled in the use of image processing software for simple measurement of infarct size.

Ace Therapeutics provides reproducible and low-cost methods to measure infarct volume in animal models of stroke. The results have been widely used as a metric to evaluate stroke models and evaluate potential therapeutics. If you are interested in our services, please do not hesitate to contact us!

1. Nematipour, S., et al. (2020). Estrogen and progesterone attenuate glutamate neurotoxicity via regulation of EAAT3 and GLT-1 in a rat model of ischemic stroke. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences, 23(10), 1346.