Animal models for the study of intracranial hematomas (Review)

Abstract

Intracranial hematomas (ICH) are a frequent condition in neurosurgical and neurological practices, with several mechanisms of primary and secondary injury. Experimental research has been fundamental for the understanding of the pathophysiology implicated with ICH and the development of therapeutic interventions. To date, a variety of different animal approaches have been described that consider, for example, the ICH evolutive phase, molecular implications and hemodynamic changes. Therefore, choosing a test protocol should consider the scope of each particular study. The present review summarized investigational protocols in experimental research on the subject of ICH. With this subject, injection of autologous blood or bacterial collagenase, inflation of intracranial balloon and avulsion of cerebral vessels were the models identified. Rodents (mice) and swine were the most frequent species used. These different models allowed improvements on the understanding of intracranial hypertension establishment, neuroinflammation, immunology, brain hemodynamics and served to the development of therapeutic strategies.

Neutrophil-like pH-responsive pro-efferocytic nanoparticles improve neurological recovery by promoting erythrophagocytosis after intracerebral hemorrhage

“…Autologous blood injection is a highly reproducible and reliable animal model due to controllable blood volume, although it does not perfectly reflect the heterogeneity and complexity of ICH patients 74 , 75 . Allowing the production of homogenous hematomas volumes makes it appropriate to compare the size of the hematoma.…”

Chemical Composition and Neuroprotective Properties of Indonesian Stingless Bee (Geniotrigona thoracica) Propolis Extract in an In-Vivo Model of Intracerebral Hemorrhage (ICH)

“…We induced ICH using the Deinsberger method, where a double injection of autologous blood was administered on the right hemisphere of the brain [ 19 ]. The animals were placed in a prone position and secured on a stereotactic head frame.…”

“…This method has been applied in several studies using small animals. The superiority of this method is that it avoids blood flowing back into the subarachnoid space [ 19 ]. The caudate nucleus is targeted for lesioning due to its critical function in various higher neurological functions.…”