Abstract: Objective To investigate the effect of electrical stimulation to cerebellar fastigial nucleus on expression of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-кB) P50, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Bcl-xL mRNA in rats brain after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into normal control group (NC group), cerebral ischemia-reperfusion group (I/R group), fastigial nucleus stimulation (FNS) group, and fastigial nucleus lesion (FNL) group. A focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion model was established with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). 7 and 14 days after operation, the infarct volume was measured, and the protein of NF-кB P50 in rats brain was detected with Western blotting; the expression of TNF-α and Bcl-xL mRNA was detected with RT-PCR. Results Compared with I/R group, the expression of NF-кB P50 protein increased in FNS group (P<0.05), with the decrease of expression of TNF-α mRNA (P<0.01) and increase of Bcl-xL mRNA (P<0.05), while the infarct size decreased (P<0.01). There was no significant difference between FNL group and I/R group for all the measurements (P>0.05). Conclusion FNS could induce the expression of P50 protein and Bcl-xL mRNA, and inhibit the expression of TNF-α mRNA, and reduce infarct size, which may associated with the neuroprotection of central nervous system from injury.

Key words: cerebral ischemia-reperfusion, electrical stimulation, cerebellar fastigial nucleus, focal factor-kappa B, tumor necrosis factor-α, Bcl-xL, rats