Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Model of Stroke in Rodents: a Stepby-Step Approach

Abstract

Stroke is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in developed countries and an immense
amount of medical care resources are devoted to combat the poststroke debilitating consequences. The key
to develop effective and clinically applicable treatment methodologies is a better understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, including the root causes and targets for pharmacology. Developing these foundations requires the use of standard animal models that mimic the physicochemical process of the diseases
that can reliably replicate results in order to test and fine-tune therapeutic modalities. Middle cerebral artery
occlusion (MCAO), endothelin-1-induced ischemic stroke, photothrombosis, devascularization, embolization, and spontaneous infarction using hemorrhage are some examples of different animal models. Reliability of MCAO has been proved and due to the ability to induce reperfusion similar to tissue plasminogen
activator (tPA) therapy, this model is widely used in preclinical studies.
Here, we describe a detailed methodology on how to develop MCAO stroke in rodents using intra-arterial
insertion of filament to occlude the middle cerebral artery. This approach allows for the study of a wide
array of basic pathophysiology mechanisms, regenerative medicine and rehabilitation therapy.