BACKGROUND:Thestellateganglionblock(SGB)playsaprotectiveroleinfocalcerebralischemia/reperfusioninjury.ThehumanSGBcanbesimulatedbytransectionofthecervicalsympathetictrunk(TCST)inrats.OBJECTIVE:ToobservetheeffectsofTCSToninduciblenitricoxidesynthase(iNOS)levelsandcerebralinfarctvolumeinthehippocampusofratswithcerebralischemia/reperfusioninjury,andtoanalyzethemechanismofaction.DESIGN,TIMEANDSETTING:Acompletelyrandomized,controlled,neuropathologicalexperimentwasperformedattheInstituteofNeurologicalDisease,TaiheHospital,YunyangMedicalCollegebetweenMarchandSeptember2006.MATERIALS:Atotalof93Wistarrats,aged17-18weeks,ofeithergender,wereusedforthisstudy.2,3,5-triphenyltetrazoliumchloridewaspurchasedfromChangshaHongyuanBiologicalReagentCompany,China.RabbitiNOSantibodyandgoatanti-rabbitIgGantibodyweretheproductsofWuhanBosterBiologicalReagentCo.,Ltd.,China.METHODS:Tenratswererandomlyselectedforthesham-operatedgroup.Cerebralischemia/reperfusioninjurywasinducedbymiddlecerebralarteryocclusion(MCAO)usingthesuturemethodintheremainingrats.Fortysuccessfulratmodelswererandomlyandequallypidedintothefollowingtwogroups:(1)TCSTgroup:subsequenttoTCST,MCAOwasperformedfor2hours,followedby24hoursreperfusion;(2)modelgroup:ratsunderwentexperimentalproceduressimilartotheTCSTgroup,withtheexceptionofTCST.Ratsinthesham-operatedgroupweresubjectedtoexperimentalproceduressimilartothemodelgroup;however,thethreadwasonlyintroducedtoadepthof10mm.MAINOUTCOMEMEASURES:Following24hoursofreperfusion,functionalneurologicaldeficitswerescored.BraintissuesectionsfromtenratsofeachgroupwereusedtomeasurecerebralinfarctvolumebyTTCstaining.HippocampaltissuesectionsofanadditionaltenratsfromeachgroupwereusedtodetectiNOSlevelsusingthestreptavidin-peroxidaseimmunohistochemis
