Abstract:Objective To investigate neuro-protective effect of angiotensin type 2 (AT2) receptor agonist in rat model of brain ischemia / reperfusion injury. Methods Wistar rats in IR group were subjected to 3 hours of ischemia(middle cerebral artery suture occlusion) followed by reperfusion for 21 hours. Rats from control received sham operative procedures without ischemia nor reperfusion. Rats received CGP42112 (AT2 agonist, 1 mg/kg) and / or IL-10 antibody (0.1 mg/kg) through intraperitoneal injection. Infarction size and behavioral outcomes were recorded at 24 hours post-injury. TNF-α were measured by ELISA. Primary rat neurons were utilized to test neuroprotective effect of CGP42112 ex vivo. Cell model of oxygen / glucose deprivation and reperfusion (OGD/R) was established based on standard protocol. Results Treatment of CGP42112 reduced infarct size, enhanced functional recovery,and decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α) in IR group compared with control group. Anti- IL-10 antibody reversed the CGP42112-induced neuro-protective effect including infarction size, improvement in behavioral outcome, and inflammatory response. In ex vivo, CGP42112 preserved OGD/R induced neuron loss, while reduced cell apoptosis. Conclusion CGP42112 provides direct neuroprotection in ischemia and reperfusion model,potentially through modulating IL-10 pathway.