The histopathological and stereological assessment of the effect of topically administered leptin on cerebral vasospasm in an experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage model

Authors: CEM DEMİREL, CENGİZ ÇOKLUK, ABDURRAHMAN AKSOY, KERAMEDDİN AYDIN, MEHMET EMİN ÖNGER, ENİS KURUOĞLU, ABDULLAH HİLMİ MARANGOZ, ÖMÜR GÜLSÜM DENİZ, SÜLEYMAN KAPLAN

Abstract: Background/aim: Cerebral vasospasm is a term that refers to prolonged, slowly progressing but reversible pathological narrowing of cerebral arteries occurring several days after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), usually accompanied by a decrease in perfusion distal to the affected artery. Leptin is an endogenous polypeptide hormone that can be carried freely and bound to protein in the blood. Materials and methods: We investigated the superiority of topical application of leptin that may make a contribution to the development of new treatment modalities for unconscious patients in brain injury intensive care units and its preventive effect, which is considered to have multifactorial pathogenesis on cerebral vasospasm occurring after SAH via stereological studies of the basilar artery. Results: When mean serum leptin levels of the groups were compared, statistically significant differences were observed between the control and topical leptin-treated groups in favor of the treated groups with respect to serum leptin levels (P < 0.05). In the topical leptin-applied group, a significant difference in favor of vasodilatation was observed in the measurements of the basilar artery luminal area (P < 0.05). Conclusion: In accordance with the results, the topical administration of leptin can be used in the prevention of vasospasm, especially in unconscious patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Keywords: Subarachnoid hemorrhage, cerebral vasospasm, leptin, basilar artery

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