OBJECTIVETo investigate the protective effect of procyanidins on cerebral injury in rat model of cerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and it's possible mechanisms. METHEOD: Fifty-four health Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups randomly: sham operation group, model group of intracerebral hemorrhage, treatment group-administrate with procyanidins of low (50 mg x kg(-1)), middle (100 mg x kg(-1)) and high(200 mg x kg(-1)) dose, and positive control group-administrate with nimodipine (10 mg x kg(-1)). Intragastric administration procyanidins to rats of each treatment groups once a day, lasting two weeks and once again at one hour before operation. The sham-operation group and intracerebral hemorrhage group was administrated with Sodium Chloride of the equal volume. On the brain stereotaxic apparatus, the rat intracerebral hemorrhage model was established by injecting collagenase with microinjector into the brain caudate nucleus which was located according to the brain stereotaxic atlas. Symptoms of neurological handicap of rats with ICH was evaluated by measurement of Bederson score at 4, 8, 12, 24 hour after operation respectively. Twenty-four hours after operation, make the blood serum of rats ready to measure the level of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and the brain homogenate was prepared to detect the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) in rat's brain tissues. The content of water in rat's brain was observed by Dry-weight method, the brain tissue pathomorphology was observed with electron microscope.

RESULTIn procyanidins groups (50, 100, 200 mg x kg(-1)), the neurological behavioral score, Brain Water Content (BWC) and the level of CK, LDH were significantly lower than those in ICH group (P < 0.05, P < 0.01), whereas the activity of SOD was higher than that in ICH group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, procyanidins (100, 200 mg x kg(-1)) degrade the content of MDA in brain homogenate. In addition, changes of histopathology in procyanidin groups at every doses was better than ICH group.

CONCLUSIONProcyanidins can protect rats with cerebral hemorrhage, and the protective effect may be result from improving lipid peroxidation and reducing free radicals to generate.