ObjectiveTo investigate the expression change of cathepsin B (CathB) in the ventroposterior nucleus (VPN) of the ipsilateral thalamus after cortical infarction in rats.MethodsThe adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into either a sham operation group or a model group.The latter was further divided into postoperative 1-, 2-, 3-, 4-, and 8-week groups.A model of cerebral cortical infarction was induced by electrocoagulation the cortical branch of middle cerebral artery.Immunohistochemical staining and immunofluorescence were used to detect the protein expression and cellular localization of CathB in the VPN at each time point.ResultsThe expression level of VPN CathB in thalamus increased gradually after cerebral cortical infarction.It reached the peak at 4 weeks, and decreased at 8 weeks, however it was still higher than the control group (all P<0.05).The release of CathB from the lysosomes into the cytoplasm were found.In addition, the expression level of CathB in the activated astrocytes was significantly increased at 3 weeks after cerebral cortical infarction.ConclusionsDuring 1-8 week after cerebral cortex infarction, CathB in the VPN of the ipsilateral thalamus maintained higher expression level, suggesting that it might play a certain role in secondary degeneration in the thalamus after cerebral cortical infarction.