OBJECTIVE: Brain ischemia is considered a disease difficult to be treated. Despite many other clinical situations, of particular interest for neurosurgery is its occurrence in cerebral vasoespam following subarachnoid hemorrhage, in temporary occlusion of intracranial vessels during neurosurgeries and, in intracranial arterial thrombosis. The cerebral lesion caused by isquemia is time-related and it can aggravated by the reperfusion of the ischemic site. Many clinical and experimental studies have been perfomed aiming the better understanding of these phenomena. This study aimed to analyse the precocious effects of focal isquemia and reperfusion uppon the brain of cats. METHODS: Focal brain ischemia was performed by temporary clipping of the middle cerebral artery for determined times followed by reperfusion during 10 minutes. The effects of isquemia were assessed through mitochondrial respiration analysis in the ischemic tissue. RESULTS: The results showed a significant decrease in O2 consumption in samples of brain tissue submitted to 60 minutes of ischemia and 10 minutes of reperfusion when compared with not ischemic brain tissue, indicating compromising of the mitocondrial function. CONCLUSION: Based on the results we can conclude that time of ischemia was a determinant factor in the mitochondrial respiration alterations in brain tissue of cats submitted to ischemia and reperfusion of short duration (significant alterations observed only after 60 minutes of ischemia followed by 10 minutes of reperfusion).
ischemia; reperfusion; mitocondrial respiration
