Effects of gender on heart injury after intracerebral hemorrhage in rats

Abstract

Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)-induced brain injury is less in female than in male rats, and estrogen can reduce such injury in males. Myocardial injury occurs after ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and the current study investigated the effects of gender on heart injury after ICH in rats. In the first part of the study, male and female rats had an intracerebral injection of 100 μL autologous blood, and sham-operated rats had a needle insertion. In the second part of the study, male rats were treated with 17β-estrodiol or vehicle 2 h after ICH. All rats were then killed after 3 days and heart samples collected for histology and Western blot analysis. ICH caused heart injury, including petechial hemorrhage in male and female rats. To quantify heart stress following ICH, heat shock proteins (HSP) 32 and 27 were measured by Western blot analysis. We found that heart HSP-32 levels were higher in female compared to male rats after ICH (p < 0.01), but there was no effect of gender in sham-operated rats (p > 0.05), nor were there gender differences in myocardial HSP27 levels. Treatment with 17β-estrodiol increased HSP-32 levels in male ICH rats (p < 0.05). In conclusion, an ICH results in heart injury by an unknown mechanism. Gender and estrogen affect the heart response to ICH. © 2011 Springer-Verlag/Wien.