Abstract: Objective To test whether folic acid offers protection of the brain tissue against acute cerebral infarction in rats.
Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into control (n=8), pre-treatment (n=12) and treatment (n=16) groups, all having
routine feed for 7 days. The rats in the control and treatment groups were given normal saline daily, and those in the
pre-treatment group received folic acid suspension daily. All the rats were then subject to middle cerebral artery occlusion
(MCAO) for 24 h followed by reperfusion. On and after the operation day, the rats in the control group were given normal
saline and those in the other two groups were given folic acid suspension daily. Neural function deficiency was evaluated on a
daily basis after the operation, and on day 6 after the operation, brain biopsy was performed for examination with TTC
staining. Monocyte chemokine -1 (MCP-1) in both normal and infarct tissues was measured by ELISA. Results On day 6 after
the operation, the neural function deficiency scores of the control, pre-treatment and treatment groups were 4.56±3.63, 2.94±
2.94 and 1.00±1.00, and the percentages of the infarct area (to the whole brain area) were (44.23±10.06)%, (20.64±6.78)% and
(14.61±13.51)%, respectively. The contents of MCP-1 in the infarct area of the brain tissues were 168.58±107.21 ng/L, 152.91±
64.78 ng/L, and 97.74 ± 46.19 ng/L in the 3 groups, respectively. Conclusion Folic acid can protect brain tissue against acute
cerebral infarction in rats.