EVALUATION OF THE EFFECTS OF PHOENIXIN-14 IN A SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE RAT MODEL

Phoenixin-14 (PNX-14), a novel agent that can exert neuroprotective effects by modulating the pathophysiology of early brain damage. The aim of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of PNX-14 on following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), in an experimental rat model.
SAH was induced in the adult Spraque Dawley rats under anesthesia by aspirating 0.3 mL of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), followed by injecting 0.3 mL of autologous blood from the femoral artery into the cisterna magna over 1 to 2 minutes. Subcutaneous saline was administered to saline treated SAH (n=7) (1 cc/kg) or PNX-14 (50 µg/kg) PNX-14 treated SAH (n=7) immediately after the procedure, second dose at 24 and third dose at 46 hours. Modified Bederson neurological score was conducted 30 minutes after the final dose. After sacrification at 48 hours, IL-4 levels were measured in serum with ELISA; Reactive oxygen species (ROS) measured by luminol and lucigenin enhanced chemiluminescence method in brain tissues.
SAH-PNX-14 treated group demonstrated significantly lower total neurological scores on the compared to saline treated SAH group (Unparied t test p<0.01). ROS were significantly lower in PNX-14 treated SAH group compared to saline treated SAH group (p<0,005). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of IL-4 level.
Preliminary data indicate that Phoenixin-14 reduced neurological scores and ROS following subarachnoid hemorrhage. These results suggest a potential therapeutic effects of Phoenixin-14 in early brain injury.