Correlation of macrophage inflammatory protein-2 expression and brain edema in rats after intracerebral hemorrhage.

Brain edema is one of the most frequent and serious complications of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), but its underlying mechanism remains largely unknown. In order to understand whether inflammatory mediators released from the blood after cerebral hemorrhage plays a role in brain edema, we investigated the dynamic change of the inflammatory mediator macrophage inflammatory protein-2 (MIP-2) in rat brain after ICH. Our results indicate that the expression of MIP-2 increases 2 hours and peaks 2 days after ICH. The expression of MIP-2 correlates with NF-kappaB activation and brain water content. These results suggest that MIP-2 expression may play an important role in the development of brain edema after ICH in rats.