Fig. 5

Splenectomy 2 weeks before RIPC and MCAO also removed the protective effect of RIPC on ischemic brain injury. Splenectomy was conducted 2 weeks before 40 min RIPC and 90 min MCAO. Non-splenectomy animals underwent anesthesia and surgical exposure of the spleen without removal. a Experimental protocols. Three groups of animals were prepared: MCAO, RIPC + MCAO, and splenectomy + RIPC + MCAO (n = 6 each group). b Representative TTC images of animals from each group. The infarct areas are outlined with blue lines. c Neurological deficit assessment was performed with the Longa scoring system during the 3 days after MCAO. d Body weight of all rats from each group were measured during the 3 days after MCAO. Data are presented as means ± SEM, *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 versus MCAO group. ^#p < 0.05, ^##p < 0.01 versus RIPC + MCAO rats