Abstract: AIM: To investigate the effect of hirudo and earthworm liquor extract on the expression of synde-can-1 in focal cerebral ischemia reperfusion rats and the relationship between syndecan-1 expression and cellists underlying antiinflammatory mechanism.METHODS: The MCAO modelsof rats were built with the intraluminal filament occlusion.Rats' brains were cut at the levels of the hippocampus as the templates.Immunohistochemistry staining and HE staining were used to facilitate the obser-vation of the distribution and the quantities of cells with expression of syndecan-1 and the pathological change of MCAO ischemia 2 h reperfusion 4, 24, 72 h and 7 d with hirudo and earthworm liquor extract or saline treatment, respectively.RESULTS: Hirudo and earthworm liquor extract could upregulate the expression of syndecan-1 on ischemia/reperfusion in rats' brains, especially at 72 h. The numbers of syndecan-1 cells got peak, hirudo and earthworm extract liquor could downregulate polynucle-ation inflammatory cells at 24 and 72 h.The expression of inflammatory cells in both hirudo and earthworm liquor extract group and saline group at 4 h was not significant. Hirudo and earthworm extract liquor downregulated the monocytic inflammation cells infiltration at 7 d.CONCLUSION: Hirudo and earthworm liquor extract can up-regulate the expression of syndecan-1on ischemia reperfu-sion in rats' brains.The upregulation of syndecan-1 can decrease inflammatory cell infiltrate.

Key words: hirudo and earthworm liquor extract, syndecan-1, cerebral ischemia, reperfusion damage