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Purpose: This study tested possible neuroprotective effects of Camellia sinensis-extracted polyphenols in experimental hydrocephalus in young rats., Methods: Seven-day-old Wistar rats were used in this study. Pups were subjected to hydrocephalus induction by 20 % kaolin intracisternal injection. The polyphenol was administered intraperitoneally for 9 or 20 days from the induction of hydrocephalus. Clinical observations and behavioral tests were performed once a day. The animals, deeply anesthetized, were sacrificed by cardiac perfusion with saline 10 or 21 days after induction of hydrocephalus and their brains were removed. Preparations were made for histological analysis by hematoxylin and eosin, solochrome-cyanine, and immunohistochemistry for GFAP., Results: Histopathological analysis showed that animals treated with the polyphenol for 9 consecutive days displayed reduction on astrocyte activity on the corpus callosum and external capsule, shown by GFAP immunostaining. They also displayed thicker and myelinated corpus callosum, exhibiting a more intense solochrome-cyanine blue staining., Conclusion: Although these results demonstrate a possible neuroprotective effect at the initial onset of the disease, additional studies should be performed to obtain an effective and safe therapy for deeper studies in clinical trials.

Hydrocephalus is a common neurological problem in humans, usually caused by an impairment of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) flow or absorption. A reliable induced model of chronic hydrocephalus in mice would be useful to test hypotheses using genetic mutants. Our goal was to characterize behavioral and histological changes in juvenile and young adult mice with kaolin (aluminum silicate)-induced hydrocephalus. Seven-day old and 7-8 week old mice received injection of kaolin into the cisterna magna. Behavior was assessed repeatedly. Seven or 14 days following kaolin, magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was used to assess ventricle size. In hydrocephalic mice, body weight was significantly lower than in age-matched saline-injected sham controls and the gait and posture score were impaired. Juvenile mice developed severe ventriculomegaly and had reduced corpus callosum thickness with gross white matter destruction by 14 days. Reactive astroglial change in white matter and cortex and reduced cellular proliferation in the subependymal zone were also apparent. Young adult mice developed only moderate ventricular enlargement without overt white matter destruction, although there was corpus callosum atrophy and mild astroglial reaction in white matter. Glial fibrillary acidic protein content was significantly higher in juvenile and young adult hydrocephalic mice at 7 and 14 days, but myelin basic protein content was not significantly altered. In conclusion, hydrocephalus induced by percutaneous injection of kaolin in juvenile and young adult mice is feasible. The associated periventricular alterations are essentially the same as those reported in rats of comparable ages.