Rapamycin protects against early brain injury independent of cerebral blood flow changes in a mouse model of subarachnoid haemorrhage

We evaluated the neuroprotective role of rapamycin, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase inhibitor, in cerebral ischaemia and locomotor function in a mouse model of subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Pretreatment with rapamycin, an mTOR kinase inhibitor, resulted in better recovery from cerebral hypoxia early after SAH than control (P < .05), while the values of peak flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery did not change significantly (P > .05). Average distance travelled and the ratio of central-area distance/total travelled distance determined by open-field test after day 14 was significantly higher in mice pretreated with rapamycin than in control mice (P < .05). Inhibition of the mTOR pathway could be protective against post-SAH early brain injury, ameliorating brain tissue hypoxia and locomotor hypoactivity.