Translational intracerebral hemorrhage: a need for transparent descriptions of fresh tissue sampling and preclinical model quality

Abstract

For years, strategies have been proposed to improve translational success in stroke research by improving the quality of animal studies. However, articles that report preclinical intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) studies continue to lack adequate qualitative and quantitative descriptions of fresh brain tissue collection. They also tend to lack transparency about animal model quality. We conducted a systematic review of 82 ICH research articles to determine the level of detail reported for brain tissue collection. We found that only 24 (29 %) reported the volume, weight, or thickness of tissue collected and a specific description of the anatomical location. Thus, up to 71 % of preclinical ICH research articles did not properly define how fresh specimens were collected for biochemical measurements. Such omissions may impede reproducibility of results between laboratories. Although existing criteria have improved the quality of preclinical stroke studies, ICH researchers need to identify specific guidelines and strategies to avoid pitfalls, minimize bias, and increase reproducibility in this field.

Figure 1

(A) Flow chart of literature search and selection. (B) Representative coronal brain sections show the difference in hemorrhagic patterns among striatal (s-), cortical (c-), and hippocampal (h-) intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) and between severe (s-) and mild (m-) intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH). All hemorrhages were induced in the left hemisphere. (C) Example of a strategic method to obtain uniform and reproducible brain tissue samples for biomedical analysis after s-ICH; ips, ipsilateral; contra, contralateral.