Clarithromycin Ameliorates Early Brain Injury After Subarachnoid Hemorrhage via Suppressing Periostin-Related Pathways in Mice

Summary Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains a life-threatening disease, and early brain injury (EBI) is an important cause of poor outcomes. The authors have reported that periostin, a matricellular protein, is one of key factors of post-SAH EBI. Clarithromycin (CAM) is a worldwide antibiotic that can inhibit periostin expression. This study aimed to investigate whether CAM suppressed EBI after experimental SAH, focusing on blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption, an important pathology of EBI. C57BL/6 male adult mice underwent endovascular perforation SAH modeling ( n = 139) or sham operation ( n = 30). Different dosages (25, 50, or 100 mg/kg) of CAM or the vehicle ( n = 16, 52, 13, and 58, respectively) were randomly administered by an intramuscular injection 5 min after SAH induction. Post-SAH 50 mg/kg CAM treatment most effectively improved neurological scores and brain water content at 24 and 48 h and reduced immunoglobulin G extravasation at 24 h compared with vehicle-treated SAH mice ( p