*3.4. Measurement of Brain Infarct Volume and Water Content*

All animals were euthanized 7 days after MCAo operation. Brains were collected and sectioned into 2.0 mm coronal slices to assess the brain infarct volume. The brain sections were stained with TTC and the percentage of infarct volume was calculated by assessing the stained brain area using ImageJ software. To measure the brain water content, the pons and olfactory bulbs were removed and the wet weight (ww) of the brain was measured. The brains were subsequently dried at 110 ◦C for 24 h, and the dry weight (dw) of the brain was examined. The percentage water content in the brain was assessed using the following formula:

Water content: (ww − dw)/ww × 100%
