The aim in this study was to investigate if our new experimental model for stroke therapy, flushing the ischemic territory with saline prior to reperfusion, could reduce overexpression of inflammatory mediators during reperfusion. Stroke in Sprague-Dawley rats (n=24) was induced by a 2-h middle cerebral artery occlusion using a novel intraluminal hollow filament. Prior to reperfusion, 12 of the ischemic rats received 6 ml isotonic saline at 37 degrees C infused into the ischemic area through the filament. Expression of interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1) mRNA was analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). A significant overexpression (9-26 fold) of the genes encoding TNF-alpha, IL-1beta and ICAM-1 in ischemic rats was found during early reperfusion without flushing at 6 and 12 h. This increase was significantly reduced at both 6 and 12 h post-reperfusion as a result of saline flushing.