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This article, titled "[Retracted] Calpastatin peptide attenuates early brain injury following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage," was published in the journal Experimental & Therapeutic Medicine in 2020. However, it has since been retracted due to concerns raised by a reader. The reader pointed out that an image in the article was very similar to an image in another article published in a different journal. After discussing the issue with the authors, the editor decided to retract the paper. The authors accepted this decision, and the editor apologizes for any inconvenience caused. [Extracted from the article]

Calpain activation may have an important role in early brain injury (EBI) following subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). The present study investigated the effects of the calpastatin peptide, a cell-permeable peptide that functions as a potent inhibitor of calpain, on EBI in a rat SAH model. It was revealed that calpastatin peptide treatment significantly reduced SAH-induced body weight loss and neurological deficit at 72 h when compared with untreated SAH controls. Furthermore, the quantification of brain water content and the extravasation of Evans blue dye revealed a significant reduction in SAH-induced brain edema and blood-brain barrier permeability at 72 h due to treatment with the calpastatin peptide when compared with untreated SAH controls. Finally, calpastatin peptide treatment significantly attenuated the protein levels of Bax, cytochrome c, cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3, and reduced the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelling-positive cells in the basal cortex at 72 h after SAH when compared with untreated SAH controls. These results indicated that the calpastatin peptide may ameliorate EBI following SAH in rat models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]