Figure 3. The effect of dexamethasone on the infarct volume immediately after 2 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion and 2 h after reperfusion. The infarct volume along the coronal planes at the optic chiasma and the caudal edge of the mamillary body was determined by triphenyltetrazolium chloride stain. Dexamethasone was injected intraperitoneally 60 min before middle cerebral artery occlusion (2 mg/kg). Sal = saline-injected animals; Dex = dexamethasone-injected animals. Each value represents the mean +/− SD of six animals. *P < 0.01 as compared with the corresponding saline-injected group value.