Huperzine A attenuates cognitive deficits and brain injury in neonatal rats after hypoxia-ischemia.

Abstract

The protective effects of huperzine A, a novel acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) brain injury were investigated in neonatal rats. A unilateral HI brain injury was produced by the ligation of left common carotid artery followed by 1 h hypoxia with 7.7% oxygen in 7-day-old rat pups. After 5 weeks, HI brain injury in rat pups resulted in working memory impairments shown by increased escape latency in a water maze and reduced time spent in the target quadrant. The combination of common carotid artery ligation and exposure to a hypoxic environment caused the damage in the striatum, cortex, and hippocampus in the ipsilateral hemisphere, and the neuronal loss in the CA1 region. Huperzine A was administrated daily at the dose of 0.05 or 0.1 mg/kg i.p. for 5 weeks after HI injury. The significant protection against HI injury on behavior and neuropathology was produced by huperzine A at the dose of 0.1 mg/kg. These findings suggest that huperzine A might be beneficial in the treatment of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy in neonates.

• Authors: Lai Shuan Wang, Jin Zhou, Xiao Mei Shao, Xi Can Tang
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 949 Issue 1-2 Pg. 162-70 (Sep 13 2002) ISSN: 0006-8993 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 12213312 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.

Chemical References

• Alkaloids
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors
• Neuroprotective Agents
• Sesquiterpenes
• huperzine A
• Water

Topics

• Alkaloids
• Animals
• Animals, Newborn
• Brain Injuries (drug therapy, pathology)
• Carotid Arteries
• Cerebral Cortex (drug effects, pathology)
• Cholinesterase Inhibitors (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Cognition (drug effects)
• Corpus Striatum (drug effects, pathology)
• Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
• Female
• Hippocampus (drug effects, pathology)
• Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain (drug therapy)
• Male
• Maze Learning (drug effects)
• Neuroprotective Agents (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Sesquiterpenes (administration & dosage, pharmacology)
• Water