Pretreatment with the NMDA antagonist dextrorphan reduces cerebral injury following transient focal ischemia in rabbits.

Abstract

We studied the efficacy of systemic pre-treatment with dextrorphan (DX), a clinically tested N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist, in a rabbit model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. Rabbits were treated with either a 24 mg/kg i.v. loading dose followed by 12 mg/kg/h i.v. infusion of 0.48% DX in normal saline (NS), or with an equivalent volume of NS alone. One and 1/2 h after starting the drug or NS, the rabbits underwent a 1 h occlusion of the left internal carotid and anterior cerebral arteries, followed by 4 h of reperfusion. The DX-treated rabbits had significantly less neocortical ischemic neuronal damage (7.4%) than the normal saline group (31.6%) and demonstrated a significant decrease in ischemic cortical edema. DX may prove useful in the treatment of clinical cerebrovascular disease.

• Authors: G K Steinberg, J Saleh, R DeLaPaz, D Kunis, S R Zarnegar
• Journal: Brain research (Brain Res) Vol. 497 Issue 2 Pg. 382-6 (Sep 18 1989) ISSN: 0006-8993 [Print] Netherlands
• PMID: 2684345 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Morphinans
• Dextrorphan
• Aspartic Acid
• N-Methylaspartate

Topics

• Animals
• Aspartic Acid (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Brain (drug effects, pathology)
• Brain Edema (pathology)
• Cerebral Cortex (pathology)
• Dextrorphan (pharmacology)
• Ischemic Attack, Transient (pathology, prevention & control)
• Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
• Male
• Morphinans (pharmacology)
• N-Methylaspartate
• Neurons (drug effects, pathology)
• Rabbits