Ritanserin, a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, increases subcortical blood flow following photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats.

Abstract

It has been proposed that the reversal of serotonin-mediated vasoconstriction accounts for the neuroprotective effect of serotonin (5-HT2) receptor blockade in focal cerebral ischemia. We investigated the effect of pretreatment with ritanserin, a 5-HT2 receptor antagonist, on cerebral blood flow in a model of photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats. Local cerebral blood flow was measured by iodoantipyrine autoradiography 30 minutes after induction of ischemia. Using a novel image-alignment algorithm, 3-dimensional reconstructions of averaged cerebral blood flow were calculated. The difference-image of local cerebral blood flow between ritanserin and vehicle-treated animals revealed a subcortical zone underlying the ischemic cortex where cerebral blood flow was markedly enhanced indicating a beneficial hemodynamic effect of ritanserin. Three-dimensional image analysis provides a powerful tool to detect inter-group differences of cerebral blood flow which are underestimated by conventional types of data analysis.

• Authors: T Back, R Prado, W Zhao, B D Watson, M D Ginsberg
• Journal: Neurological research (Neurol Res) Vol. 20 Issue 7 Pg. 643-7 (Oct 1998) ISSN: 0161-6412 [Print] England
• PMID: 9785594 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)

Chemical References

• Neuroprotective Agents
• Serotonin Antagonists
• Ritanserin

Topics

• Animals
• Arterial Occlusive Diseases (drug therapy)
• Autoradiography
• Cerebrovascular Circulation (drug effects)
• Image Processing, Computer-Assisted
• Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis (drug therapy, etiology)
• Male
• Neuroprotective Agents (therapeutic use)
• Photochemistry
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Ritanserin (therapeutic use)
• Serotonin Antagonists (therapeutic use)