Neuroprotective effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine in focal stroke in the 7-day old rat.
Recent evidence in primary neuronal cell culture implicates nitric oxide (NO) as a mediator of glutamatergic neurotoxicity acting via N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors. We find that administration of the potent nitric oxide synthetase (NOS) inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (NO-Arg) at 50 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg i.p. to 6-day old Sprague-Dawley rat pups results in prompt and long-lasting in vivo inhibition of NOS. Fifteen hours after administration, NO-Arg produces essentially complete neuroprotection against hypoxic-ischemic in a standard (Rice-Vanucci) model. These results support the hypothesis that NO may play a key mediatory role in brain damage attending focal ischemic stroke.
Trifiletti
R R
RR
Department of Neurology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032.
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D019335:Nitroarginine; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D019335:Nitroarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine