Ketamine promotes hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neuron loss after a short-duration ischemic insult in rats.
The neuroprotective activity of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist ketamine was examined in two groups of rats subjected to forebrain ischemia of differing durations. Ketamine provided a limited degree of protection against hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell loss following a 10 min ischemic insult. In contrast after 6 min ischemia, which in non-treated control animals resulted in less CA1 neuron loss than was seen after 10 min ischemia, ketamine at the same dose worsened outcome. The data indicate that the possession by a drug of NMDA antagonist activity does not alone determine its neuroprotective activity in vivo.
Church
J
J
Department of Physiology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Zeman
S
S
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007649:Ketamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D011712:Pyramidal Tracts / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D007649:Ketamine