Subcutaneously applied magnesium protects reliably against quinolinate-induced N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-mediated neurodegeneration and convulsions in rats: are there therapeutical implications.
Quinolinate (QUIN), an agonist of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype of the glutamate receptor, was used to model glutamate-induced primary or secondary brain damage. Rats intracerebroventricularly injected with QUIN (1 mumol in 2 microliters) showed convulsive reactions and heavy neurodegeneration in the hippocampal formation. MgSO4 (1 M solution injected subcutaneously; 0.6 or 0.3 g/kg) was found to protect completely against QUIN neurotoxicity if administered simultaneously or 1 h after exposure to QUIN. Preliminarily, LD50 for MgSO4 was estimated approximately at 1.2 g/kg. The application of magnesium is discussed to be a potentially powerful therapeutic principle in case of brain injury and convulsive disorders.
Wolf
G
G
Institute of Biology, Medical Academy of Magdeburg, G.D.R.
Keilhoff
G
G
Fischer
S
S
Hass
P
P
D000818:Animals; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D009410:Nerve Degeneration / Q000187:drug effects*; D009498:Neurotoxins / Q000633:toxicity*; D017378:Quinolinic Acid; D011805:Quinolinic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000517:prevention & control*
D009498:Neurotoxins; D011805:Quinolinic Acids; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate; D017378:Quinolinic Acid