title: Effects of an analogue of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, RX77368, on infarct size and cerebral blood flow in focal cerebral ischaemia in the rat.
abstract: Effects of a stable analogue of thyrotrophin-releasing hormone, RX77368, on cerebral blood flow and infarct size have been studied in an acute model of cerebral ischaemia in the rat. Two hours after electrocoagulation of the left middle cerebral artery (MCA), the mean area of ischaemia (+/- SEM), determined histochemically, was 11.5 +/- 2.2% of a single hemisphere and blood flow, determined using radiolabelled microspheres, was reduced by 40% in the left forebrain (p less than 0.001 compared with sham-operated animals). Administration of RX77368 (50 micrograms/kg, intracerebroventricularly) within 10 min of arterial occlusion caused a significant (p less than 0.01) reduction in mean lesion size to 3.7 +/- 1.8% and stimulation of blood flow to the left ischaemic forebrain (60% above saline treated). Peripheral administration of RX77368 (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally) also significantly stimulated blood flow to the ischaemic forebrain and caused an apparent decrease in frequency of large infarcted areas of brain tissue, although mean lesion size was not significantly affected. These findings indicate that RX77368 ameliorates tissue damage in acute focal cerebral ischaemia. Such effects may be related to stimulation of cerebral blood flow.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Manchester, U.K.
authors.forename: C T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: O'Shaughnessy
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Rothwell
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shrewsbury-Gee
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000187:drug effects; D000818:Animals; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone; C027979:L-pyroglutamyl-L-histidyl-3,3-dimethylprolinamide; D011761:Pyrrolidonecarboxylic Acid