title: Perinatal cerebral asphyxia: pharmacological intervention.
abstract: Perinatal asphyxia is associated with an increased risk of cerebral palsy and significant mortality. We investigated the use of flunarizine, a calcium antagonist and MK-801, an excitatory amino acid antagonist, in preventing the sequelae of severe hypoxic/ischemic insults. Flunarizine was neuroprotective in the infant rat subjected to unilateral carotid ligation and 2 h of hypoxia. Preliminary analysis of experiments in a novel model of cerebral ischemia in the fetal sheep suggests that prophylactic treatment with flunarizine greatly modified the outcome after 30 min of total ischemia. Treatment with MK-801 prevented post-ischemic seizures. The background to these developments is outlined and future prospects considered.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Gunn
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bennet
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Gluckman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005444:Flunarizine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002534:Hypoxia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D012640:Seizures / Q000517:prevention & control; D012756:Sheep
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants; D003986:Dibenzocycloheptenes; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D005444:Flunarizine