title: Relationship between putrescine content and density of ischemic cell damage in the brain of mongolian gerbils: effect of nimodipine and barbiturate.
abstract: Twenty mongolian gerbils were anesthetized (1.5% halothane) and severe forebrain ischemia was produced in 15 animals by occluding both common carotid arteries. After 5 min ischemia brains were recirculated spontaneously. Immediately after ischemia nimodipine (1.5 mg/kg) or pentobarbital (50 mg/kg) was injected intraperitoneally into five animals. Four days later animals were reanesthetized (1.5% halothane); the brains were frozen with liquid nitrogen and cut in a cryostat. Ten-micrometer-thick coronal cryostat sections were stained with cresyl violet to assess the extent of ischemic cell damage in the lateral striatum, the CA1-layer of the hippocampus, and the thalamus. In addition, tissue samples (about 4 mg each) were taken from the lateral striatum, CA1 layer of the hippocampus and the thalamus. Putrescine levels were measured in these samples using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection. Reversible cerebral ischemia produced a significant increase in putrescine in the lateral striatum (from 11.15 +/- 0.79 to 44.83 +/- 11.76 nmol/g, P less than or equal to 0.05), the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus (from 11.27 +/- 0.64 to 41.80 +/- 3.62 nmol/g, P less than or equal to 0.05) and less so in the thalamus (from 11.28 +/- 0.70 to 16.50 +/- 1.71 nmol/g).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Max-Planck-Institut für Neurologische Forschung, Abteilung für Experimentelle Neurologie, Köln, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Paschen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hallmayer
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Röhn
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001463:Barbiturates / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D005849:Gerbillinae; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009553:Nimodipine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011700:Putrescine / Q000378:metabolism*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D001463:Barbiturates; D009553:Nimodipine; D011700:Putrescine; C032232:barbituric acid