Therapeutic effects of nilvadipine on rat focal cerebral ischemia.
The present study was conducted to investigate the therapeutic effects of nilvadipine, a Ca2+ entry blocker, on rat focal cerebral ischemia. Under halothane anesthesia, a 3-0 nylon thread was introduced into the neck internal carotid artery to occlude the left middle cerebral artery. Either nilvadipine (3.2 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered subcutaneously 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 h following the occlusion (groups 1-6, respectively). Twenty-four hours after the occlusion, the percentage infarct volumes in nilvadipine-treated animals in groups 1-3 (21 +/- 11%, 24 +/- 11%, and 26 +/- 7%, respectively) were smaller than those in the respective control groups (36 +/- 5%, 35 +/- 3%, and 35 +/- 3%; P < 0.05). Compared with controls, the infarct size of the periphery of the fronto-parietal cortex decreased in nilvadipine-treated animals. The results indicate that nilvadipine decreases the size of infarction when administered up to 3 h after an ischemic insult. Thus, nilvadipine can be considered a potential therapeutic agent for acute focal cerebral ischemia, and may be clinically useful in stroke patients.
Li
Y
Y
Department of Surgical Neurology, Research Institute for Brain and Blood Vessels-Akita, Japan.
Kawamura
S
S
Yasui
N
N
Shirasawa
M
M
Fukasawa
H
H
D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000502:physiology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000473:pathology; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D009897:Optic Chiasm / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D002121:Calcium Channel Blockers; C035100:nilvadipine; D009543:Nifedipine