title: Acute ethanol effects on focal cerebral ischemia in nonfasted rats.
abstract: Focal cerebral ischemia was induced in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion. Three groups of adult male Sprague-Dawley rats, given food and water ad libitum, were subjected to 4 hr of middle cerebral artery occlusion. All were given vehicle control and ethanol pretreatments intraperitoneally 1 hr before. Mean ipsilateral brain water content in the control, 2 g/kg ethanol, and 2 g/kg ethanol + insulin-treated groups showed: ischemia core: 81.1%, 82.5%, and 80.9%; intermediate zone: 81.0%, and 80.3%; and outer zone: 80.3%, 81.3%, and 80.1%, respectively. Brain Na+ and K4 content in these groups paralleled the water content. In addition to significantly (p < 0.05) more brain edema, the 2 g/kg ethanol-treated animal group also had significant hyperglycemia. In contrast, the 2 g/kg ethanol + insulin-treated animals were normoglycemic and had ischemic, intermediate, and outer zone Na+, K+, and Cl- levels comparable with the control group (p > 0.05). These results stress the importance of measuring and controlling plasma glucose levels in the in vivo studies of the neurotoxic effects of acute ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0632, USA.
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: G Y
authors.initials: GY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: E F
authors.initials: EF
authors.lastname: Domino
mesh_terms: D000435:Alcoholic Intoxication / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000503:physiopathology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology; D000431:Ethanol / Q000633:toxicity*; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D000431:Ethanol