Repeated injections of nicergoline increase the nerve growth factor level in the aged rat brain.
We studied whether nicergoline, clinically active in chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency, influences nerve growth factor (NGF) levels in the rat brain. In young Fischer rats, repeated intraperitoneal injections of nicergoline (0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg body weight) did not show any effects on frontal NGF contents determined by a highly sensitive enzyme immunoassay. In aged rats, 22-month-old, however, repeated injections of nicergoline (1.0 mg/kg body weight) induced a significant increase in the NGF level in the frontal region.
Nishio
T
T
Department of Neurology, Musashi Hospital, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, Kodaira, Tokyo, Japan.
Sunohara
N
N
Furukawa
S
S
Akiguchi
I
I
Kudo
Y
Y
D000375:Aging / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D008297:Male; D009414:Nerve Growth Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D009530:Nicergoline / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018697:Nootropic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344
D009414:Nerve Growth Factors; D018697:Nootropic Agents; D009530:Nicergoline