title: Inhibitory effects of dextromethorphan on c-fos protein expression during focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the effect of dextromethorphan (DM) in focal cerebral ischemia.
  
  
  METHODS
  The c-fos protein was detected immunohistochemically in the brain of rats after focal cerebral ischemia (induced by placing a nylon thread in the lumen of the internal carotid artery) with and without treatment with DM.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Focal cerebral ischemia induced c-fos protein expression outside the core territory of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and neuronal damage in the core territory of the MCA. There was an evident expression of c-fos protein in the ipsilateral regions outside the MCA territory (e.g. cingulate cortices, piriform cortices and entorhinal cortices), and in the contralateral regions of hippocampus after 4-h reperfusion following 1-h MCA occlusion. But morphological results showed severe edema and neuronal damage in the core territory and the ipsilateral hippocampus. DM blocked both the c-fos protein induction and neuronal damage in all regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DM reduced c-fos protein expression and blocked the neuronal damage after focal cerebral ischemia.
authors.affiliation: State Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology, Shanghai Medical University, China.
authors.forename: W L
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Bao
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: A Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003915:Dextromethorphan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
chemical_list: D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D016194:Receptors, N-Methyl-D-Aspartate; D003915:Dextromethorphan