title: Neutrophil elastase inhibition reduces cerebral ischemic damage in the middle cerebral artery occlusion.
abstract: It has been reported that activated neutrophils are involved in the development of cerebral damage induced by ischemia. Activated neutrophils release a lot of mediators including toxic oxygen metabolites, elastase and cytokines which damage brain tissue. Therefore, we investigated roles of neutrophil elastase in the development of cerebral damage using an elastase inhibitor, ONO-5046. The rat middle cerebral artery (MCA) was occluded by a thrombus induced by photochemical reaction between green light and the photosensitizer dye, Rose Bengal. Photochemical reaction causes endothelial injury followed by formation of a platelet and fibrin-rich thrombus at the site of the irradiation. Photochemical reaction is routinely used in our laboratory to produce arterial occlusion in experimental animals. Twenty-four hours after the MCA occlusion, the size of cerebral damage was measured by histochemical technique. Water content in the brain was measured and neuronal deficits were examined 24 h after the MCA occlusion. ONO-5046 was administered at various doses as continuous infusion for 24 h, starting just after the MCA occlusion or from 3 h after. ONO-5046 at doses of 10 and 30 mg/kg/h significantly (p<0.05 and p<0.01, respectively) reduced the size of cerebral damage and water content (p<0.05, p<0.01, respectively) in different eight rats. Further, ONO-5046 at a dose of 30 mg/kg/h significantly (p=0.01) improved neuronal deficits. ONO-5046 which was administered starting from 3 h after the MCA occlusion, also reduced the size of cerebral damage. Neutropenia by anti-neutrophil antibody injection significantly (p<0. 01) reduced the size of cerebral damage. Elastase released from activated neutrophils may play a key role in the development of cerebral damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, 3600 Handa-cho, Hamamatsu, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shimakura
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kamanaka
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kondo
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umemura
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum / Q000008:administration & dosage; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000188:drug therapy; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002452:Cell Count / Q000187:drug effects; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005998:Glycine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D008297:Male; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000276:immunology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012395:Rose Bengal; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000961:Antilymphocyte Serum; D015842:Serine Proteinase Inhibitors; D013449:Sulfonamides; D012395:Rose Bengal; C069195:sivelestat; D019272:Leukocyte Elastase; D005998:Glycine