title: Synergistic combinatorial stroke therapy: A quantal bioassay of a GABA agonist and a glutamate antagonist.
abstract: We sought to prolong the window for stroke treatment using synergistic combinatorial therapy. We used the intraluminal filament occlusion model in rats to cause focal cerebral ischemia and a quantal bioassay to measure efficacy. The GABA agonist muscimol and the glutamate antagonist MK-801 were used alone and in combination at various times after ischemia onset. At progressively longer treatment delay intervals (30, 60, 75, 120, 240, and 360 min), higher doses of the single drugs were required to achieve neuroprotection. In contrast, the combination 1.0 mg/kg muscimol plus 0.5 mg/kg MK-801 was effective at all delay intervals studied except the longest (P < 0.05 at each time). After 240 min from ischemia onset, the combination was more effective than either single agent (P < 0.05 for each drug dose), suggesting synergism. The neuroprotective effect could not be demonstrated using morphometry. The treatment effects were probably not due to hypothermia because brain temperatures recorded in awake, unregulated subjects remained normo- or slightly hyperthermic following all treatments. Awake subjects kept on a heating pad exhibited mild brain hyperthermia. The combination caused a drop and MK-801 caused a significant increase in mean arterial blood pressure (main effects F(5,172) = 29, P < 0.0001). The combination of a GABA agonist and glutamate antagonist appears to possess synergistic neuroprotective effects when treatment is delayed up to 240 min following the onset of cerebral ischemia. Temperature regulation causes hyperthermia in awake subjects. The quantal bioassay is one method suitable for studies of synergistic stroke therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, California, USA.
authors.forename: P D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Lyden
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Jackson-Friedman
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hassid
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018755:GABA Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D009118:Muscimol / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018755:GABA Agonists; D009118:Muscimol; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate