Protective effects of dl-3-n-butylphthalide on changes of regional cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier damage following experimental subarachnoid hemorrhage.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the therapeutic effects of dl-3-n-butylphthalide (dl-NBP) on regional cerebral blood flow impairment and blood-brain barrier damage induced by subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats.


METHODS
SAH was induced by an injection of 0.35 ml autologous blood into the lateral ventricle. The regional cerebral blood flow in caudate nucleus was determined by hydrogen clearance method. Permeability of blood-brain barrier was measured by extravasation of the protein bound Evans blue dye to brain tissue.


RESULTS
SAH produced a marked decrease in both caudate blood flow and blood-brain barrier damage which showed increased extravasation of protein bound Evans blue dye to brain tissue. dl-NBP (5-20 mg/kg, given 5 min after the onset of SAH) and nimodipine (0.25 mg/kg) significantly increased the regional cerebral blood flow in caudate nucleus within 3 hours of SAH. Moreover, dl-NBP (10 mg/kg) and nimodipine (0.25 mg/kg, given 5 min and 3 h after SAH) significantly reduced the brain extravasation of Evans blue dye which increased after 6 hours of SAH.


CONCLUSIONS
By improving the regional cerebral blood flow and blood-brain barrier, dl-NBP has therapeutic effects on experimental SAH.
Chong
Z
Z
Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
Feng
Y
Y
D000818:Animals; D001572:Benzofurans / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001812:Blood-Brain Barrier / Q000187:drug effects*; D002421:Caudate Nucleus / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012039:Regional Blood Flow; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000503:physiopathology*
D001572:Benzofurans; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; C027125:3-n-butylphthalide