title: Pre-treatment with melatonin reduces volume of cerebral infarction in a permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model in the rat.
abstract: We investigated whether pre-treatment with melatonin, a potent free radical scavenger and antioxidant, would protect against permanent focal cerebral ischemia without reperfusion in a rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. A single dose of melatonin at 5, 15, or 50 mg/kg or the vehicle alone was given via an intraperitoneal injection at 0.5 h before permanent MCAO. Relative infarction volumes on day 3 were significantly reduced in the groups treated with melatonin at 5 (mean+/-SEM, 17.0+/-6.5%), 15 (18.1+/-5.8%), or 50 (20.6+/-5.0%) mg/kg when compared with the vehicle-treated group (37.1+/-2.8%) and so melatonin treatment achieved a relative reduction in infarct volume by 54.2, 51.2 and 44.5%, respectively. Melatonin did not affect the hemodynamic parameters. Thus, pre-treatment with melatonin at a dose between 5 and 50 mg/kg protects against focal cerebral ischemia without reperfusion.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.forename: Hudson T S
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Ho
authors.forename: Raymond T F
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Cheung
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D008550:Melatonin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D008550:Melatonin