title: The surfactant poloxamer-188 protects against glutamate toxicity in the rat brain.
abstract: Membrane repair of damaged neurons by surfactant poloxamers has been noted in experimental spinal cord injury and in vitro excitotoxicity. We examined poloxamer-188 (P-188)-mediated neuroprotection in a rat model of glutamate toxicity. Quinolinate was infused into the striatum followed 10 min and 4 h later by P-188 administered either i.v. or intracisternally (i.c.), or by vehicle. Mean neuronal loss examined volumetrically 7 days later in control animals was 50% greater (P < 0.01) than after i.c. P-188 treatment; control lesion volumes were 38% greater than lesion volumes after i.v. P-188 treatment; however, that comparison did not reach significance. This robust protection against glutamate toxicity may predict P-188-mediated neuroprotection against a broad range of clinically relevant neural insults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Neurology, The University of Chicago Children's Hospital, MC-4066, 5841 South Maryland Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637, USA. dfrim@peds.bsd.uchicago.edu
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Frim
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Curry
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cromie
authors.forename: Raphael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Un Jung
authors.initials: UJ
authors.lastname: Kang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000473:pathology; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000633:toxicity*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D020442:Poloxamer / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013501:Surface-Active Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D013501:Surface-Active Agents; D020442:Poloxamer; D018698:Glutamic Acid