The effect of intracerebroventricular application of the caspase-3 inhibitor zDEVD-FMK on neurological outcome and neuronal cell death after global cerebral ischaemia due to cardiac arrest in rats.
BACKGROUND
Global cerebral ischaemia after cardiac arrest (CA) leads to programmed cell death (PCD) with characteristic signs of apoptosis in selectively vulnerable areas of the brain. The activation of caspase-3, an executioner caspase, plays a key role in the apoptotic cascade. We, therefore, studied the effects of the application of the specific caspase-3 inhibitor zDEVD-FMK on neurological outcome and neuronal cell death after experimental CA in rats.


METHODS
A 6-min CA was induced in anaesthetised and mechanically ventilated male Wistar rats. After cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and restoration of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) the animals were randomised to two groups to receive a continuous intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion for 7 days of zDEVD-FMK or placebo (artificial cerebrospinal fluid, CSF). At 24h, 3 and 7 days after ROSC, animals were tested according to a neurological deficit score (NDS). Seven days after ROSC, coronal sections of the brain were taken at the dorsal hippocampal level and analysed with cresyl-violet staining, the TUNEL technique and a caspase activity assay. Viable and TUNEL-positive neurons were counted in the hippocampal CA-1 sector.


RESULTS
The NDS demonstrated severe deficits 1 and 3 days after ROSC, which resolved by 7 days with no difference between the two groups. At 7 days after ROSC neuronal death could be detected using cresyl-violet and TUNEL staining with no difference between the groups.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that zDEVD-FMK administration has no effect on neurological outcome and PCD after global cerebral ischaemia following CA in rats. Other mechanisms or pathways must be identified in the pathophysiology of PCD after CA.
Teschendorf
Peter
P
Department of Anaesthesiology and Postoperative Intensive Care Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany. peter.teschendorf@uk-koeln.de
Vogel
Peter
P
Wippel
Andreas
A
Krumnikl
Jakub J
JJ
Spöhr
Fabian
F
Böttiger
Bernd W
BW
Popp
Erik
E
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology*; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000150:complications*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D000590:Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones; D061945:Caspase Inhibitors; C484771:benzyloxycarbonyl-valyl-aspartic acid fluoromethyl ketone