Effects of clotrimazole on experimental spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats.
OBJECTIVE
The effect of clotrimazole was examined using a spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion model.


METHODS
Twenty albino Wistar rats weighing 234 +/- 12.3 g were used in this study. Rats were anesthetized intraperitoneally with 50 mg/kg ketamine HCl. All animals underwent laparotomy under aseptic conditions. Abdominal aortas of the animals in all but the sham group were exposed. After opening the retroperitoneum, the infrarenal abdominal aorta was clipped for 45 minutes to produce ischemia/reperfusion injury. Polyethylene glycol (PEG, 1 mL) was administrated to the vehicle group. PEG (1 mL) and clotrimazole (30 mg/kg) were administered intraperitoneally in the clotrimazole group. Total laminectomy of T8-T12 was performed on all rats under a microscope. Spinal cords were excised for a length of 2-cm rostrally and 1-cm caudally to the injury site and deep frozen at -76 degrees C for biochemical studies. The levels of malondialdehyde, glutathione-peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase were measured as an indicator of ischemia level. The most cranial part of the specimens was evaluated morphologically.


RESULTS
Treatment with clotrimazole significantly decreased malondialdehyde, glutathione-peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase levels in comparison with other groups (P = 0.008). Morphologic evaluation revealed that clotrimazole protected the axons and their myelin sheaths from ischemic damage.


CONCLUSIONS
This study showed the neuroprotective effects of clotrimazole on spinal cord ischemia/reperfusion injury.
Usul
Haydar
H
Department of Neurosurgery, Karadeniz Technical University School of Medicine, Trabzon, Turkey.
Arslan
Erhan
E
Cansever
Tufan
T
Cobanoglu
Umit
U
Baykal
Süleyman
S
D000818:Animals; D003022:Clotrimazole / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005609:Free Radicals / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D020760:Spinal Cord Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure
D005609:Free Radicals; D003022:Clotrimazole