title: Effects of chronic Clozapine administration on apolipoprotein D levels and on functional recovery following experimental stroke.
abstract: Elevated brain levels of apolipoprotein D (ApoD) correlate with improved neurological recovery after experimental stroke. Hence, a pharmacological induction of ApoD in the postischemic brain could be beneficial for recovery after stroke. Here we investigated the effect of Clozapine, a compound that increases the expression of ApoD, in two rat models of experimental stroke. Rats were subjected to permanent occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (pMCAO) and treated with Clozapine (i.p. 10 mg/kg body weight) or saline for 8 or 28 days starting on the second day after MCAO. ApoD levels increased by 35% in the peri-infarct area after 10 and 30 days after pMCAO, mainly in neuron-specific nuclear protein (NeuN) positive neurons and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) positive astrocytes. Clozapine did not affect the neurological deficit assessed by the rotating pole test and a grip strength test at 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days after pMCAO. Functional outcome and the infarct size were similar in rats subjected to transient MCAO and injected with Clozapine (i.p. 10 mg/kg body weight) or saline for 26 days starting on the second day after tMCAO. We conclude that Clozapine affects cellular processes involved in peri-infarct tissue reorganization, but does not affect functional recovery after MCAO.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory for Experimental Brain Research, Wallenberg Neuroscience Center, University of Lund, BMC A13, S-22184 Lund, Sweden. karsten.ruscher@med.lu.se
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ruscher
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Erickson
authors.forename: Enida
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kuric
authors.forename: Ana R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Inácio
authors.forename: Tadeusz
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wieloch
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D053399:Apolipoproteins D / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003024:Clozapine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy; D008297:Male; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000187:drug effects*; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D053399:Apolipoproteins D; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D003024:Clozapine