title: In vivo longitudinal proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy on neonatal hypoxic-ischemic rat brain injury: Neuroprotective effects of acetyl-L-carnitine.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study evaluated the longitudinal metabolic alterations after neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in rats and tested the neuroprotective effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALCAR) using in vivo proton short-TE Point-RESolved Spectroscopy method.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rice-Vannucci model was used on 7-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Data were acquired from contralateral and ipsilateral cortex and hippocampus, respectively at 4 time points (24-h, 72-h, 7-days, 28-days) post-HI. The effect of subcutaneous administration of ALCAR (100 mg/kg) immediately after HI, at 4-h, 24-h, and 48-h post-HI was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant reductions in glutathione (P < 0.005), myo-inositol (P < 0.002), taurine (P < 0.001), and total creatine (P < 0.005) were observed at 24-h postinjury compared with the control group in the ipsilateral hippocampus of the HI rat pups. ALCAR-treated-HI rats had lower levels of lactate and maintained total creatine at 24-h and had smaller lesion size compared with the HI only rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe oxidative, osmotic stress, impaired phosphorylation, and a preference for anaerobic glycolysis were found in the ipsilateral hippocampus in the HI pups at 24-h postinjury. ALCAR appeared to have a neuroprotective effect if administered early after HI by serving as an energy substrate and promote oxidative cerebral energy producing and minimize anaerobic glycolysis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.|Core for Translational Research in Imaging @ Maryland, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Su
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Jaylyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Waddell
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.|Core for Translational Research in Imaging @ Maryland, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Wenjun
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Da
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.|Core for Translational Research in Imaging @ Maryland, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Marshall
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Program in Neuroscience, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Mary C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.|Core for Translational Research in Imaging @ Maryland, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
authors.forename: Rao P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Gullapalli
mesh_terms: D000108:Acetylcarnitine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D016903:Drug Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007232:Infant, Newborn, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy; D007279:Injections, Subcutaneous; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D066244:Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy / Q000379:methods*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D000108:Acetylcarnitine; D003401:Creatine
keywords: in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy; neonatal hypoxic-ischemic rat brain injury; neuroprotection effect of acetyl-L-carnitine