Effect of intermittent reperfusion and nitric oxide synthase inhibition on infarct volume during reversible focal cerebral ischemia

B. A. Iuliano, R. E. Anderson, F. B. Meyer

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

The authors examined the effects of both intermittent reperfusion and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition, caused by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) during episodes of focal cerebral ischemia induced to simulate the neurosurgical setting. Seventy-eight Wistar rats underwent single (60 minutes of ischemia) or repetitive (four 15-minute periods of ischemia separated by 5 minutes of reperfusion) episodes of middle cerebral artery occlusion while under anesthesia (1.0% halothane). Twenty-four hours after the procedure, the animals were given neurological examinations and then sacrificed for histological preparation and examination. The intermittent reperfusion groups tended to have smaller mean cortical infarctions. There was also a trend showing a decrease in infarction size in groups given L-NAME. The combination of intermittent reperfusion and preischemic administration of L-NAME (10 mg/kg) resulted in a 65% reduction in infarction size (p < 0.05) when compared to that caused by 60 minutes of single occlusion without L-NAME. The use of NOS inhibition combined with intermittent reperfusion may be a technique to provide intraoperative cerebral protection during neurovascular procedures that require temporary vascular occlusion.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)491-495
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of neurosurgery
Volume83
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1995

Keywords

  • cerebral protection
  • focal cerebral ischemia
  • infarction
  • nitric oxide
  • rat
  • reperfusion

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Surgery
  • Clinical Neurology

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