Faculty Collaboration Database

Dextromethorphan protects against cerebral injury following transient focal ischemia in rabbits. Stroke 1988 Sep;19(9):1112-8

Date

09/01/1988

Pubmed ID

3413809

DOI

10.1161/01.str.19.9.1112

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-0023682334 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   96 Citations

Abstract

We investigated dextromethorphan, both a dextrorotatory opioid derivative and a clinically tested N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, in a rabbit model of transient focal cerebral ischemia. Fourteen rabbits were randomly assigned to treatment with a 20 mg/kg i.v. loading dose followed by a 10 mg/kg/hr infusion of 0.4% dextromethorphan in normal saline or with an equivalent volume of normal saline alone. One hour after treatment, the rabbits underwent a 1-hour occlusion of the left internal carotid and anterior cerebral arteries followed by 4 hours of reperfusion. The seven dextromethorphan-treated rabbits showed a significant decrease in the area of neocortical severe ischemic neuronal damage (10.5%) compared with the seven normal saline-treated controls (49.6%, p less than 0.001). The dextromethorphan-treated rabbits also demonstrated significantly smaller areas of cortical edema (10.2%) on magnetic resonance imaging than the controls (38.6%, p less than 0.01). Analysis of somatosensory evoked potentials revealed recovery of the ipsilateral amplitude to contralateral values within 5 minutes of reperfusion in the dextromethorphan-treated rabbits but not in the controls (p less than 0.01). In our rabbit model of transient focal cerebral ischemia, dextromethorphan appears to protect the brain against ischemic neuronal damage and edema, as well as to promote neurophysiologic recovery. This clinically available drug should be further investigated as having potential therapeutic value in the treatment of stroke.

Author List

Steinberg GK, George CP, DeLaPaz R, Shibata DK, Gross T

Author

Teresa G. Kelly MD Associate Professor in the Radiology department at Medical College of Wisconsin

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Animals
Brain
Brain Ischemia
Dextromethorphan
Dextrorphan
Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory
Levorphanol
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Neurons
Rabbits
Reference Values