EFFECTS OF CHEMICAL PRETREATMENT ON POSTTRAUMATIC CORTICAL EDEMA IN THE RAT

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of mannitol (Man ), dexamethasone (DM), dichloroacetic acid (DCA) and 1,3-butanediol (B D) in reduction of posttraumatic cortical edema following brain deform ation injury to rats. Ten minutes prior to fluid percussion injury, ea ch animal received one of four pretreatments or placebo: Man, 1 g/kg i ntravenously, DM 3.0 mg/kg intravenously, DCA 25 mg/kg intraperitoneal ly BD 0.5 mg/kg intraperitoneally (n = 12 per treatment group), or equ ivolume saline (n = 8 per corresponding trauma group), Six hours after trauma, cortical tissue was harvested, Using a benzene kerosene gradi ent column calibrated with potassium sulfate standards, the specific g ravity (SpG) of cortical tissue from each group was measured and compa red (ANOVA, P < .05), The measured cortical SpG from traumatized anima ls receiving Man (mean 1.037 +/- SEM .001), DCA (1.038 +/- .001), and BD (1.039 +/- .001) were equal to SpG from untraumitized cortex (1.041 +/- .001), and were significantly greater than SpG from traumatized c ortex for animals receiving DM (1.035 +/- .001) or placebo (1.033 +/- .002). Pretreat ment with DCA, Man, and BD appears to protect against development of posttraumatic cortical edema when measured 6 hours afte r blunt head trauma in the rat, Each of these chemical treatments appe ars effective in preventing or reducing posttraumatic cortical edema. (C) 1996 by W.B. Saunders Company