TIRILAZAD REDUCES BRAIN EDEMA AFTER MIDDLE CEREBRAL-ARTERY LIGATION IN HYPERTENSIVE RATS

Tirilazad (3 mg/kg i.v.) or vehicle was given 10 min, 3 and 12 hours a fter ligation of the right middle cerebral artery in male spontaneousl y hypertensive rats (n = 12 in each group). Brain specific gravity was determined m 23 predetermined cortical regions covering the core and penumbra areas 24 hours after the occlusion. The specific gravity was significantly higher in tirilazad-treated rats than in controls (p < 0 .0001). When individual regions of the two groups were compared, the d ifference was significant in 9 of the 23 samples predominantly, but no t exclusively, in the penumbra zone.