THE EFFECT OF ELIPRODIL ON THE EVOLUTION OF A FOCAL CEREBRAL-ISCHEMIAIN-VIVO

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate in vivo the effect of a non competitive antagonist of the NMDA receptor, eliprodil, on the size of a focal ischaemic insult and on its temporal evolution in a ra t model, using a spin-echo diffusion magnetic resonance imaging multis lice technique. Rats were either injected with 1 mg/kg i.v. of eliprod il or with the vehicle only (placebo) 5 min after middle cerebral arte ry occlusion, or not injected (controls). Ten coronal slices were acqu ired every hour, up to 7 h after occlusion of the artery, and the volu me of hyperintense signals was measured at each time point and for eac h animal. Diffusion magnetic resonance images revealed that the admini stration of eliprodil reduced significantly (by 50% or more) the volum e of ischaemia, up to 7 h after occlusion, particularly in the cortex of the ipsilateral hemisphere. The results show the potential efficacy of eliprodil to reduce the cerebral ischaemic volume after arterial o cclusion, thus confirming the interest of glutamate receptor antagonis ts in the treatment of ischaemia. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.