sc-236 and Brain-Ischemia

Focal ischemia was induced in the fronto-parietal region of rat brain, by injection of Rose Bengal, followed by light activation. Focal ischemia was accompanied by formation of PGD(2) peaking 60-90 min post irradiation and declining thereafter. Increased Cycloxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression was also observed. Control ischemic rats showed distinct morphological alterations with necrosis of neurons, glial cells and blood vessels, surrounded by a halo with pyknotic cells with cytoplasm swelling and vacuolization. Compound SC58236, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, dose-dependently prevented, ischemia-induced eicosanoid formation (area under the curve (AUC) of controls: 3.11 +/- 0.87; AUC of 20 mg/kg SC58236: 0.39 +/- 0.24), and caused significant reduction of damaged area (30.7 and 18.9% at SC58236 20 and 6.6 mg/kg), suggesting that selective inhibitors of COX-2 are neuroprotective.

Topics: Animals; Brain Ischemia; Cerebral Cortex; Cyclooxygenase 2; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Fluorescent Dyes; Isoenzymes; Male; Microdialysis; Microscopy, Electron; Necrosis; Nerve Degeneration; Neurons; Neuroprotective Agents; Prostaglandin D2; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases; Pyrazoles; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Rose Bengal; Sulfonamides