Effects of breviscapine parenteral solution on energy metabolism and cerebral edema after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in gerbils

Jianguo WANG; Qun CHEN; Yinming ZENG

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND:

The disorder of energy metabolism and cerebral edema after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion are the important factors to inducecerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The Chinese herb, breviscapine, whose effective component is scutellarin, can prevent the activation of protein kinase C evoked by ischemia-reperfusion, relieve calcic overload and reduce the volume of ischemia infarcted focus volume, and then alleviate cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. But what are the influences of breviscapine on energy metabolism and cerebral edema after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion?

OBJECTIVE:

To observe the effects of breviscapine parenteral solution on energy metabolism and cerebral edema after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in gerbils.

DESIGN:

A randomized control trial.

SETTING:

Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College, Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical College.MATERIALS The experiment was carried out in the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology Between February and August 1999. Seventy-two male gerbils were used.

METHODS:

The gerbils were randomly divided into sham-operated group (n=8), normothermia control group (n=32) and breviscapine group (n=32).According to the reperfused time, the normothermia control group and breviscapine group were divided into 4 subgroups with 8 gerbils in each subgroup 0, 10, 30 and 60-minute reperfusion groups. The gerbils in the normothermia control group and breviscapine group were made into models of forebrain ischemia reperfusion, treated with ischemia for 10 minutes. In the sham-operated group, only bilateral common carotid arteries were freed but not occluded. In the breviscapine group, the gerbils were given intraperitoneal injection of breviscapine psrenteral solution (90 mg/kg) at 15 minutes before ischemia. The gerbils in the sham-operated group and normothermia control group were treated with saline of the same volume. The brain water was determined by drying electrothermostat. The contents of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP) and adenosine phosphate (AMP) in hippocampus were determined with high performance liquid chromatography and ultraviolet detector.MAIN OUTCOME

MEASURES:

① ATP, ADP and AMP contents in hippocampus; ② Water contents in cerebral cortex.

RESULTS:

All the 72 gerbils were involved in the analysis of results without deletion. ① ATP, ADP and AMP contents in hippocampus At 0, 10, 30 and 60 minutes after reperfusion, ATP and adenine nucleotide pool contents in hippocampal tissue in the normothermia control group were obviously decreased, the ATP contents were 68%, 56%, 49% and 50% of those in the sham-operated group respectively (P ＜ 0.01), and adenine nucleotide pool contents were 62%, 50%, 51% and 52% of those in the sham-operated group respectively (P ＜ 0.01). The ATP contents at each time point in the breviscapine group were 84%, 69%, 64% and 63% of those in the sham-operated group respectively, and the adenine nucleotide pool contents were 86%, 72%, 68% and 69% of those in the sham-operated group respectively, which were all obviously higher than those in the normothermia control group (P ＜ 0.05). ②Water contents in cerebral cortex The water content after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in the normothermia control group was obviously higher than that in the sham-operated group, and gradually aggravated with the prolongation of reperfusion. The water content in the breviscapine group was obviously higher than that in the sham-operated group, but markedly lower than that in the normothermia control group (P ＜ 0.05).

CONCLUSION:

Breviscapine can play a role in protecting brain through inhibiting disorder of energy metabolism and relieving cerebral edema.