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Stroke. 1995;26:2177-2183

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(Stroke. 1995;26:2177-2183.)
© 1995 American Heart Association, Inc.


Articles

Failure of Isradipine to Reduce Infarct Size in Mouse, Gerbil, and Rat Models of Cerebral Ischemia

Sarah J. Bailey, BSc; Nigel I. Wood, MSc; Nicole A. Samson, BSc; Alan L. Rothaul, PhD; Jennifer C. Roberts, BSc; Penny D. King, BSc; Tom C. Hamilton, PhD; David C. Harrison, BSc A. Jackie Hunter, PhD

From the Departments of Neurology Research (S.J.B., N.I.W., N.A.S., A.L.R., P.D.K., T.C.H., A.J.H.) and Biophysical Sciences (J.C.R., D.C.H.), SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals, Harlow, Essex, UK.

Correspondence to Sarah J. Bailey, Department of Neurology Research, SmithKline Beecham, New Frontiers Science Park, Third Ave, Harlow, Essex, CM19 5AW, UK. E-mail sarah_j_bailey%notes@sb.com.


*    Abstract
up arrowTop
*Abstract
down arrowIntroduction
down arrowMaterials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Background and Purpose The dihydropyridine L-type calcium channel blocker isradipine has been reported to exhibit neuroprotective properties in some, but not all, studies performed in the rat middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model. In the present study, we examined isradipine in several other models of focal and global ischemia: rat rose bengal, mouse MCAO, and gerbil bilateral carotid artery occlusion (BCAO). For comparison, a novel calcium channel blocker, SB201823A, that we have previously shown to be neuroprotective in rat and gerbil models was also examined in the mouse.

Methods In the gerbil BCAO model, isradipine was administered at 2.5 mg/kg IP as a single dose 60 minutes after ischemia (n=10). Corresponding controls received vehicle (n=10), and sham-operated animals received no treatment (n=6). Locomotor activity and histological assessments were made at 4 days after ischemia. In the rat photothrombotic occlusion model, isradipine was administered at 2.5 mg/kg IP as a single dose 60 minutes after ischemia (n=10), and corresponding controls (n=10) received vehicle. Histological assessment was made at 7 days after ischemia. In the mouse MCAO model, isradipine was also administered at 2.5 mg/kg IP as a single dose 60 minutes after ischemia. Histological assessments were made at 1 (n=13), 2 (n=9), and 4 (n=9) days after ischemia. Vehicle numbers were n=10, n=6, and n=8, respectively. Isradipine and SB201823A were also examined using a combined preischemia and postischemia regimen. Isradipine was administered at 2.5 mg/kg IP before occlusion, 1.25 mg/kg IP 1 hour after occlusion, 1.25 mg/kg IP 2 hours after occlusion, and 2.5 mg/kg twice a day for 3 days after occlusion (n=16). Corresponding controls received vehicle at the same time points (n=14). SB201823A was administered 30 minutes before occlusion, 30 minutes after occlusion, and twice daily for 3 days (n=12). Corresponding controls received vehicle (n=9). Histological assessment was performed at 4 days after ischemia.

Results When given after ischemia, isradipine failed to affect lesion volume in both the rat and mouse models. In the gerbil, locomotor hyperactivity and hippocampal cell loss were unaffected. Given before and after ischemia in the mouse, isradipine was also ineffective, whereas SB201823A produced a significant reduction in lesion volume.

Conclusions The L-type calcium channel blocker isradipine was devoid of neuroprotective activity in focal and global models of cerebral ischemia in three species of normotensive animals. These results were compared with data for the novel calcium channel blocker SB201823A, which exhibited a significant effect after pre- and postocclusion administration in the mouse model of permanent focal ischemia.


Key Words: calcium channel blockers • cerebral ischemia • neuroprotection • gerbils • mice • rats


*    Introduction
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
*Introduction
down arrowMaterials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Preclinical studies of L-type calcium channel antagonists such as nimodipine have produced equivocal results in models of cerebral ischemia.1 For example, in the rat MCAO model of focal ischemia, neuroprotection has been observed with nimodipine in some,2 3 but not all, studies.4 The mechanism by which such compounds produce a neuroprotective effect is unresolved, although it has been suggested that dihydropyridines act preferentially on cerebral blood vessels to restore tissue perfusion at the infarct periphery.5 6 However, calcium influx plays a major role in mediating cell death observed in ischemia; therefore, the reduction in calcium influx caused by blockade of voltage-gated calcium channels may also be an important factor influencing the neuroprotective effects of these compounds.7 Nifedipine and isradipine block the toxicity induced by the glutamate agonist {alpha}-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-5-isoxazoloproprionate (AMPA) in cultured cerebellar granule cells.8 Isradipine has also been reported to reduce infarct size in rat MCAO models when given either before and after ischemia or after ischemia only.6 9 In a separate study, isradipine administered before and after ischemia failed to reduce infarct size,5 although this study was subsequently criticized on methodological grounds.10

The present series of studies extends investigation of the putative neuroprotective actions of isradipine to three other models of cerebral ischemia. We have previously shown that a novel type of calcium channel antagonist, SB201823A, which acts preferentially at calcium channels other than the L-type, has neuroprotective properties when given after ischemia in both global (BCAO in the gerbil) and focal (photothrombotic lesions in the rat) stroke models.11 Recently, this activity has been confirmed after postischemia dosing in both rat and mouse MCAO models.12 In the present study, we examined the effects of isradipine in the gerbil BCAO and rat photothrombotic models of stroke. In addition, the effects of isradipine and SB201823A were compared in the mouse MCAO model.


*    Materials and Methods
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
*Materials and Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Surgery
All procedures were reviewed by a SmithKline Beecham internal ethics committee. The animals were maintained on a 12-hour light/dark cycle and allowed access to food and water ad libitum.

Gerbil BCAO
Adult male Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) weighing 60 to 100 g (B&K Universal Ltd) were anesthetized with 6% halothane in 100% O2 and maintained at 3% halothane. In operated animals, both carotid arteries in the neck were exposed and occluded for 10 minutes with atraumatic aneurysm clips, during which time the wound site was irrigated with sterile sodium chloride solution to prevent tissue dehydration. A visual check was made to ensure that the flow through the vessels had ceased. Flow was reestablished on removal of the clips. Sham operations were carried out as above but without occluding the arteries. Throughout the surgical procedure, body temperature was maintained at 37±1°C with a heated blanket with feedback control. The animals were maintained in an incubator at 37°C until they regained consciousness. After surgery, animals were individually housed and allowed free access to food and water. Body weight was monitored daily.

Four days after induction of ischemia, the animals were exposed to a simple behavioral test to assess their ability to habituate to a novel open-field environment. BCAO in the gerbil causes a locomotor hyperactivity,13 14 which was measured by an activity-monitoring system consisting of clear acrylic boxes, each with three banks of photoemitters and detectors (ACE Software Ltd). Gerbils were placed individually in the boxes, and locomotor activity was measured by recording the number of beam breaks (counts) over a 60-minute period. Statistical assessment was carried out using an in-house program that combined ANOVA with a check for the influence of testing box and time of test.

Immediately after the behavioral studies, the animals were killed with an overdose of sodium pentobarbital and perfusion-fixed with NBF containing 5% sucrose. The brains were removed and placed in NBF for a minimum of 24 hours before sectioning and staining. A total of 12 serial coronal sections (12 µm thick) were cut through the dorsal hippocampus and stained with 1% cresyl fast violet. Viable cell area in the CA1 to CA3 region of the hippocampus was measured densitometrically using a Quantimet 920 image analyzer (Cambridge Instruments).11 This assessment was made blind. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.

Rat Photothrombotic Lesions
To induce photothrombotic lesions,15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 male Lister hooded rats (Charles River) weighing 250 to 280 g were anesthetized with 5% halothane in 95% O2/5% CO2 and subsequently maintained at 3% halothane. The animals were placed in a stereotaxic frame, and anesthesia was maintained with a purpose-built face mask (designed and built in-house). A midline incision was made in the scalp between the eyes and ears, and the pericranium was displaced to provide a clear skull surface. A bifurcated fiber-optic light guide (3.0 mm in diameter) from a 300-W xenon arc lamp (Oriel Scientific Ltd) was positioned on the skull at the bregma in a holder designed to center the heads of the light guide 2.5 mm to either side of the midline. Rose bengal dye (20 mg/kg; Aldrich) was injected into a lateral tail vein, and the skull was illuminated for 5 minutes. The scalp was sutured, and the animals were then returned to their home cages to recover. Throughout the procedure, body temperature was maintained at 37±1°C with a heated blanket with feedback control. Sham operations were carried out as above, with the rats receiving rose bengal dye but no illumination.

After recovery, body weight was monitored daily. Seven days after surgery, the animals were killed with an overdose of sodium pentobarbital and perfusion-fixed with NBF containing 5% sucrose. The brains were stored in NBF for a minimum of 24 hours before sectioning and staining. Coronal sections (60 µm) were cut through the length of the lesion and stained with cresyl fast violet. Infarct volume was calculated by first measuring the area of the lesion on successive sections using a Quantimet 920 image analyzing system (Cambridge Instruments) and then computed using Simpson's rule. Data were assessed by three-way ANOVA and Student's t test.

Mouse MCAO
Adult male CD1 mice (Charles River) in the weight range of 25 to 30 g were anesthetized with 250 mg/kg tribromoethanol injected intraperitoneally. Focal cerebral ischemia23 24 25 was induced as follows: A temporal approach was adopted to occlude the right MCA. With the aid of an operating stereomicroscope (M3Z Wild, Leica UK Ltd), an incision was made between the outer canthus of the eye and the external auditory meatus. The temporalis muscle was bisected and retracted to expose the temporolateral surface of the skull. The MCA was exposed by means of a burr-hole craniotomy, performed with a dental drill. A thin layer of bone was preserved to protect the dura mater and cortex surface from mechanical damage and thermal injury. Remaining bone was removed with watchmaker's forceps and a fine-gauge needle. At this stage, the artery was examined closely under x40 magnification to reveal both the major and minor branches of the MCA within the limits of the cranial window. The dura immediately overlying the MCA was cut with fine-gauge needles and removed. The MCA was occluded distal to the branch point by microbipolar diathermy and then severed using fine-gauge needles. The temporalis muscle and then the skin incision were sutured using 6/0 polyglactin sutures (Ethicon UK, Ltd).

Throughout the procedure, body temperature was maintained within the normal limits (37±1°C) with a heating blanket with feedback control. After the surgical procedure, mice were maintained in an environmental temperature of 37°C for 120 minutes, during which time they recovered from the anesthetic and were then returned to normal housing conditions.

After recovery, body weight was monitored daily. Up to 4 days after ischemia, mice were killed with a lethal dose of sodium pentobarbital, and their brains were removed and stored in NBF. Preliminary studies (S.J. Bailey, S.R. Patel, unpublished data, 1992) have revealed that lesions were mature by day 4 after occlusion and edema was minimal; therefore, in subsequent experiments this was selected as the end point unless otherwise stated. The branching pattern of the MCA was again recorded, and animals (<10%) displaying atypical branching (ie, additional branch points distal to the point of occlusion and not visible in the cranial window) were rejected. Inclusion of these brains would have introduced unnecessary variation into the quantitative measurement of ischemia.26 27 Brains were fixed for a minimum of 48 hours before processing for histological examination. Coronal sections (60 µm) were taken and stained with cresyl fast violet. Infarct volume was determined as with the rose bengal model. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and statistical significance was defined as P<.05.

Anesthetized Rat Cardiovascular Monitoring
Male Hooded Lister rats (Charles River) weighing 276 to 400 g were anesthetized using halothane (4.5% induction, 2% maintenance, in 2 l per minute O2). The femoral vein and artery were cannulated (2- or 3-fg cannulas, Portex Ltd), and rats were allowed to respire spontaneously. BP was recorded with a Druck BP transducer (PDCR 75) and Macintosh IIci hardware. HR was derived from the arterial pulse with MacLab/8 software. BP and HR recordings were taken continuously for a minimum of 10 minutes before administration of the compound. Diastolic BP (millimeters of mercury) and HR (beats per minute) were recorded every 5 minutes for 30 minutes, beginning immediately before drug administration (time 0), and calculated as the percentage change from time 0. The percentage change at 30 minutes was used to compare drug effects. Animals were then killed with an overdose of anesthetic.

Drug Treatment
Ischemia Studies
Isradipine (PN 200-110, RBI) was dissolved in 19% ethanol and 19% PEG in 0.9% sodium chloride solution. SB201823A (4-[2-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy)ethyl]-1-pentylpiperidine hydrochloride) was dissolved in 10% hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin (Janssen Biotech NV) in 0.9% sodium chloride solution. In all experiments, a control group of animals received the appropriate vehicle. All drugs were administered via the intraperitoneal route in a dosing volume of 4 mL/kg.

Gerbil BCAO and rat rose bengal models. Isradipine was administered as a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg IP given 60 minutes after ischemia. Group sizes in the rat model were 10 in both drug- and vehicle-treated groups; in the gerbil model, 6 in the sham vehicle-treated group, 13 in the ischemic vehicle-treated group, and 12 in the ischemic isradipine-treated group.

Mouse MCAO. Three separate experiments were carried out. In experiment 1, isradipine was administered after occlusion only, as a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg given 60 minutes after occlusion. Brains were removed for analysis at a range of postocclusion time points: 24 hours (n=13), 48 hours (n=9), or 96 hours (n=9). Numbers of animals receiving vehicle were n=10, n=6, and n=8, respectively. In experiment 2, isradipine was administered at 2.5 mg/kg 1 hour before occlusion followed by 1.25 mg/kg at 1 and 2 hours after occlusion, and at 2.5 mg/kg twice daily for 3 days after occlusion (n=16; n=14 in the vehicle-treated group). Brains were removed on day 4. Animals that died shortly after administration of isradipine (ie, within 1 hour) were excluded and replaced directly with additional animals with the same treatment. In experiment 3, SB201823A was administered at 10 mg/kg 30 minutes before occlusion, 30 minutes after occlusion, and twice daily for 3 days after occlusion (n=12; n=9 in the vehicle-treated group). Brains were removed for analysis 4 days after occlusion.

Cardiovascular Monitoring
Isradipine was dissolved in 19% PEG with 19% ethanol in 0.9% sodium chloride solution; SB201823A was prepared in 10% hydroxypropyl-ß-cyclodextrin in 0.9% sodium chloride solution. Control animals received vehicle alone (4 mL/kg IP bolus). Isradipine (2.5 mg/kg) and SB201823A (10 mg/kg) were given intraperitoneally.


*    Results
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
*Results
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Gerbil BCAO Model
Fig 1Down shows that isradipine (2.5 mg/kg IP 60 minutes after occlusion) had no effect on the locomotor hyperactivity caused by BCAO. There was no significant difference observed between locomotor activity in the vehicle- and isradipine-treated groups (P=.96). Locomotor activity in the ischemic control group was significantly higher (P=.004) than in the sham control group. Similarly, Fig 2Down shows that isradipine failed to protect cells from ischemia-induced death in the CA1 to CA3 regions of the dorsal hippocampus. There was no significant difference (P=.99) in viable cell area between the vehicle- and isradipine-treated groups. Viable cell area was significantly less (P=3.3x10-6) in the ischemic group than in sham-operated controls.



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Figure 1. Graph shows effect of isradipine (n=12) compared with vehicle (n=13) on hyperlocomotor activity induced by BCAO in the gerbil at 4 days after BCAO. No significant difference in activity was observed between vehicle- and isradipine-treated groups. Isradipine or vehicle were administered as a single intraperitoneal dose 60 minutes after ischemia. Vehicle-treated sham animals (n=6) had significantly lower activity scores than ischemic animals. Values are mean±SEM. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA with Dunnett's test. Corresponding locomotor activity data are presented in Fig 2Up.



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Figure 2. Bar graph shows effect of isradipine (n=12) compared with vehicle (n=13) and sham (n=6) groups on viable cell area in the CA1 to CA3 regions of the gerbil hippocampus at 4 days after BCAO. Values are mean±SEM. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.

Rat Rose Bengal Model
Isradipine given as a single dose of 2.5 mg/kg IP 60 minutes after ischemia did not have a significant effect (P=.27) on lesion volume when compared with the ischemic control group (Fig 3Down).



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Figure 3. Bar graph shows effect of isradipine (n=10) versus vehicle (n=10) on lesion volume in rats 7 days after induction of a focal photothrombotic lesion. Isradipine was administered at 2.5 mg/kg IP as a single dose 60 minutes after ischemia. Values are mean±SEM. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA.

Mouse MCAO Model
Fig 4Down shows the effects of a single dose (2.5 mg/kg IP) of isradipine given 1 hour after occlusion on lesion volume at various postischemia time points (24, 48, and 96 hours). At all time points, isradipine failed to produce a significant reduction in lesion volume compared with time-matched vehicle-treated control animals. In both the drug- and vehicle-treated groups, lesion volume showed a significant reduction (P=.006 and P=.001, respectively) from 24 to 96 hours after occlusion. This may be attributed to regression of edema in the cortex and the accompanying cellular changes.28 29 A 12% to 15% mortality was observed in the isradipine-treated groups compared with 0% in corresponding controls. These mortalities were observed shortly after (ie, within 1 hour) administration of isradipine.



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Figure 4. Bar graph shows effect of isradipine (I) on lesion volume at 24 (n=13), 48 (n=9), and 96 hours (n=9) after permanent MCAO in the mouse versus time-matched vehicle controls (V; n=10, n=6, and n=8, respectively). Isradipine (2.5 mg/kg) or vehicle was administered as a single dose 60 minutes after MCAO. Values are mean±SEM. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. (Lesion volume significantly declined with time [96 hours] after ischemia versus volumes at 24 hours in the vehicle-treated mice.)

The effect of isradipine on lesion volume at day 4 following a preocclusion and postocclusion dosing regimen is shown in Fig 5aDown. Again, isradipine failed to produce a significant reduction in lesion volume compared with vehicle-treated controls. By comparison, animals treated with SB201823A, after a similar preocclusion and postocclusion dosing regimen, demonstrated a significant reduction (P=.02) in lesion volume compared with controls at 4 days after ischemia (Fig 5bDown). Similarly, a 12% mortality was observed in the isradipine-treated group compared with 0% in corresponding controls. Again, mortalities were observed within 1 hour of administration of the first dose of isradipine.



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Figure 5. Bar graphs show that in the mouse MCAO model, with a combined preocclusion and postocclusion regimen, isradipine (n=16) did not affect lesion volume at 4 days after MCAO compared with control (n=14) (a), whereas SB201823A (n=12) produced a significant reduction in lesion volume compared with control (n=9) (b) after a similar dosing regimen. Drugs were administered before and after occlusion on the day of surgery and then twice daily for 3 days after occlusion. Control mice received the respective vehicle. Values are mean±SEM. Statistical differences between groups were analyzed by one-way ANOVA (*P<.05).

Anesthetized Rat Cardiovascular Monitoring
In halothane-anesthetized rats, the changes in diastolic BP and HR over the 30-minute period following administration of isradipine (2.5 mg/kg IP) were similar in magnitude to those recorded in the vehicle control group (TableDown). Thus, isradipine had little or no cardiovascular effects in this test.


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Table 1. Percentage Changes in Diastolic BP and HR 30 Minutes After Administration of Isradipine and SB201823A in Anesthetized Rats

SB201823A (10 mg/kg IP) produced a modest fall in diastolic BP compared with that in the corresponding vehicle-treated group. HR was unaltered in the drug-treated group but fell by 11% in the control group. Therefore, SB201823A evoked minor changes overall in these parameters in this model.


*    Discussion
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
The dihydropyridine L-type calcium channel antagonist isradipine has been reported to be neuroprotective in the MCAO model in SHR after a variety of preocclusion and postocclusion dosing regimens.3 6 30 31 32 33 However, other studies in normotensive rats5 34 have failed to demonstrate a significant neuroprotective effect of this drug in experimental focal and global ischemia. In the present study, isradipine when given after ischemia did not exhibit neuroprotective potential in three models of ischemia. With similar protocols, the novel calcium antagonist SB201823A reduced ischemia-induced lesions in the same gerbil and rat11 models, as well as in a mouse12 model. Unlike SB201823A, isradipine also failed to reduce the hyperlocomotor activity induced by temporary BCAO in gerbils.

Experimental work with calcium channel antagonists conducted in various animal models of cerebral ischemia has produced confounding results, probably as a result of the intrinsic variability of these models. Variations in experimental conditions (such as anesthesia, species, time, dose, route of administration, and duration of drug administration) make definitive conclusions virtually impossible. For example, nimodipine given after ischemia significantly reduced infarct size at 4 days after occlusion in the gerbil BCAO model,35 but in the same model, when given before and after ischemia, it was not neuroprotective. Even drugs of the same class have produced divergent results.1

Our investigation of isradipine in the rat photothrombotic model appears to be the first report of the effects of a dihydropyridine drug in this focal model, although other calcium channel antagonists, such as the diphenylalkamine flunarizine, produced a reduction in infarct size and reversal of some motor deficits.1 In contrast, in the present study, isradipine failed to reduce even lesion volume. Isradipine also failed to reduce lesion volume in the mouse MCAO model and CA1-CA3 damage in the gerbil BCAO model. Isradipine has, however, been reported to induce a substantial reduction in comparative infarct size in SHR.5 6 This occurred whether the drug was administered before, before and after, or after occlusion only3 31 and may be attributed in part to its hypotensive effects. In the same model, and following an intensive presurgery and postsurgery dosing regimen, isradipine reduced both hyperlocomotion and CA1 cell death.36 In contrast, Ohta et al34 found no effect with isradipine at 5 mg/kg in a rat model of BCAO plus hypotension. As confirmed by the present study, isradipine has demonstrated an inability to significantly reduce ischemic damage in normotensive models.

The neuroprotective efficacy of SB201823A has now been shown in the mouse MCAO model after a preocclusion and postocclusion dosing regimen. However, with a similar dose schedule, isradipine was ineffective. It seems unlikely that the differences observed in the activity profiles of these two calcium channel antagonists in ischemia models may be attributable to the extent of their cardiovascular effects, since both drugs produced little or no change in diastolic BP or HR in halothane-anesthetized rats. These experiments were performed using doses of both drugs that were the same as those given as the first dose in the ischemia models. For the latter, both the rats and gerbils were fully recovered from anesthesia when they were dosed, whereas the mice were not. The mortalities in mice after isradipine may be due to the combination of the presence of anesthetic (tribromoethanol) and an isradipine-induced hypotensive response.

Another possible explanation for the lack of a neuroprotective effect of isradipine in the present study is that isradipine was administered 60 minutes before or after ischemia. Sauter and Rudin30 reported that isradipine was rapidly metabolized with a plasma half-life of 1 hour; therefore, there may not have been sufficient active drug present to exert a neuroprotective effect. However, Barone and coworkers (White et al,37 1994) reported that isradipine administered subcutaneously 60 minutes after MCAO produced a reduction (P<.05) in infarction in SHR.37 The use of this route may have led to slower absorption of the drug into the circulation and less extensive first-pass metabolism than arose from the intraperitoneal route used in our studies. The effects of isradipine were determined at 24 hours after occlusion in the mouse MCAO model only, but at much later time points in the gerbil, rat, and also the mouse. We chose longer time points to allow for a reduction in edema to occur, thus giving a clearer idea of the extent of true long-term neuroprotection. Interestingly, isradipine has been reported to produce a reduction in infarct size at 24 hours with MRI methods, but the effect was apparently reduced when histological assessment was made 5 days after MCAO.30 Despite its known diuretic properties,38 isradipine had no apparent effect on cerebral edema as judged by its failure to reduce lesion volume at 24 hours compared with vehicle. Others have shown that isradipine given intravenously at the time of MCAO or reperfusion reduced cerebral edema and calcium accumulation in Wistar rats,9 whereas in Fisher 344 rats isradipine (0.24 mg/kg IV given 20 minutes before MCAO) had no histological effect on lesion volume at 24 hours.5 In another study, subcutaneous isradipine (2.5 or 5 mg/kg) failed to reduce ischemia in Wistar rats produced by 15 minutes of BCAO or 30-minute hypoglycemia when assessed at 7 days after the insult.34 This further supports the hypothesis that reductions in lesion volume caused by isradipine are seen only in hypertensive animals.

One possible explanation for the difference between the results reported here and those of Sauter and Rudin30 is that lesion volumes were calculated differently. Sauter and Rudin calculated lesion volumes by counting the numbers of voxels from a nuclear MR image or reported a neuroprotective effect by presenting the mean drug-treated lesion volume from images as a percentage of the mean vehicle-treated lesion volume. By adopting the latter method in the present study, isradipine would have produced a 20% reduction in lesion volume in the rat photothrombotic model and reductions ranging from 14% to 18% in the mouse MCAO experiments. The MRI protocol used detected intracellular water, and thus the lesion was defined as an area of edema rather than terminally compromised cells. Also, histological data were not presented at corresponding time points. Sauter et al31 reported that a single dose of isradipine (2.5 mg/kg) after MCAO produced a 50% to 60% reduction in both lesion volume (as measured by MRI at 24 hours) and brain wet weight. Such a result might be expected if the mode of action of isradipine was antiedemic rather than neuroprotective. Abe et al9 stated that isradipine prevented edema formation by inhibiting the accumulation of calcium, and it has been demonstrated in humans that isradipine has diuretic properties.38 In the present study, the absence of a neuroprotective effect in the mouse MCAO model, when examined by histology 24 hours after occlusion, lends support to the theory that at this point any reduction in lesion volume is due to effects on edema rather than cytoprotection.

In summary, we have been unable to demonstrate chronic neuroprotection with isradipine in three models of normotensive ischemia with dosing regimens similar to those previously reported to be efficacious in the MCAO model in SHR. In contrast, SB201823A exhibited neuroprotective activity. A number of factors, either singly or in combination, may have contributed to the absence of demonstrable neuroprotective activity with isradipine in our models. These factors include the normotensive nature of our models (as also reported by others in rats5 34 ), the use of the intraperitoneal route leading to inadequate exposure of tissues to drug, and the profile of isradipine as an L-type calcium channel blocker, thus being less than optimal for producing neuroprotection.


*    Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms
 
BCAO = bilateral carotid artery occlusion
BP = blood pressure
HR = heart rate
MCAO = middle cerebral artery occlusion
NBF = neutral buffered formalin
SHR = spontaneously hypertensive rats

Received January 31, 1995; revision received May 31, 1995; accepted July 28, 1995.


*    References
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMaterials and Methods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
*References
 
1. Feuerstein G, Hunter J, Barone FC. Calcium channel blockers and neuroprotection. In: Marangos PJ, Lal H, eds. Emerging Strategies in Neuroprotection. Boston, Mass: Birkhauser; 1992:129-150.

2. Jacewicz M, Brint S, Tanabe J, Pulsinelli WA. Continuous nimodipine treatment attenuates cortical infarction in rats subjected to 24 hours of focal cerebral ischaemia. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 1990;10:89-96. [Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

3. Sauter A, Rudin M. Calcium antagonists reduce the extent of infarction in rat middle cerebral artery occlusion model as determined by quantitative magnetic resonance imaging. Stroke. 1986;17:1228-1234. [Abstract/Free Full Text]

4. Bielenberg GW, Burniol M, Rosen R, Klaus W. Effects of nimodipine on infarct size and cerebral acidosis after middle cerebral artery in the rat. Stroke. 1990;21(suppl IV):IV90-IV92.

5. Marinov M, Wassman H. Lack of effect of PN 200-110 on neuronal injury and neurological outcome in middle cerebral artery–occluded rats. Stroke. 1991;22:1064-1067. [Abstract/Free Full Text]

6. Sauter A, Rudin M, Wiederhold K-H, Hof RP. Cerebrovascular, biochemical, and cytoprotective effects of isradipine in laboratory animals. Am J Med. 1989;86:134-146.

7. Peruche B, Krieglstein J. Mechanisms of drug actions against neuronal damage caused by ischaemia: an overview. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 1993;17:21-70. [Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

8. Pizzi M, Ribola M, Valerio A, Memo M, Spano P. Various calcium entry blockers prevent glutamate-induced neurotoxicity. Eur J Pharmacol. 1991;209:169-173. [Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

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