Neuroprotective effects of phenyl-t-butyl-nitrone in gerbil global brain ischemia and in cultured rat cerebellar neurons.

We examined the ability of phenyl-t-butyl-nitrone (PBN), an electron spin trapper, to attenuate ischemia-induced forebrain edema and hippocampal CA1 neuronal loss in gerbils, and to protect rat cerebellar neurons in primary culture from glutamate-induced toxicity. PBN, given i.p. at 75 or 150 mg/kg 30 min before ischemia (5 min occlusion), increased survival (at 7 days) of CA1 neurons from 60 +/- 14 (vehicle-treated, n = 17) to 95 +/- 15 (P less than 0.05, n = 15) and 145 +/- 3 (P less than 0.01, n = 15), respectively. When gerbils were treated with PBN (50 mg/kg, i.p.) immediately and 6 h after reperfusion, followed by b.i.d. for an additional 2 days, CA1 neurons survival improved from 35 +/- 9 (vehicle, n = 20, 6 min occlusion) to 106 +/- 17 (P less than 0.01, n = 13). In gerbils exposed to a more severe ischemia (10 min), pretreatment with 150 mg/kg PBN increased the survival of CA1 neurons from 6 +/- 6 (vehicle) to 27 +/- 10 (P less than 0.05, n = 11). Pretreatment with PBN, at 150 mg/kg, reduced forebrain edema (following 15 min ischemia) by 24.7% (P less than 0.01, n = 16). PBN at 50 mg/kg, i.p. had no hypothermic effect and at 75 or 150 mg/kg caused a transient hypothermia. The presence of PBN in the brain was confirmed in microdialysis samples and brain tissue extract using HPLC. In vitro, PBN protected rat cerebellar neurons against 100 microM glutamate-induced toxicity with an EC50 value of 2.7 mM. Our results further support the concept that free radicals contribute to brain injury following ischemia and suggest the potential therapeutic application of electron spin trappers in stroke.