Protective effect of the V1a receptor antagonist SR49059 on brain edema formation following middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat.

There exists no pharmacological treatment for fulminating brain edema. Since evidence indicates that brain aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channels are modulated by vasopressin V1a receptors, we examined the edema-reducing properties of the selective V1a receptor antagonist, SR49059, following middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to sham procedure, vehicle, or SR49059 infusion at different dosages (each n = 6,480 microL/hr, 640 microL/hr, 720 microL/hr) and starting 60 minutes before or after MCAO. After a 2-hour period of ischemia and 2 hours of reperfusion, the animals were sacrificed for assessment of brain water content, sodium, and potassium concentration. Statistics were performed using an ANOVA followed by a Tukey post hoc analysis. SR049059 treatment reduced brain water content in the infarcted area given at 640 microL/hr (p = 0.036), 720 microL/hr 60 minutes before (p = 0.002) or 60 minutes after (p = 0.005) MCAO. The consecutive sodium shift into the brain was prevented (p = 0.001), while the potassium loss was inhibited only by pre-treatment (p = 0.003). These findings imply that in ischemia-induced brain edema, the selective V1a receptor-antagonist SR49059 inhibits brain edema and the subsequent sodium shift into brain. This substance offers a new avenue in brain edema treatment and prompts further study into AQP4 modulation.