Diethyl dithiocarbamic acid, a possible nuclear factor kappa B inhibitor, attenuates ischemic postconditioning-induced attenuation of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice.

The present study was designed to pharmacologically investigate the possible role of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) in the reversal of global cerebral injury induced by ischemia and reperfusion after ischemic postconditioning. Bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 17 min followed by reperfusion for 24 h was employed to produce ischemia- and reperfusion-induced cerebral injury in mice. Cerebral infarct size was measured by using triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining. Memory was evaluated using the Morris water maze test. The rotarod test was employed to assess motor incoordination. Bilateral carotid artery occlusion followed by reperfusion produced a marked increase in cerebral infarct size, impairment of memory, and motor coordination. A set of 5 episodes of carotid artery occlusion for a period of 10 s and reperfusion of 10 s (ischemic postconditioning) significantly prevented ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral infarct size and behavioral deficits measured in terms of loss of memory and motor coordination. Diethyl dithiocarbamic acid sodium salt trihydrate (DDA) (100 mg/kg, i.p.), an inhibitor of NF-kappaB, given 30 min before ischemia attenuated the beneficial effects of ischemic postconditioning. It may be concluded that the beneficial effects of ischemic postconditioning on global cerebral ischemia- and reperfusion-induced cerebral injury and behavioral deficits may involve activation of the NF-kappaB-linked pathway.