Opiate antagonist WIN44,441-3 stereospecifically improves neurologic recovery after ischemic spinal injury.

In the unanesthetized rabbit, temporary aortic occlusion results in predictable patterns of spinal cord injury. We use this "spinal stroke" model to assess the potential role of opiate antagonists in treating CNS ischemia. WIN44,441-3 (WIN(-], an opiate antagonist with enhanced activity at the kappa-receptor, reduced motor dysfunction after ischemic spinal cord injury. The effect was stereospecific and dose-related; beneficial actions were seen at doses as low as 40 micrograms/kg. Opiate receptor antagonists may be therapeutically useful in ischemic CNS injury, and the beneficial actions of these compounds may be at the kappa-receptor site.