• Neonatal Medicine
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.181-192
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• 2010

Purpose: Current studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of dizocilpine (MK-801) in many animal models of brain injury, including hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephlopathy, trauma and excitotoxicity, but limited data are available for those during the neonatal periods. Here we investigated whether dizocilpine can protect the developing rat brain from HI injury via anti-apoptosis. Methods: In an in vitro model, embryonic cortical neuronal cell culture of Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats at 18-day gestation was done. The cultured cells were divided into three groups: normoxia (N), hypoxia (H), and hypoxia treated with dizocilpine (HD). The N group was prepared in 5% $CO_2$ incubators and the other groups were placed in 1% $O_2$ incubators (94% N2, 5% $CO_2$) for 16 hours. In an in vivo model, left carotid artery ligation was done in 7-day-old SD rat pups. The animals were divided into six groups; hypoxia (N), hypoxia (H), hypoxia with sham-operation (HS), hypoxia with operation (HO), HO treated with vehicle (HV), and HO treated with dizocilpine (HD). Hypoxia was made by exposure to a 2 hour period of hypoxic incubator (92% N2, 8% $O_2$). Results: In the in vitvo and in vivo models, the expressions of Bcl-2 in the hypoxia groups were reduced compared to the normoxia group. whereas those in the dizocilpine-treated group were increased compared to the hypoxia group. However. the expressions of Bax and caspase-3 and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 were revealed reversely. Conclusion: Dizocilpine has neuroprotective property over perinatal HI brain injury via anti-apoptosis.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.167-173
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• 1996

This study was undertaken to evaluate a behavior-electroencephalogram (EEG) pattern relationship in pilocarpine- and kainic acid-induced convulsions of rats. Also we intended to examine the effect of a noncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, MK-801, and diazepam on the pilocarpine-induced behavioral and electrical seizures in rats. The electrical activities at frontal and hippocampal areas and behavior activities were measured in freely moving rats. At the beginning of the experiments, the rats displayed an exploratory behavior. This awake and moving phase with a low amplitude, irregular, 4-10 Hz wave was followed by a still phase. Pilocarpine (400 mg/kg, i.p.) and kainic acid (0.5 mg/kg, i.c.v.) induced tonic and clonic seizures. The pilocarpine-induced change in electrical activities exhibited a weak correlation with behavioral convulsion at all stages. The amplitude and duration of the electrical response were not linear with the degree of behavioral score. An application of MK-801 (dizocilpine, 7.5 mg/kg) did not affect the amplitudes of the convulsant-induced electrical activities, though the same dose of this drug caused the deformation of the electrical pattern. There was no effect of MK-801 on the behavioral and electrical activities as expected. Diazepam (1 mg/kg) did not affect the amplitude of the electrical activities induced by pilocarpine but changed the pattern of these activities. Our study shows that there is no linear relationship between degree of behavior and amplitude of electrical activities of convulsants. This may indicate that the NMDA receptor stimulation can be processed by the neocortical or hippocampal network in a different way between behavioral and electrical activities.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.36-42
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• 1997

To investigate effects of ginseng total saponin (GTS) on the ethylcholine aziridnium ion (AF64A) -induced glutamatergic nervous system, rats were pretreated with the infusion of AF64A (3 nmole) into lateral ventricle and were posttreated with 50 mg/kg of GTS, i.p., for 1 week. Twenty four hours after the last administration, rats were sacrificed and the levels of glutamate and taurine, [$^3$H]dizocilpine ([$^3$H]MK801) binding sites and glutamine synthetase activity were assessed in striatum, hippocampus and frontal cortex. The levels of striatal glutamate after GTS treatment in rats were decreased. And the levels of glutamate were decreased in striatum and frontal cortex and increased in hippocampus by the infusion of AF64A. However, the AF64A-induced changes of glutamate were returned to the control level by the administration of GTS in striatum, frontal cortex and hippocampus. After the infusion of AF64A, the level of taurine was decreased in striatum and increased in hippocampus. GTS administrations in the AF64A-treated rats restored to the control level of taurine in the decreased striatal level of taurine, but not in the elevated level of hippocampal taurine. The specific [$^3$H]MK801 binding sites in hippocampus was significantly decreased but not in striatum and frontal cortex after the administration of AF64A. Although GTS itself did not affect the specific [$^3$H]MK801 binding sites, GTS administrations in the AF64A-treated rats did decrease the binding sites of (\`H)Mk801 in all examined regions. The activities of striatal glutamine synthetase were decreased after GTS treatment. The activities of striatal glutamine synthetase (GS) were decreased in AF64A-treated groups. However, the decreased striatal GS activities by AF64A were returned to the control level by GTS treatment. Furthermore, GTS administrations in the AF64A-treated rats increased the hippocampal GS activities. The results indicatethat GTS may adjust the levels of glutamate and taurine constantly and may induce increase in AF64A-induced decrease of GS activity. Thus, it suggests that GTS may antagonize changes in central glutamatergic nervous system induced by AF64A. Also it suggests that the actions of GTS may differently affect in the disease state.