Abstract

The present study was undertaken to elucidate the possible therapeutic effects of naftidrofuryl on energy metabolism of brain regions impaired for extended periods by microsphere embolism. Nine hundred microspheres (48 microns in diameter) were injected into the right internal carotid artery of rats, and changes in their behavior and energy metabolism of the cortex, striatum and hippocampus of both hemispheres were determined with and without naftidrofuryl treatment. Microsphere embolism induced increases in lactate, glucose and glycogen contents and decreases in ATP and creatine phosphate of these brain regions of the right hemisphere for up to 28 days after the operation, suggesting long-lasting cerebral ischemia or sustained damage to energy metabolism. These changes were gradually reversed with time after the operation. Microsphere-injected rats were treated twice a day with 15 mg/kg naftidrofuryl, and their behavioral and metabolic protection were determined on the 3rd, 5th and 28th days after the operation. Treatment of embolized animals with naftidrofuryl improved these variables appreciably on the 3rd and 28th days, but little on the 5th day. The improvement on the 3rd day was more evident in all brain regions monitored than that on the 28th day. The results suggest that naftidrofuryl exerts beneficial effects on the energy metabolism of brains damaged by microsphere embolism, the mechanism of which may be due to protection against the development of embolism-induced derangement.