Effects of carbenoxolone on neuron injury induced by focal cerebral infarct

    ZHANG Guangª²Yun, DUAN Li, RAO Zhiª²Ren, XU Yan

    1PLA Institute of Neuroscience, 2Department of Neurology, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi¬ðan 710033, China

    ¡¾Abstract¡¿ AIM: To explore the effects of carbenoxolone (CBX), a gap junction blocker, on the neuron injury induced by focal cerebral infarct. METHODS: Focal cerebral infarcts were produced by photothrombosis in adult rats. Immunohistochemical technique for antiª²FOS and antiª²GFAP, and Cresyl Violet staining were used in the present study. The volumes of focal cerebral infarct and the expressions of FOS and GFAP were studied 24 h after focal cerebral infarct. CBX(50 ¦Ìg/200 g)was injected into the right lateral ventricle at 2h prior to the operation. RESULTS: The volumes of focal cerebral infarct and the expressions of FOS in the rats pretreated with CBX significantly decreased compared with those in the salineª²treated control group (P<0.01). The GFAP positive astrocytes in both groups showed some changes in morphology, but with no significant difference between the two groups(P>0.05). CONCLUSION: The results suggest that CBX may play a role in protecting the neurons from damages induced by focal cerebral infarct. ......