Neuroprotective Effects of a PSD-95 Inhibitor in Neonatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Injury

In this study, a modified version of the Rice-Vannucci method for the induction of neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury was performed on postnatal day  7 mouse pups. Animals received a single dose of NA-1 intraperitoneally either before or after right common carotid artery occlusion. All experiments were performed in a blinded manner. Infarct volumes were measured 1 and 7 days after the injury, while behavioral tests were conducted 1, 3, and 7  days after injury. Administration of NA-1 before right common carotid artery occlusion or immediately after ischemia significantly reduced infarct volume and improved neurobehavioral outcomes 1, 3, and 7 days post-injury. The neuroprotection and improvement in neurobehavioral outcomes conferred by NA-1 in this mouse neonatal hypoxic-ischemic injury model imply that NA-1 will be effective in reducing neonatal stroke damage and thus could potentially serve as a therapeutic drug for prevention or treatment of neonatal stroke.

Source: Molecular Neurobiology - October 28, 2016 Category: Neurology Source Type: research