DFMO reduces cortical infarct volume after middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat

J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 1993 Nov;13(6):1033-7. doi: 10.1038/jcbfm.1993.131.

Abstract

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), a key enzyme in polyamine biosynthesis, is induced in ischemic tissue and may mediate vasogenic edema and delayed neuronal death. We determined the effects of alpha-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), a specific inhibitor of ODC, on infarct size and ODC activity in a rat model of transient focal ischemia. DFMO blocked the ischemia-induced increase in ODC and significantly reduced infarct volumes by 57-45%, depending upon the treatment regimen. These studies suggest that polyamine metabolism plays a role in the development of cerebral infarction after focal ischemia and that DFMO may be useful in limiting injury after a stroke.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cerebral Arteries
  • Cerebral Infarction / etiology
  • Cerebral Infarction / pathology
  • Cerebral Infarction / prevention & control*
  • Constriction
  • Eflornithine / therapeutic use*
  • Ischemic Attack, Transient / complications*
  • Male
  • Ornithine Decarboxylase / metabolism*
  • Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors
  • Parietal Lobe / enzymology
  • Parietal Lobe / pathology
  • Rats

Substances

  • Ornithine Decarboxylase Inhibitors
  • Ornithine Decarboxylase
  • Eflornithine