Abstract
Transcranial cold injury in rats and guinea pigs induced cerebral extravasation of albumin labeled with Evans blue dye or 125I, respective indicators of the area and amount of blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption. Radioimmunoassay of brain extracts showed that cold injury induced leukotriene (LT)C4 in rat and guinea pig brains 15 min after injury. In guinea pigs, the LT synthesis inhibitor phenidone (30 mg/kg, i.p.) completely blocked cold-induced LTC4 in brain. Phenidone (30 and 100 mg/kg) also inhibited cerebral tissue accumulation of 125I-albumin and dye in rats and guinea pigs. Phenidone is reported to show antioxidant properties and selective lipoxygenase inhibition of arachidonic acid metabolism compared to cyclooxyenase inhibitors, meclofenamate sodium, and other nonsteroidal anti-inflamatory agents. Since several oxygen and hydroxyl radical scavengers and the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, meclofenamate sodium, did not inhibit protein extravasation, the findings support a role for LT as a mediator of cold-induced changes in BBB permeability in rats and guinea pigs and suggest that the inhibitory effects of phenidone on BBB permeability may be due to inhibition of LT production.
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