Protective effects of the free radical scavengers, dimethyl sulfoxide and ethanol, in cerebral ischemia in gerbils

The effects of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and ethanol, which share an ability to scavenge free radicals, on ischemia/reperfusion-evoked injury to hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells were evaluated in the Mongolian gerbil. Ischemia was induced by a 5 min period of bilateral common carotid artery occlusion followed by reperfusion for 5 days. Three groups of unanesthetized gerbils were injected intraperitoneally with either saline, DMSO (2.8 mmol/kg) or ethanol (2.0 mmol/kg) 30 min prior to ischemia. All three groups displayed significant increases in locomotor activity post-ischemia, with no differences between groups. The extent of CA1 pyramidal neuron loss was significantly reduced in the DMSO and ethanol treated gerbils. The results suggest that both agents may be useful as adjuvant therapies in the treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.