Background. Lipoic acid (LA), which has significant antioxidant properties, may also function as a potent neuroprotectant. The synthetic compounds INV-155, INV-157, INV-159, and INV-161 are physiochemical combinations of lipoic acid and captopril. We sought to determine if these compounds have neuro...

Apocynin is a well-known NADPH-oxidase inhibitor currently being investigated for its potential therapeutic use in patients with cardiovascular disease, such as occlusive stroke. However, the use of apocynin as a potential neuroprotective agent has come under criticism due to a narrow experimental t...

Previous work in our laboratory has provided evidence that preadministration of apocynin and lipoic acid at subthreshold levels for neuroprotection enhanced the neuroprotective capacity when injected in combination. Therefore, the present investigation wa...

After ischemic stroke, early thrombolytic therapy to reestablish tissue perfusion improves outcome but triggers a cascade of deleterious cellular and molecular events. Using a collaborative approach, our groups examined the effects of guanosine (Guo) in response to ischemic reperfusion injury in vit...

The present study was aimed at investigating the efficacy and mechanism(s) of action of a Chinese herbal formulation, Liuwei Dihuang (LWDH), as a prospective natural weight-lowering product. Following a 2-week acclimation period, 48 obesity-prone (OP-CD) rats were divided into 4 groups (n=12 each). ...

Substance P (SP) and cocaine employ similar mechanisms to modify excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), a region implicated in substance abuse. Here we explored, using NAc slices, whether SP effects on these synaptic responses were altered in rats that have been sensitized ...

Abstract:  Genetic polymorphisms in enzymes controlling the formation and disposition of estrogens and their metabolites have been shown to influence breast cancer risk. Environmental and lifestyle factors may interact with estrogen metabolism polymorphisms to influence breast cancer risk. We...

Lipoic acid (LA) is a naturally occurring compound and dietary supplement with powerful antioxidant properties. Although LA is neuroprotective in models of stroke, little is known about the cellular mechanisms by which it confers protection during the early stages of ischemia. Here, using a rat mode...

The present study was designed to determine a dose-response relationship between apocynin and infarct volume as well as to provide a possible molecular mechanism mediating this effect. We tested the hypothesis that apocynin protects against cell death following stroke and reperfusion injury. Apocyni...

In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that selective activation of estrogen receptor subtypes (ERalpha and ERbeta) would be neuroprotective following ischemia and/or ischemia-reperfusion, as well as prevent the associated autonomic dysfunction. The selective ERalpha agonist, PPT, when admin...

Previously we have found that extracellular guanosine (Guo) has neuroprotective properties in in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, extracellular Guo significantly increased in the ipsilateral hemisphere within 2 h following focal stroke in rats, and remained elevated for one week. Therefore, we hypothes...

We have developed a novel rodent animal model of reperfusion injury following stroke. In this model, blood flow through the middle cerebral artery (MCA) is temporarily occluded by placing gentle pressure on sutures behind the artery along three separate branches. The sutures remain in place for a pe...

Current in vitro models of stroke involve applying oxygen-glucose deprived (OGD) media over an entire brain slice or plate of cultured neurons. Thus, these models fail to mimic the focal nature of stroke as observed clinically and with in vivo rodent models of stroke. Our aim was to develop a novel ...

Mild NMDA receptor activation is correlated with neuroprotection in models of cerebral ischemia. Neuroprotection with NMDA manifests as a form of ischemic tolerance and involves the induction of cellular stress systems sensitive to disturbances in cellular calcium homeostasis. Unilateral micro-injec...

We tested the hypothesis that Substance P (SP) produces the same effects as cocaine by examining their actions on excitatory synaptic transmission in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). SP produced an irreversible depression of non-NMDA receptor mediated EPSC: EC50:0.12 uM; maximal suppression: −33.4 ± ...

Ischemic tolerance describes a phenomenon whereby subcritical stimuli evoke cellular protective mechanisms resulting in increased tolerance to subsequent ischemia. In the present study we propose that the cytoprotective effects attributed to 17β-estradiol and tunicamycin in an in vivo rodent model ...

Several studies have suggested that a potential mechanism for estrogen-mediated neuroprotection following experimental stroke is a result of modulating glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity. Our laboratory has shown that in male rats, estrogen injection (systemic or direct intracortical injection) resul...

Estrogen has received considerable attention as a potential therapeutic agent against various forms of neurodegenerative diseases including stroke. Experimental data in animal models of stroke have provided exhaustive evidence of the neuroprotective properties of this steroid hormone. Our laboratory...

SUMMARY 1. In recent years, the role of oestrogen in women's health has been a subject of considerable scientific and popular debate. There is unquestionable evidence that oestrogen has both potent and long-lasting effects on several vital organ systems, including the cardiovascular system, the...

Autonomic dysreflexia is an autonomic behavioural condition that manifests after spinal cord injury (SCI) and is characterized by acute, episodic hypertension following afferent stimulation below the level of the injury. Common triggers of autonomic dysreflexia include colorectal distension (CRD), a...

Estrogen and its metabolites are believed to play important roles in breast cancer. The influence of genetic polymorphisms in the enzymes responsible for formation and disposition of estrogen on breast cancer risk may shed light on the importance of estrogen metabolites in this disease. However, for...

The steroid hormone 17 beta-estradiol and its respective receptors have been found in several cardiovascular nuclei in the central nervous system including the parabrachial nucleus. In a previous study, we provided evidence that 17 beta-estradiol attenuated an outward potassium conductance in parabr...