Cytoprotective effect of iloprost on isolated cortical brain tissue grafts in rats

The cytoprotective effect of iloprost was studied on isolated embryonic cortical brain tissue grafts of rats, using light and transmission electronmicroscopy. The brain tissue pieces were stored either in saline or 50 ng/ml iloprost solution for 30 minutes, 3, 6, 24 hours at +4 degrees C. It was demonstrated that iloprost significantly protected the neuronal integration of the tissue pieces compared with saline preserved pieces. Tissues preserved in iloprost showed only minimal dissolution of the tissue with minimal extracellular edema only in the later stages of preservation. The mechanism of action of the cytoprotective effect of iloprost is discussed.