Effect of vineatrol in focal cerebral ischemia in rats

The present study was carried out to examine the effect of administration of vineatrol in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion model of stroke in rats. Rats were anesthetized using chloral hydrate (400 mg/kg i.p.) and subjected to 2 h of transient MCA occlusion. Vineatrol was administered at doses of 10, 20 and 40 mg/kg i.p. to different groups. In total, four injections of vineatrol were given, i.e., at the time of MCA occlusion, 1 h after MCA occlusion, at the time of reperfusion and 30 min after reperfusion. Neurological deficit and motor performance tests (grip, foot fault, rotarod performance, spontaneous locomotor activity tests) were carried out 24 h after MCA occlusion. Thereafter, the rats were sacrificed to estimate markers of oxidative stress: malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). A vehicle-treated group was also run in parallel. Vineatrol at the dose of 10 mg/kg i.p. neither improved neurological deficits nor decreased the elevated level of MDA compared with vehicle-treated MCA-occluded rats. However, higher doses of vineatrol (20 and 40 mg/kg i.p.) afforded significant protection, as shown by the increase in scoring on motor performance tests and significant attenuation of the elevated MDA level observed after MCA occlusion. Levels of GSH and SOD were significantly increased. The results demonstrate that administration of vineatrol is able to reduce the neuronal damage caused by focal ischemia in the MCA occlusion model of stroke in rats.