Brain ornithine decarboxylase activity following transient cerebral ischaemia: relationship to cerebral oedema...

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity, the first and generally rate-limiting enzyme for polyamine synthesis, is stimulated in permanent focal cerebral ischaemia in areas of incomplete ischaemia which are developing ischaemic brain oedema. As polyamines are ubiquitous ornithine-derived molecules which are obligatory in cold-induced vasogenic oedema, we studied the effect of transient dense cerebral ischaemia with reperfusion on ischaemic oedema development and ODC activity. Fifty-nine Mongolian gerbils were anaesthetized with ketamine hydrochloride (160 mg/kg i.p. plus supplementation as needed). Both common carotid arteries were isolated and a tracheotomy placed in position. EEG was monitored with needle electrodes and temperature maintained at 37-38 degrees C. Twenty-nine gerbils underwent 40 min of bilateral carotid artery occlusion followed by reperfusion times of 10 min, 1, 2, 4, 6 or 8 h. Non-ischaemic control groups were monitored for equal intervals. At sacrifice, the brain was rapidly removed and forebrain samples analysed for ODC activity (enzymatic assay) and cerebral oedema (gravimetric determination). Marked loss of EEG amplitude was noted in all gerbils subjected to bilateral carotid artery occlusion. Ischaemia produced significant levels of cortical oedema throughout the reperfusion period (maximal decrease in specific gravity at 4 h postischaemia; control: 1.0456 +/- 0.0013; ischaemia: 1.0355 +/- 0.0021, mean +/- SD; p less than 0.0001). Significant subcortical oedema was produced at 10 min, 2 and 4 h postischaemia. A biphasic response was observed in brain ODC activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)