Effect of naloxone on experimental stroke in awake monkeys

Naloxone has recently been reported to be of benefit in the treatment of central nervous system ischemia. To study the effect of naloxone in an experimental stroke model, we subjected 40 awake monkeys to middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion 2 weeks after the placement of a MCA ligature by a transorbital technique. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was monitored with stereotactically placed H2 electrodes, and the neurological course was serially recorded. Infarct size was determined 2 weeks after MCA occlusion. Twenty animals served as control and received no naloxone; 10 of these underwent permanent occlusion, and 10 underwent 4-hour MCA occlusion. In 25 treatment animals, naloxone was administered in three different intravenous dosages: (a) naloxone, 2-mg/kg bolus 20 minutes postocclusion and 2 mg/kg/hour X 4 hours, in 10 animals with permanent MCA occlusion; (b) naloxone, 10-mg/kg bolus 20 minutes postocclusion and 10 mg/kg/hour X 4 hours, in 10 animals with 4-hour MCA occlusion; and (c) naloxone, 20-mg/kg bolus, in 5 animals with various neurological deficits. MCA occlusion typically produced a moderate deficit: hemiparesis, hemianopsia, and facial paresis. In most instances, naloxone in the 2- and 10-mg/kg dose regimens produced little or no change in the neurological function. CBF decreased after MCA occlusion and was unaffected by naloxone in most cases. Infarct size was not significantly different between the control and treated groups. However, the 20-mg/kg dose consistently produced a nonfunctional, transient increase in total body motor tone in normal and hemiparetic animals. Naloxone did not significantly improve useful neurological function, CBF, or infarct size in an experimental primate stroke model.