Protective effect of dipfluzine on experimental brain edema in rats

The effects of dipfluzine (1-diphenylmethyl-4-(3-(4-fluorobenzoyl))-piperazine, Dip), a new calcium antagonist developed in China, on experimental brain edema in female Wistar rats with bilateral carotid artery ligation were compared with those of cinnarizine (Cin). Dip 25-100 mg.kg-1 i.p. protected the rats against the characteristic signs of global cerebral ischemia that correlate well with the development of brain edema. Its effects were more potent than those of Cin; and the effects of both drugs were more potent by both pretreatment and posttreatment than those by posttreatment alone. Dip 50 mg.kg-1 i.p. attenuated the reduction in cerebral blood flow (CBF) and the infarct size after occlusion, but did not alter CBF before ischemia. These findings suggested that Dip may be potentially useful to treat ischemic brain edema in part by preserving CBF in the ischemic zone.