X-Message-Number: 15980
Date: Sat, 31 Mar 2001 08:20:14 -0800 (PST)
From: Doug Skrecky <>
Subject: difluoromethylornithine inhibits brain freeze damage

Title
  Blood brain barrier breakdown in brain edema following cold injury is
  mediated by microvascular polyamines.
Source
  Biochemical & Biophysical Research Communications.  116(3):1039-48, 1983 Nov
  15.
Abstract
  A focal freeze injury to rat cerebral cortex induces an early (less than 5
  min) increase in brain ornithine decarboxylase activity and an accumulation
  of polyamines involving cerebral microvessels. This polyamine synthesis
  correlates with the abnormal increase in microvascular permeability,
  monitored by uptake of Evans Blue and sod. fluorescein. The ornithine
  decarboxylase inhibitor alpha-difluoromethylornithine
  suppressed the injury-induced increment in spermidine and spermine and
  microvascular permeability. Putrescine nullified
  alpha-difluoromethylornithine inhibition and restored
  microvessel spermidine and spermine and the pathological increase in
  microvascular permeability. These results indicate that polyamine synthesis
  is obligatory for blood-brain barrier breakdown.
  alpha-Difluoromethylornithine may be useful in the treatment
  of vasogenic brain edema.

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