Opioid-Induced Hibernation Protects Against Stroke

Main Category: Stroke
Also Included In: Alcohol / Addiction / Illegal Drugs;  Pain / Anesthetics
Article Date: 18 Jun 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Using an opioid drug to induce a hibernatory state in rats reduces the damage caused by an artificial stroke. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have shown that those animals put into the chemical fugue suffered less behavioral dysfunctions after a period of cerebral artery blockage than control rats.

Cesar Borlongan, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair, in Tampa, FL, worked with a team of researchers from the National Institutes of Health, USA, to investigate the role of the opioid system in brain injury and protection. He said, "Studies in hibernating and active squirrels have shown that 'natural hibernation' has anti-ischemic effects. We've shown that a drug that induces hibernation can achieve similar results".

Borlongan and his colleagues dosed the rats with [D-ala2,D-leU5]enkephalin (DADLE), a drug from the same pharmaceutical family as morphine and heroin. They found that, after an experimental stroke, the pretreated animals performed better than control rats in a series of behavioral tests. The researchers write, "DADLE prevented cell death processes and behavioral abnormalities. The observation that this substance, previously shown to induce hibernation, attenuated deficits inherent in cerebral ischemia provides a new pharmacological target for stroke therapy".

Notes:

1. Hibernation-like state induced by an opioid peptide protects against experimental stroke Cesar V Borlongan, Teruo Hayashi, Peter R Oeltgen, Tsung-Ping Su and Yun Wang BMC Biology (in press)

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4. USF Health is dedicated to creating a model of health care based on understanding the full spectrum of health. It includes the University of South Florida's colleges of medicine, nursing, and public health; the schools of biomedical sciences as well as physical therapy & rehabilitation sciences; and the USF Physicians Group. With more than $360 million in research grants and contracts last year, USF is one of the nation's top 63 public research universities and one of 39 community-engaged, four-year public universities designated by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Source:
Graeme Baldwin
BioMed Central