Effects of cannabinoid receptor agonist WIN 55,212-2 on blood-brain barrier disruption in focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Oak Z. Chi, Sylviana Barsoum, Jeremy Grayson, Christine Hunter, Xia Liu, Harvey Weiss

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study was performed to investigate whether WIN 55,212-2 (WIN), a cannabinoid receptor agonist, could attenuate blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption in focal cerebral ischemia in rats and whether the CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant could prevent this attenuation. A total of 0.3 or 1 mg/kg of WIN was injected intravenously before and after permanent middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion. Some animals were pretreated with rimonabant 2 mg/kg i.p. before receiving 0.3 mg/kg of WIN. At 1 h after MCA occlusion, BBB permeability was determined by measuring the transfer coefficient (K i) of 14C-α-aminoisobutyric acid and the volume of dextran distribution. With MCA occlusion, Ki increased in the ischemic cortex (IC) in all of the experimental groups. However, the K i of the IC of the WIN 0.3 and 1 mg/kg groups was lower (-46 and -42%, respectively, p < 0.05) than that of the control group. With rimonabant pretreatment, the Ki of the IC became higher (+88%, p < 0.05) than with WIN 0.3 mg/kg alone and similar to that of the control rats. The difference in the volume of dextran distribution between the IC and the contralateral cortex was significant in the control but not in the WIN-treated rats. With rimonabant pretreatment, however, the difference became significant. Our data demonstrated that WIN could attenuate BBB disruption in focal cerebral ischemia and this attenuation could be prevented with rimonabant. Our data suggest an involvement of CB1 receptors in the regulation of BBB disruption in the early stage of stroke.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)333-338
Number of pages6
JournalPharmacology
Volume89
Issue number5-6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2012

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Pharmacology

Keywords

  • Blood-brain barrier
  • Cannabinoid receptor
  • Focal cerebral ischemia
  • Rimonabant
  • WIN 55,212-2

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