For almost half a century, acute hippocampal slice preparations have been widely used to investigate anti-amnesic (or promnesic) properties of drug candidates on long-term potentiation (LTP)-a cellular substrate that supports some forms of learning and memory. The large variety of transgenic mice models now available makes the choice of the genetic background when designing experiments crucially important. Furthermore, different behavioral phenotypes were reported between inbred and outbred strains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnalysis of the pharmacological activity of the original drug Prospekta in a rat model of focal cerebral ischemia revealed its nootropic effect: course treatment in the post-ischemic period led to recovery of the neurological status of animals at the peak of neurological deficit. Evaluation of the therapeutic potential of the drug in morphological and functional CNS disorders allowed us to conclude that it is advisable to carry out further studies of its biological activity at the preclinical stage (the results obtained in animals were successfully confirmed in a clinical trial of drug efficacy in the treatment of moderate cognitive disorders in the early recovery period after ischemic stroke). Studies of the nootropic activity in other pathologies of the nervous system are also promising.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUsually performed in the mouse, the 6Hz seizure test is used for screening potential new anticonvulsant substances against complex partial seizures. Nevertheless, advanced models of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) are more often performed in rats, so that possible species-related differences may complicate the development of anticonvulsant substances. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the feasibility of adapting the 6Hz test in the rat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pharmacol Toxicol Methods
December 2015
Introduction: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the utility of different tests performed in the absence or presence of factors promoting seizures in order to evaluate the pro-convulsant effects of drugs. We studied the effects of theophylline in the rat since this is a well-known pro-convulsant substance in humans.
Methods: The occurrence of spontaneous convulsions following administration of theophylline was evaluated by observation in the Irwin Test and by measuring brain activity using video-EEG recording in conscious telemetered animals.
Many studies showed beneficial effects of either erythropoietin (EPO) or mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) treatment in cerebral ischemia. In addition to a neuroprotective role, not only EPO but also MSC favors neurogenesis and functional recovery. In an attempt to further improve postischemic tissue repair, we investigated the effect of a systemic administration of MSC, in the presence or not of EPO, on neurogenesis and functional recovery in a transient focal cerebral ischemia model in the adult rat.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF© LitMetric 2025. All rights reserved.