Protective effects of magnesium salicylate on cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury of rats

AIM: To observe the protective effects of magnesium salicylate (Mag) on cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury. METHODS: Pulsinelli four vessel occlusion method was used to make acute cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in Wistar rats. Rats were divided into 5 groups: sham-operation, reperfusion, nimodipine 2 mg/kg, Mag 5 mg/kg and Mag 10 mg/kg group. Drugs were injected iv to the rats before complete ischemia, before reperfusion and during reperfusion. RESULTS: After 40 min ischemia and 1 h reperfusion, brain water content increased from 79.0% to 83.2%, brain calcium content elevated from 173 to 239 μg/g brain dry weight, accompaning with malondialdehyde content grew from 15. 6 to 24.6 μmol/g protein, whereas lactic dehydrogenase content reduced from 20.7 to 11.2 KU/g protein. Nimodipine (NIM) and Mag attenuated these changes. Mag improved the EEG amplitude after reperfusion. CONCLUSION: Mag protected brain tissue from ischemia reperfusion injury via its calcium antagonism.