The FASEB Journal, Vol 10, 891-896, Copyright © 1996 by The Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS

Neuroprotection by melatonin from kainate-induced excitotoxicity in rats

P Giusti, M Lipartiti, D Franceschini, N Schiavo, M Floreani and H Manev
Department of Pharmacology, University of Padua, Italy.

In this study, we injected 10 mg/kg kainate i.p. into rats. This resulted in a brain injury, which we quantified in the hippocampus, the amygdala, and the pyriform cortex. Neuronal damage was preceded by a set of typical behavioral signs and by biochemical changes (noradrenaline decrease and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid increase) in the affected brain areas. Melatonin (2.5 mg/kg) was injected i.p. four times: 20 min before kainate, immediately after, and 1 and 2 h after the kainate. The cumulative dose of 10 mg/kg melatonin prevented kainate-induced neuronal death as well as behavioral and biochemical disturbances. A possible mechanism of melatonin-provided neuroprotection lies in its antioxidant action. Our results suggest that melatonin holds potential for the treatment of pathologies such as epilepsy-associated brain damage, stroke, and brain trauma.

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