Effect of the serotonin antagonist ketanserin on the hemodyanmic and morphological consequences of thrombotic infarction

Abstract

The effect of the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) antagonist ketanserin on the remote hemodynamic consequences of thrombotic brain infarction was studied in rats. Treated rats received an injection of 1 mg/kg ketanserin 30 min before and 1 h following photochemically induced cortical infarction. Local CBF (LCBF) was assessed autoradiographically with [14C]iodoantipyrine 4 h following infarction, and chronic infarct size was documented at 5 days. Thrombotic infarction led to significant decreases in LCBF within non-infarcted cortical regions. For example, mean LCBF was decreased to 63, 55, and 65% of control (nontreated normal rats) in ipsilateral frontal, lateral, and auditory cortices, respectively. In rats treated with ketanserin, significant decreases in LCBF were not documented within remote cortical areas compared with controls. In contrast to these hemodynamic effects, morphological analysis of chronic infarct size demonstrated no differences in infarct volume between treated (27 ± 3 mm3) and nontreated (27 ± 6 mm3) rats. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that 5-HT is involved in the widespread hemodynamic consequences of experimentally induced thrombotic infarction. Remote hemodynamic consequences of acute infarction can be inhibited without altering final infarct size.