Does early intravenous infusion of sodium nitrite protect brain against in vivo ischemia-reperfusion injury?
Nitrite exerted profound neuroprotective effects with antioxidant properties in the ischemic brains. These results suggest that nitrite, as a biological storage reserve of NO, may be a novel therapeutic agent in the setting of acute stroke.
(1) Vascular responses of cerebral arterioles to NMDA after H/I are preserved by pretreatment with NS1619 or aprikalim, indicating a neuroprotective effect. (2) CGRP and papaverine do not preserve the vascular response to NMDA despite causing vasodilation similar to that with NS1619 or aprikalim. This suggests that activation of potassium channels on neurons accounts for the protective effect of potassium channel agonists. (3) Preserved arteriolar dilation to kainate suggests largely intact functioning of neuronal nitric oxide synthase after H/I.