Investigation of ademol effect on the exchange of nitrogen monoxide in the brain of rats with traumatic brain injury

Background. High concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) lead to the progression of cerebral circulation disorders against a background of traumatic brain injury (TBI). One of the leading molecular mechanisms of the neurocytoprotective action of mo­dern pharmacological agents is their corrective effect on NO metabolism. Purpose. To evaluate the effect of ademol compared with amantadine sulfate on the state of the L-arginine/NO system in the brain of TBI rats. Materials and methods. The experiments were performed on male rats. An experimental model of heavy TBI was created using a pneumatic gun. The therapeutic effect of ademol in TBI was evaluated at a dose of 2 mg/kg intravenously twice per day for 8 days. As a drug for the control group 0.9% NaCl at a dose of 2 ml/kg was used, and the comparison drug was amantadine sulfate at a dose of 5 mg/kg. To determine the effectiveness of the study drugs the level of L-arginine and the total activity of NO-synthases were used. Results. A comparative analysis of the efficacy of ademol and amantadine sulfate on the 8th day of observation showed that in the TBI group of animals treated with ademol, L-arginine content in the brain was higher by 112 % (p < 0.05) than in the control group. Under these conditions, the total activity of NO-synthase in the brain was lower by 26.6 % (p < 0.05) compared to untreated TBI animals. However, in animals treated with amantadine sulfate, the level of L-arginine in the brain was 72.0 % higher (p < 0.05) than in the control pathology group. The total activity of NO-synthase in the brain was lower by 15.4 % (p < 0.05). Conclusion. Experimental modelling of traumatic brain injury was accompanied by the development in its structures of perturbations in the L-arginine/NO-synthase system. One of the pathogenic mechanisms of the brain protective effect on TBI is the ability of ademol to prevent depletion of L-arginine amino acid reserves in the damaged brain and hyperactivation of NO-synthase, with ademol exceeding amantadine sulfate (p < 0.05).