Dantrolene ameliorates delayed cell death and concomitant DNA fragmentation in the rat hippocampal CA1 neurons subjected to mild ischemia

Abstract The present study investigated whether dantrolene, which inhibits the Ca 2+ release from the intracellular Ca 2+ store sites, reduced nuclear DNA fragmentation and produced neuronal protection in a model of global forebrain ischemia. Male Wistar rats were subjected to four-vessel occlusion (4VO) for 5 min and then infused continuously with dantrolene or vehicle into the cerebral ventricle for 3 days. The intact rats did not undergo any intervention. The number of viable and DNA nick-end-labeled neurons in the hippocampal CA1 were evaluated 4 days after the ischemia. The number of viable neurons in the dantrolene-treated rats was significantly higher than that in the vehicle-treated rats and lower than that in the intact animals ( P P r =0.91, P