Edaravone, a radical scavenger, inhibits mitochondrial permeability transition pore in rat brain

Edaravone, a radical scavenger, prevents ischemia/reperfusion injury in the brain, but the detailed mechanism is not known. This study examines the effect of edaravone on mitochondrial permeability transition pore (PTP) in rat brain. Edaravone at 10 - 100 mu M inhibited Ca2+- and H2O2-induced swelling of mitochondria isolated from rat brain. Addition of Ca2+ generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) in isolated mitochondria. Edaravone (10 - 1 00 mu M) inhibited Ca2+-induced generation of ROS. These results suggest that edaravone inhibits opening of mitochondrial PTP in the brain, and they imply that inhibition of mitochondrial PTP may account for the neuroprotective effect of edaravone.