GM1 GANGLIOSIDE TREATMENT OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE STROKE-PRONE RATS

Many reports indicate that GM1 ganglioside is effective in reducing CNS ischemic injury in animal models. These models employ invasive surgery to induce ischemic damage in otherwise healthy animals. The purpose of this study was to determine if the beneficial effects of GM1 could be generalized to Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats-Stroke Prone (SHRSP). The SHRSP strain develops a pathology similar to those observed in patients with stroke. The SHRSP have ''risk'' factors that include hypertension, fibrinoid necrosis, and sensitivity to diet. Female SHRSP were randomly assigned to GM1- or saline-treatment conditions. Rats were fed a stroke-inducing diet. Daily body weights, weekly blood pressure, time of stroke onset, and age at death were recorded. Spontaneous activity and performance on a tail-hang test were assessed thrice weekly. The results indicate that GM1 treatment did not delay the time of stroke onset or death. GM1 did reduce hyperactivity in the initial stages of the ischemic pathology, but did not prevent the marked decline in behavioral activity observed at later time points. There were no differences in weight loss, performance on the tail-hang test, or number of CNS injury-related symptoms observed. These findings suggest that GM1 was not as effective in decreasing mortality, weight loss, or behavioral deficits in SHRSP as previously reported using other animal models of ischemia. Distinguishing between those animal models in which GM1 is more and less effective may be useful in determining under which clinical situations GM1 is likely to be most suitable. (C) 1994 Academic Press, Inc.