Opioid-Induced Hibernation Protects against Stroke in Rats

Using an opioid drug to induce a hibernatory state in laboratory rats was shown to reduce the damage caused by an artificial stroke. Researchers have shown that those animals put into the chemical sleep suffered less behavioral dysfunctions after a period of cerebral artery blockage than control rats did.

Dr. Cesar Borlongan, a neuroscientist at the University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair (Tampa, FL, USA), worked with researchers from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD, USA) to examine the role of the opioid system in brain injury and protection. He said, "Studies in hibernating and active squirrels have shown that ‘natural hibernation' has anti-ischemic effects. We've shown that a drug that induces hibernation can achieve similar results.”

Dr. Borlongan and his colleagues dosed the rats with [D-ala2,D-leU5]enkephalin (DADLE), a pharmaceutical agent from the same pharmaceutical family as morphine and heroin. They discovered that, after an induced stroke, the pretreated animals performed better than control rats in a series of behavioral tests. The researchers reported in their study, "DADLE prevented cell death processes, and behavioral abnormalities. The observation that this substance, previously shown to induce hibernation, attenuated deficits inherent in cerebral ischemia provides a new pharmacological target for stroke therapy.”

The researchers published their findings June 2009 in the open access journal BMC Biology.

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University of South Florida Center for Aging and Brain Repair