Abstracts

Oxcarbazepine (Trileptal[reg]) is an antiepileptic drug indicated as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy for the treatment of partial seizures in adults and as adjunctive therapy in children. The purpose of this study was to examine whether oxcarbazepine reduces cerebral damage after permanent focal ischemia in rats.
Ischemia was induced by irreversible occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery (MCA) using bipolar electrocoagulation. Cortical and subcortical brain infarct volume was determined 48 h after MCA occlusion by quantitative in vivo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Oxcarbazepine at doses of 2 x 50 or 2 x 100 mg/kg i.p. was applied as two bolus injections 30 min and 24 h after MCA occlusion. Fifteen rats per placebo group and for each of the drug groups were used.
The infarcted brain tissue was clearly visible on the MRI scan 48 h after MCA occlusion. Oxcarbazepine was well tolerated at both doses used, and ataxia was the only adverse event noted. At both doses cortical, but not subcortical, infarct size was significantly reduced by -34% compared to placebo.
Oxcarbazepine significantly ameliorated cortical infarction by 34% after irreversible focal cerebral ischemia. The data suggest that oxcarbazepine may have therapeutic potential in protecting against ischemic cerebral damage following stroke or sustained neuronal firing as may occur in patients who are having seizures.
[Supported by: Novartis Pharma]