Failure of allopurinol to protect against cerebral injury when given after the start of hypoxia

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Abstract
One cause of ischemic brain injury is free radical formation during recirculation. Allopurinol inhibits xanthine oxidase, an important source of free oxygen radicals. It is known that allopurinol pre-treatment has a protective action during cerebral ischemia. In the present study we exposed slices from the rat hippocampus to 9 minutes of hypoxia to test whether it is sufficient that allopurinol is present in the tissue at the time of reoxygenation. Forty-six slices loaded with allopurinol (10(-5) M) prior to reoxygenation (during hypoxia) were compared to 34 control slices. The response of the pyramidal cell population to orthodromic stimulation was reduced in both groups and there was not a significant difference between the two groups.