Effects of Vitamin C on the Prevention of Ischemia-Reperfusion Brain Injury: Experimental Study in Rats

Abstract

Background. Reperfusion syndrome after carotid endarterectomy is a complication associated with cerebrovascular self-regulation in a chronically hypoperfused cerebral hemisphere, leading to severe neurological damage. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant in brain metabolism that has shown some neuroprotective actions. Objective. To investigate the potential effects of vitamin C on cerebral reperfusion in comparison with placebo (saline) in rats. Methods. Male Wistar rats were divided into 3 groups: (i) Sham (n=4), animals exposed to carotid arteries dissection without clamping; (ii) Control (n=4), animals that received an intraperitoneal injection of 0.9% saline solution (0.1 mL/kg) and underwent carotid arteries dissection with temporary clamping; (iii) Vitamin C (n=4), animals that received an intraperitoneal injection of vitamin C (750 mg/kg) and underwent carotid arteries dissection with temporary clamping. Behavioral assessment was then performed in all groups, which included the open field, Morris water maze and rotarod tests. Levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the hippocampus and striatum were measured using a fluorometric assay. Results. Rats treated with vitamin C presented with a similar behavior as compared to the Sham group in all the three tests (p>0.05), but it was significantly different from controls (p<0.05). Vitamin C was also found to reduce MDA levels in both hippocampus and striatum when compared to placebo (p<0.05). Conclusion. In the present study, vitamin C was associated with behavioral and motor preservation as well as decreased cerebral MDA levels after induced cerebral ischemia in rats.