Neuroprotective effect of excitatory amino acid antagonist kynurenic acid in experimental bacterial meningitis

Leib, Stephen; Kim, YS; Ferriero, DM; Täuber, Martin G. (1996). Neuroprotective effect of excitatory amino acid antagonist kynurenic acid in experimental bacterial meningitis. Journal of infectious diseases, 173(1), pp. 166-171. Cary, N.C.: Oxford University Press 10.1093/infdis/173.1.166

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Sustained high-level exposure to glutamate, an excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter, leads to neuronal death. Kynurenic acid attenuates the toxic effects of glutamate by inhibition of neuronal excitatory amino acid receptors, including the N-methyl-D-aspartate subtype. To evaluate the role of glutamate in causing neuronal injury in a rat model of meningitis due to group B streptococci, animals were treated with kynurenic acid (300 mg/kg subcutaneously once daily) or saline beginning at the time of infection. Histopathologic examination after 24-72 h showed two distinct forms of neuronal injury, areas of neuronal necrosis in the cortex and injury of dentate granule cells in the hippocampus. Animals treated with kynurenic acid showed significantly less neuronal injury (P < .03) in the cortex and the hippocampus than did untreated controls. These results suggest an important contribution of glutamate to neurotoxicity in this animal model of neonatal meningitis.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

04 Faculty of Medicine > Service Sector > Institute for Infectious Diseases

UniBE Contributor:

Leib, Stephen, Täuber, Martin G.

Subjects:

500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology
600 Technology > 610 Medicine & health

ISSN:

0022-1899

ISBN:

8537654

Publisher:

Oxford University Press

Language:

English

Submitter:

Stephen Leib

Date Deposited:

04 Oct 2013 15:00

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:18

Publisher DOI:

10.1093/infdis/173.1.166

PubMed ID:

8537654

Web of Science ID:

A1996TM34300024

BORIS DOI:

10.7892/boris.25777

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/25777 (FactScience: 60923)

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