MitoKATP opener, diazoxide, reduces neuronal damage after middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat

1 Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-1083; and 2 Institute of Human Physiology and Clinical Experimental Research, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary 1082 We investigated effects of diazoxide, a selective opener of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive K + (mitoK ATP ) channels, against brain damage after middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in male Wistar rats. Diazoxide (0.4 or 2 mM in 30 µl saline) or saline (sham) was infused into the right lateral ventricle 15 min before MCAO. Neurological score was improved 24 h later in the animals treated with 2 mM diazoxide (13.8 ± 0.7, n = 13) compared with sham treatment (9.5 ± 0.2, n = 6, P