Monosialoganglioside effects following cerebral ischemia: relationship with anti-neuronotoxic and pro-neuronotrophic effects.

Increasing evidence is available indicating that systemically administered GM1 is able to provide for functional recovery in different experimental models of CNS injury, including cerebral ischemia. Current evidence indicates that the GM1 effects are associated, in the acute phase, with attenuation of secondary neuronal damage due to its capability to antagonize excitatory amino acid-related neurotoxicity in vivo as in vitro. Furthermore, the ganglioside is able to facilitate occurrence of long-term reparative processes, an effect most likely reflecting the potentiation of the action of neuronotrophic factors. This bifaceted action of GM1 makes the ganglioside ideally suited for clinical treatment of patients afflicted by cerebrovascular insufficiencies.