Effects of phenobarbital in cerebral ischemia. Part I: cerebral energy metabolism during pronounced incomplete ischemia.

Changes in cerebral cortex concentrations of high-energy phosphates, glycolytic metabolites, citric acid cycle intermediates, associated amino acids, and ammonia, were studied after 5, 15 and 30 min of incomplete ischemia in rats anesthetized with 70% N2O or 150 mg.kg-1 of phenobartibal. Previous results have shown that with this type of ischemia (bilateral carotid artery occlusion combined with reduction in blood pressure to 50 mm Hg) cortical blood flow is reduced to below 10% of nitrous oxide values, whether animals are anesthetized with 70% N2O or 150 mg.kg-1 of phenobarbital. In animals under 70% N2O, changes in tissue concentrations of phosphocreatine, ATP, ADP and AMP were similar to those previously obtained in complete ischemia. However, some glucose remained in the tissue, and the lactate concentrations gradually rose to reach excessive values. Changes occuring in glycolytic and citric acid cycle intermediates were similar to those seen in complete ischemia but, after 30 min, there was some reduction in the pool size of amino acids. In those animals given phenobarbital and which lost all EEG activity during ischemia, changes in cerebral metabolites were virtually identical to those observed in nitrous oxide-anesthetized animals. However, some animals exposed to 5 or 15 min of ischemia had some remaining EEG activity. In these, cerebral energy state was significantly less deranged, and levels of glycogen, glucose and pyruvate were higher.