Inability of flunarizine, lidoflazine or magnesium to counteract delayed hypoperfusion after forebrain ischaemia in the rat.

Local cerebral blood flow (lCBF) was measured autoradiographically 60 min after 15 min of forebrain ischaemia in rats treated with flunarizine (0.1 mg/kg b.w.), lidoflazine (1.0 mg/kg b.w.) or Mg2+ (600 mumol/kg b.w.) before or at the end of the ischaemic period. Incomplete forebrain ischaemia was produced by a combination of common carotid artery occlusion and bleeding to a mean arterial blood pressure of 50 mmHg. During ischaemia lCBFs in cortical areas were less than 1% of preischaemic values. Neither flunarizine, lidoflazine nor Mg2+ influenced lCBF during ischaemia. Sixty minutes after the start of recirculation lCBFs were decreased to between 40 and 60% of the values found in control animals. None of the instituted treatments improved postischaemic cerebral blood flow. The results do not lend support to the view that calcium plays an essential role in the pathogenesis of delayed postischaemic hypoperfusion in the brain in this model.