Effect of an extract of Ginkgo biloba on triethyltin-induced cerebral edema.

The effect of an extract of Ginkgo biloba was studied on cerebral edema in rats intoxicated with triethyltin chloride (TET). Brains of TET-treated rats showed elevated water and sodium levels and a significant increase in the sodium/potassium ratio. Animals treated with TET plus the extract did not show water and electrolyte changes. The course of intoxication and treatment was studied light- and electron-microscopically. A severe edema with extensive vacuolization was seen in the cerebral and cerebellar white matter. Morphometric measurements revealed a significant decrease in these manifestations of the cytotoxic edema when the animals were treated with an extract of Ginkgo biloba. Thus, we conclude that this extract has a protective effect on the development of a cytotoxic edema in the white matter of the brain.