Effect of DPPD (diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine) on stroke and cerebral edema in gerbils.

Diphenyl-para-phenylenediamine (DPPD) is an antioxidant that has been shown to decrease liver damage due to the peroxidative process of carbon tetrachloride in rats and to ameliorate cold-induced cerebral edema in cats. Because lipid peroxidation disrupts the integrity of the plasma membrane, a process believed to occur in cerebral infraction, which is a major cause of cerebral edema. DPPD was tested for its protective effect against cerebral infarction. When given intraperitoneally in gerbils with unilateral ligation of the common carotid artery, DPPD had no effect on resultant incidence, morbidity, or mortality of cerebral infarction. Despite these findings, the authors believe, on the basis of what is known about free radical pathology, that DPPD and other antioxidants deserve further laboratory trials as possible drugs in the treatment of brain trauma and cerebral edema.