Cerebroprotective action of the phospholipase inhibitor quinacrine in the ischemia/reperfused gerbil hippocampus.

The phospholipase inhibitor quinacrine (mepacrine; 5 mg/kg, i.p.) was tested for cerebroprotective activity in a gerbil stroke model. Quinacrine significantly reduced stroke injury assessed by locomotor activity monitoring and by histopathological measurement of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cell loss. It is proposed that phospholipase activation, resulting from elevated levels of intracellular calcium, may contribute to ischemia-evoked neuronal injury.