vitamin e derivative alpha-tocotrienol failed to show neuroprotective effects after embolic stroke in rats

objective(s) previous studies have demonstrated that pretreatment with alpha-tocotrienol (a-tct) can reduce ischemic damage in mice following middle cerebral artery (mca) occlusion. it is also reported to decrease stroke- dependent brain tissue damage in 12-lox-deficient mice and spontaneously hypertensive rats. in the present study, the neuroprotective effects of a-tct and rosiglitazone (rgz) at 3 hr after cerebral ischemia were investigated. materials and methods stroke was induced by embolizing a preformed clot into the mca. rats were assigned to vehicle, a-tct (1 or 10 mg/kg), rgz and sham-operation. results compared to the control group, only rgz decreased infarct volume (p<0.05), neurological deficits (p<0.05) and sensory impairments (p<0.01) but low and high doses of a-tct did not show any significant neuroprotective effect. conclusion our data showed that a-tct was not neuroprotective at 3 hr after the embolic model of stroke. further studies should be undertaken to clarify the neuroprotective effects of a-tct after stroke.