Leukotriene C4 induces vasogenic cerebral edema in rats.

Materials and Methods. Wistar rats weighing 434 to 478 g were anesthetizedith ketamine (87 mg/kg) and xylazine (13 mg/kg) injected intramuscularly. PE-10 polyethylene catheters were inserted into the femoral artery and vein. The arterial catheter was connected to a blood pressure transducer and systemic arterial blood pressure was continuously imonitored. Buffered evans blue (0.75 ml) was injected into the femoral vein. A burr hole was made over the right parietal cortex. A 10 ~1 J & W Scientific Inc. syringe with a deactivated fused sillia needle (125 ~111 diameter) was mounted on the arm of a stereotaxic frame. With the aid of niagnification the tip of the needle was manipulated 2.5 mm deep into the brain parenchyma. Rats were injected with either 10 til of saline (n=5), or 10 crl of water (n=4), or 10 ~1 of 0.2 mg/ml LTC (n=5) into the brain parenchyma, slowly over 5 min, 15 min after in t ravenous injection of evans blue. Rats were decapitated 1 h later and their brains removed and frozen. The frozen brains were coronally sliced through the plane of injection and at 2 mm intervals anterior and posterior to the first slice. The posterior surface of each slice was photographed and the :c area of evans blue extravasation estimated with polar planimetry. LTC Frosst Canada Inc. at a con entration of 0.2 mg/ml water. ? was supplied by Dr. R. Rokach of Merck-