• Marc Schoeler, Philip D Loetscher, Rolf Rossaint, Astrid V Fahlenkamp, Georg Eberhardt, Steffen Rex, Joachim Weis, and Mark Coburn.
• Department of Anesthesiology, University Hospital of the RWTH Aachen, Pauwelsstraße 30, 52074 Aachen, Germany.
• Bmc Neurol. 2012 Jan 1;12:20.

BackgroundThe α2-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine is known to provide neuroprotection under ischemic conditions. In this study we investigated whether dexmedetomidine has a protective effect in an in vitro model for traumatic brain injury.MethodsOrganotypic hippocampal slice cultures were subjected to a focal mechanical trauma and then exposed to varying concentrations of dexmedetomidine. After 72 h cell injury was assessed using propidium iodide. In addition, the effects of delayed dexmedetomidine application, of hypothermia and canonical signalling pathway inhibitors were examined.ResultsDexmedetomidine showed a protective effect on traumatically injured hippocampal cells with a maximum effect at a dosage of 1 μM. This effect was partially reversed by the simultaneous administration of the ERK inhibitor PD98059.ConclusionIn this TBI model dexmedetomidine had a significant neuroprotective effect. Our results indicate that activation of ERK might be involved in mediating this effect.

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