From: Anders Sandberg (asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Fri Apr 11 2003 - 11:34:13 MDT
On Fri, Apr 11, 2003 at 07:39:32AM -0700, Robert J. Bradbury wrote:
>
> Science Daily is reporting on a study where caffeinol --
> a mixture of caffeine and ethanol may be able to
> limit damage caused by ischemic strokes.
It is fun to see that it has approached clinical use. I posted about
this a few years ago, when it was just animal experiments. Things have
moved a bit since then:
http://www.neurologyreviews.com/jan00/nr_jan00_alcoholcaffeine.html
> I'm kind of blown away because I can't even begin to
> imagine how this works at the molecular level.
Caffeine affects adenosine receptors, and that is likely important for
reducing glutamate toxicity. Ethanol does strange things to cell
membrances and receptors.
As Doug mentioned (I think this was the one I got too):
Title
Combination of low dose
ethanol and caffeine protects brain from damage produced by
focal ischemia in rats.
Source
Neuropharmacology. 39(3):515-22, 2000 Jan 28.
Abstract
Caffeine and ethanol are two commonly overused psychoactive
dietary components. The purpose of this study was to assess the
effects of
acute, chronic, oral (p.o.) and intravenous (i.v.) caffeine,
ethanol and their combination on infarct
volume following focal ischemia in rats. Rats received
treatment either p.o. 3 h and 1 h before, or by i.v. infusion for 2.5
h
beginning 30-180 min after, ischemia. There were six acute treatment
groups.
(1) oral dH2O (control); (2) oral caffeine (10 mg/kg); (3) oral
ethanol (0.65 g/kg total); (4) oral ethanol
plus caffeine; (5) intravenous saline; and (6) intravenous
ethanol (0.65 g/kg) plus caffeine (10 mg/kg) in saline. A
7th group received oral ethanol plus caffeine for three
weeks prior to ischemia. After 3 h of left MCA/CCA occlusion and 24 h
reperfusion, infarct volume was determined. Control animal infarct
volume was
102.4+/-42.0 mm3. Oral caffeine alone had no effect (122.4+/-30.2
mm3). Oral
ethanol alone exacerbated infarct volume (177.2+/-27.8 mm3).
Oral caffeine plus ethanol almost entirely eliminated the
damage (17.89+/-10.41 mm3). When i.v. treatment with ethanol
plus caffeine was initiated at 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes
post-ischemia the
infarct volume was reduced by 71.7%, 49.8%, 64.8% and 47.1%,
respectively.
Chronic daily oral ethanol plus caffeine prior to ischemia
eliminated the neuroprotection seen with acute treatment. These
studies
indicate that ethanol, which by itself aggravates cerebral
ischemia, and caffeine, when combined together immediately before or
for 2 h
after focal stroke, reduces ischemic damage.
-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Anders Sandberg Towards Ascension! asa@nada.kth.se http://www.nada.kth.se/~asa/ GCS/M/S/O d++ -p+ c++++ !l u+ e++ m++ s+/+ n--- h+/* f+ g+ w++ t+ r+ !y
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