Takeshi Nishio (1,#), Nobuhiko Sunohara (1), Shoei Furukawa (2), Ichiro
Akiguchi (3) and Yukitsuka Kudo (4)
(1) Department of Neurology, Musashi Hospital, National Center of Neurology
and Psychiatry, 4-1-1, Ogawahigashi, Kodaira, Tokyo 187, Japan
(2) Department of Molecular Biology, Gifu Pharmaceutical University, 5-6-1,
Mitahorahigashi, Gifu 502, Japan
(3) Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Shogoin-Kawaharacho,
Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606, Japan
(4) Department of CNS Pharmacology, Tanabe Seiyaku Co., Ltd., Kawagishi
2-2-50, Toda 335, Japan
(#) Present address for correspondence: Department of Integrative Brain
Science, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
Abstract: We studied whether nicergoline, clinically active in
chronic cerebrovascular insufficiency, influences nerve growth factor (NGF)
levels in the rat brain. In young Fischer rats, repeated intraperitoneal
injections of nicergoline (0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg body weight) did not show any
effects on frontal NGF contents determined by a highly sensitive enzyme
immunoassay. In aged rats, 22-month-old, however, repeated injections of
nicergoline (1.0 mg/kg body weight) induced a significant increase in the
NGF level in the frontal region.
Keywords: Nerve growth factor, Nicergoline, Aged rat brain