Intravenous basic fibroblast growth factor does not ameliorate brain injury resulting from transient focal ischemia in cats

This study sought to test the hypothesis that intravenous basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) inhibits the development of brain injury during transient focal ischemia. Halothane-anesthetized cats (n = 39) underwent left middle cerebral artery occlusion for 60 minutes. After the onset of reperfusion, wounds were closed and the cats were allowed to emerge from anesthesia. Experimental cats were treated with intravenous bFGF at a dose of either 2 or 5 μg/kg per hour, beginning 45 minutes after initiation of ischemia and continuing until 24 hours of reperfusion, when neurologic function and infarction volume were evaluated. The cats in the control group received diluent. Three of thirteen cats treated with bFGF 2 μg/kg/hour and six of sixteen cats treated with bFGF 5 μg/kg/hour died during the 24 hour reperfusion period. There was no difference in injury volume or neurologic evaluation score in the control group (n = 10; hemisphere injury, 1301 ± 306 mm³, mean±SE; score 53 ± 3), and cats treated with either 2 μg/kg/hour (n = 10; hemisphere injury, 1170 ± 292 mm³; score 50 ± 3) or 5 μg/kg/hour bFGF (n = 10; hemisphere injury, 1343 ± 374 mm³; score 50 ± 2). The data collected do not support the hypothesis that intravenous bFGF is neuroprotective in a cat model of transient focal ischemia.