Hyperglycemia augments ischemic brain injury: in vivo MR imaging/spectroscopic study with nicardipine in cats with occluded middle cerebral arteries.

Hyperglycemia is often associated with an increased frequency of cerebrovascular disease and exacerbation of neuronal injury in focal ischemic cerebral infarction. We used a combination of high-field proton MR imaging and 1H and 31P MR spectroscopy to investigate whether hyperglycemia would adversely influence cerebral metabolism and eventual infarct size following unilateral occlusion of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) of cats pretreated with the calcium channel blocker nicardipine. Normoglycemic animals injected with 10 micrograms/kg of nicardipine (8 micrograms.kg-1.hr-1 maintenance dose) manifested only mild disturbances in phosphorus metabolism and cerebral pH regulation compared with untreated controls, and showed a significant reduction in infarct size 7 hr after MCA occlusion. By comparison, hyperglycemic cats (plasma glucose, 200-300 mg/dl) had significantly reduced cerebral high-energy phosphates, elevated lactic acid, and larger ischemic lesions in the occluded MCA territory, irrespective of whether they were treated with nicardipine. These results indicate that moderate hyperglycemia can exaggerate ischemic brain damage by enhancing formation of tissue lactic acid and impairing normal phosphorus metabolism. One implication of this study is that dextrose should not be provided to patients with acute ischemic stroke.