A preliminary histopathological study of the effect of agmatine on diffuse brain injury in rats

The present study evaluates the effects of agmatine on histopathological damage following traumatic injury using a clinically relevant model of diffuse brain injury. A total of 27 male Sprague-Dawley rats weighing 200-225g were anaesthetised and subjected to head trauma using Marmarou's impact-acceleration model. The rats were then separated into two main groups: one was treated with agmatine and the other with saline for up to 4 days immediately after head trauma. Rats from both groups were killed 1, 3 or 8 days post-injury. The brains were examined histopathologically and scored according to the axonal, neuronal and vascular changes associated with diffuse brain injury. There were no significant differences between the groups at 1day or 3 days after trauma, but evaluation after 8 days revealed a significant improvement in the group treated with agmatine. Our data indicate that agmatine has a beneficial effect in diffuse brain injury and should be trialled for therapeutic use in the management of this condition.