Figure 2.
Epicatechin (EC) treatment reduces N-methyl-aspartate (NMDA)-induced acute excitotoxicity in mice. (A) A schematic diagram showing the pretreatment protocol of EC administration in wild-type (WT) mice injected with NMDA. (B, C) Mice were pretreated with either vehicle or 30 mg/kg EC (n=12/group) before being administered a unilateral intrastriatal injection of 15 nmol NMDA. At 48 hours after NMDA injection, mice were killed and brains were processed for lesion volume analysis. (B) Representative photographs of Cresyl Violet-stained brain sections of mice that were pretreated with vehicle (left) or EC (right) followed by a unilateral intrastriatal NMDA injection. (C) Bar graph showing the volume of brain damage induced by NMDA. The brain lesion volume was attenuated in the EC-treated group compared with the vehicle-treated group. Values are reported as means ± s.e.m. *P<0.03 versus vehicle-treated group.