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Birds as Potential Models in Ischemic Injury

Peter Proctor   (23 July 2010)  Drugscom,inc.

Humans differ from traditional animal models for acute ischemic injury (as in stroke ) in that they have high blood levels of the conditionally pro- or anti-oxidant and antiexcitotoxic agent uric acid. Urate has even been proposed as a treatment for stroke. High human levels of blood urate may partially-explain the repeated failure of human stroke trials with "urate-like" antioxidant or antiexcitotoxic drugs which had worked well in animal models.

Birds also use uric acid as an important antioxidant, e.g, in turkeys, which sometimes develop gout. As with humans, the relative longevity of bird species such as parrots may be related to high urate levels. Perhaps a way around the uric acid problem is to also screen potential neuroprotectants in some avian model such as pigeons, turkeys, or chickens.

Competing interests

No competing interest

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