the term &# 34 ; halogen &# 34 ; as used herein in the definition of the compounds of the formula i includes fluorine , chlorine , bromine , and iodine . the term &# 34 ; lower &# 34 ; in reference to alkyl , alkoxy , alkanoyl , and alkoxycarbonyl pertains to a straight or branched carbon chain of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms , such as methyl , ethyl , propyl , isopropyl , n - butyl , sec - butyl , iso - butyl , or t - butyl . the compounds of structural formula i are basic in nature and form pharmaceutically acceptable salts with both organic and inorganic acids . examples of such acids are acetic , hydrochloric , phosphoric , nitric , sulfuric , fumaric , citric , maleic , malic , and the like . the salts are prepared by contacting the free base form of the pyridinyl urea with an equivalent amount of the desired acid in the conventional manner . the free base forms may be regenerated by treating the salt form with a base . for example , dilute aqueous basic solutions may be utilized . dilute aqueous sodium hydroxide , sodium carbonate , or ammonia are suitable for this purpose . the free base forms differ from their respective salt forms somewhat in certain physical properties such as solubility in polar solvents , but the salts are otherwise equivalent to their respective free base forms for purposes of the invention . the compounds of the invention of formula i can exist in unsolvated as well as solvated forms , including hydrated forms . in general , the solvated forms , with pharmaceutically acceptable solvents such as water , ethanol , and the like are equivalent to the unsolvated forms for purposes of the invention . a preferred embodiment of the compound of the formula i employed as a neuroprotective agent is where r 3 is hydrogen or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof . another preferred embodiment of the compound of the formula i is where r 1 and r 2 are each independently halogen or lower alkyl , or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof . still another preferred embodiment of the compound of formula i is where r 1 and r 2 are each independently chlorine or methyl . the compounds of formula i may be prepared by reacting an isocyanate of the formula ## str2 ## with an equimolar amount of 3 - or 4 - aminopyridine in an inert solvent , such as tetrahydrofuran , dioxane , and the like , at elevated temperatures , such as at the boiling point of the solvent used . the starting materials such as the various isocyanates are known and can be purchased commercially or synthesized by known methods . the additional compounds , which are anticonvulsant compounds and can be used as agents for treating neurogenerative diseases or disorders as heretofore discussed , include ralitoline , phenytoin , lamotrigine , tetrodotoxin , lidocaine , and carbamazepine . the methods for making and administering each of these compounds are known to those skilled in the art and can be shown respectively by reference to the following publications : european patent 124 , 911 , u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 409 , 754 and 4 , 602 , 017 , kishi et al , am chem soc 1972 ; 94 : 9219 , u . s . pat . nos . 2 , 441 , 498 and 2 , 948 , 718 . as it will be illustrated at a later point , each of these compounds have been shown in vitro to have neuroprotective capabilities . it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the use of the anticonvulsant compounds disclosed herein . similar compounds which prevent irreversible neuronal damage from conditions similar to ischemia are also included in the present invention . in addition , anticonvulsant compounds that bind to sodium channels or that cause a voltage - dependent block to sodium currents or that modulate ion channels without simply blocking them are also included in the present invention . the compounds of structural formula i , and the additionally disclosed anticonvulsant compounds , can be prepared and administered in a wide variety of oral and parenteral dosage forms . the compounds of structural formula i or the other disclosed anticonvulsant compounds can also be administered intravenously . for example , a useful oral dosage is between 50 and 5000 mg , a useful parenteral dosage is between 50 and 2000 mg , and a useful intravenous dosage is between 10 and 1000 mg . for preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compounds described by this invention , inert , pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid . solid form preparations include powders , tablets , dispersible granules , capsules , cachets , and suppositories . a solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents , flavoring agents , solubilizers , lubricants , suspending agents , binders , or tablet disintegrating agents ; it can also be an encapsulating material . in powders , the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in admixture with the finely divided active compounds of the present invention . in the tablet the active compound is mixed with carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired . the powders and tablets preferably contain from 5 % to 10 % to about 70 % of the active ingredient . suitable solid carriers are magnesium carbonate , magnesium stearate , talc , sugar , lactose , pectin , dextrin , starch , gelatin , tragacanth , methyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , a low melting wax , cocoa butter , and the like . the term &# 34 ; preparation &# 34 ; is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as carrier providing a capsule in which the active component ( with or without other carriers ) is surrounded by carrier , which is thus in association with it . similarly , cachets are included . tablets , powders , cachets , and capsules can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration . liquid form preparations include solutions , suspensions , and emulsions . as an example , water or water - propylene glycol solutions may be mentioned for parenteral injections . liquid preparations can also be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution . aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants , flavors , stabilizing , and thickening agents as desired . aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material , i . e ., natural or synthetic gums , resins , methyl cellulose , sodium carboxymethyl cellulose , and other well - known suspending agents . preferably , the pharmaceutical preparation is in unit dosage form . in such form , the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component . the unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation , the package containing discrete quantities of preparation , for example , packeted tablets , capsules , and powders in vials or ampoules . the unit dosage form can also be a capsule , cachet , or tablet itself or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form . the quantity of active compound in a unit dose of preparation may be varied or adjusted from 10 mg to 1000 mg according to the particular application and the potency of the active ingredient . in therapeutic use as agents for treating neurodegenerative diseases or disorders , the compounds utilized in the pharmaceutical methods of this invention are administered at the initial dosage of about 1 mg / kg to about 30 mg / kg daily . a daily dose range of about 3 mg / kg to about 10 mg / kg is preferred . the dosages , however , may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient , the severity of the condition being treated , and the compound being employed . determination of the proper dosage for the particular situation is within the skill of the art . generally , treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less than the optimum dose of the compound . thereafter , the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached . for convenience , the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day if desired . the advantages of using the compounds of the instant invention include the relatively nontoxic nature of the compound , the ease of preparation , the fact that the compound is well tolerated , and the ease of administration of the drug . the following nonlimiting examples illustrate the preferred methods for preparing and using the compounds of the invention . a solution of 4 . 7 g ( 0 . 05 mol ) of 4 - aminopyridine in 300 ml of anhydrous tetrahydrofuran was treated with 9 . 4 g ( 0 . 05 mol ) of 2 , 6 - dichlorophenylisocyanate . the solution was heated at reflux for 24 hours , cooled , and concentrated in vacuo to a solid . recrystallization from aqueous ethanol afforded the crystalline product , mp 217 - 219 ° c . in a similar manner as described in example 1 , the following compounds were prepared by reacting the appropriate isocyanate with 3 - or 4 - aminopyridine : an in vitro model with rat hippocampal brain slices exposed to hypoxia - hypoglycemia was used to simulate ischemia . neuroprotection was measured by the recovery of excitatory postsynaptic potentials after reoxygenation . oxygen tension was measured in superfusing solution and in slice tissue using polarized glass - insulated carbon fiber electrodes according to the methods of jiang , et al ( brain res 1991 ; 568 : 159 - 64 ). the polarographic potential was - 750 mv and the carbon fiber sensing element was 8 μm in diameter . young male wistar rats ( 150 to 250 g ) were anesthetized with ketamine ( 200 mg / kg ip ) and ether and were perfused transcardially with cold , oxygenated , low sodium - containing physiological buffer solution ( 252 mm sucrose , 3 . 5 mm kcl , 1 . 0 mm mgso 4 , 20 mm cac 1 , 26 mm nahco 3 , 1 . 25 mm nah 2 po 4 , and 10 mm glucose ) with 50 μm ketamine added . brains were removed and hippocampi carefully excised . hippocampi were sliced transversely at 450 μm and transferred into cold ( 4 ° c .) low - sodium buffer solution gassed with 95 % o 2 , 5 % co 2 at 31 ° c . after 45 minutes slices were transferred to oxygenated normal physiological solution ( 126 mm nacl , 3 . 5 mm kcl , 1 . 0 mm mgso 4 , 2 . 0 mm cacl 2 , 20 mm nahco 3 , 1 . 25 mm nah 2 po 4 , and 10 mm glucose ) at 31 ° c . for at least 1 hour before experiments began . after preincubation , slices were transferred to a heated ( 36 ° c . ), gassed incubation chamber where they were continuously superfused with gassed normal physiological solution . evoked extracellular synaptic potentials ( epsps ) were obtained using glass micropipettes placed approximately 100 μm into the slice . electrical stimulation was applied once per minute to the stratum radiatum by insulated paired nichrome wires ( 60 μm diameter ). stimuli consisted of 150 μa pulses lasting 0 . 4 msec . the 150 μa stimulus usually gave nearly a maximal epsp ( excitatory postsynaptic potential ) amplitude . data from a slice were used only if epsp amplitude was greater than 2 . 0 mv before hypoxia - hypoglycemia . evoked potentials were recorded and analyzed with a digital computer interface . experiments were started by recording for several minutes under normal conditions ( 95 % o 2 , 5 % co 2 , 10 mm glucose ). then drug was added to the superfusion solution ( or normal solution was continued in control experiments ). after 10 minutes of drug superfusion , hypoxia - hypoglycemia was induced by switching to superfusion solution containing added drug with low glucose ( 2 mm ) that was equilibrated with 95 % n 2 and 5 % co 2 . at the same time the slice chamber gas was switched to 95 % n 2 and 5 % co 2 . hypoxia - hypoglycemia was continued for 12 minutes . after 12 minutes , 95 % o 2 and 10 mm glucose were returned to the slices and the superfusing solution . following 15 minutes of reoxygenation , the experiment was ended . epsps were considered recovered if they returned to at least half of their original amplitude . the percentage of slices with recovered epsps were calculated for each condition . oxygen tension was measured in medium flowing through the experimental chamber . when the medium , as well as the gas within the chamber was switched from 95 % oxygen to 95 % nitrogen ( carbon dioxide constant at 5 %). results in fig1 a show that oxygen tension decreased from 95 % to approximately 20 % of saturation within 1 minute and then reached a plateau of approximately 5 % after 4 minutes . recovery of oxygen tension in the medium upon reoxygenation was rapid , with complete recovery within 30 to 40 seconds . oxygen tension was also measured approximately 100 μm deep within hippocampal slice tissue , a depth similar to that used for microelectrode voltage recordings . in stratum pyramidale , oxygen tension under resting conditions was 50 % to 65 % of saturation as shown in fig1 b . oxygen tension in tissue is lower than in bathing medium , presumably because of oxygen utilization by the tissue in agreement with previous studies . after switching to hypoxic medium , oxygen tension in tissue decreased more rapidly and completely than in superfusate , reaching less than 4 % of saturation within 1 minute and falling to undetectable low levels within 2 minutes . despite the rapid fall in oxygen tension , synaptic potentials and population spikes in the ca1 cell body area were seen for at least 3 . 5 minutes after the start of hypoxia ( a typical result in these experiments ). oxygenated medium was reapplied 9 minutes after the start of hypoxia . oxygen tension in tissue returned to approximately 75t of saturation over 4 to 5 minutes and then finally reached a resting level of approximately 55 %. in this experiment as in many others without drug treatment , synaptic potentials never returned following more than 20 minutes of reoxygenation ( see below ). the time course and extent of changes in tissue oxygen tension were similar in two other experiments with a shorter duration of hypoxia that allowed complete recovery of synaptic potentials ( data not shown ). excitatory synaptic potential ( epsp ) amplitude was measured before and during drug treatment in the 10 - minute period preceding reduced oxygen and glucose . none of the drug treatments altered synaptic potentials before hypoxia ( data not shown ). without addition of drug ( in control experiments ), reduction of oxygen and glucose caused a rapid loss of synaptic potentials in each of 20 slices . table 1______________________________________table shows effects of different concentrations of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methyl - phenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea on recovery of synaptic activity ( epsp ) in hippocampal slices after hypoxia - hypoglycemia number slices recovered . sup . b / compound concentration number slices p - value vs tested ( μm ) tested control . sup . a______________________________________controls -- 1 / 20 -- test drug 0 . 5 0 / 8 ns test drug 2 3 / 8 0 . 058 test drug 20 9 / 10 * & lt ; 0 . 00001______________________________________ * significantly different than controls ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) ns = not significantly different than controls ( p & gt ; 0 . 1 ) . sup . a pvalue by fisher &# 39 ; s exact test ( twotailed ) compared to controls . sup . b slices with ≧ 50 % epsp amplitude recovery after reoxygenatio after 12 minutes of reduced oxygen and glucose and 15 minutes of recovery , epsp amplitude was measured again . epsp amplitude was scored as recovered if more than half of the initial value was recorded . table 1 and fig2 show that treatment with n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea increased the percentage of slices that recovered epsps from approximately 5 % ( control ) to 37 % at 2 μm and 90 % at a concentration of 20 μm ( p & lt ; 0 . 00001 by fisher &# 39 ; s exact test ). in fig2 drug concentrations are listed below each column . the 20 μm concentration of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea gave almost complete protection from loss of epsps . [ 20 μm concentration -- p & lt ; 0 . 01 compared to control slices by fisher &# 39 ; s exact test ( two - tailed ); 2 μm concentration -- p & lt ; 0 . 05 ]. in addition to increasing the number of slices that reached a 50 % criterion for recovery of epsps , treatment with n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea significantly increased the mean epsp amplitude after hypoxia as a percentage of the control . this was also a concentration - related effect that was near significance at a concentration of 2 μm and was significant with a high degree of confidence at 20 μm . in fig3 use of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea increased epsp amplitude following hypoxia in a concentration - dependent manner . standard error of the mean and p - values for significance compared to controls for concentrations at 2 μm and 20 μm were as follows ( student &# 39 ; s two - tailed t - test ): 2 μm -- p ≦ 0 . 07 ; 20 μm -- p ≦ 0 . 0002 . as indicated in the graph , the use of 20 μm of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea caused an almost complete recovery of epsps . treatment with 0 . 5 μm of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methyl - phenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea resulted in changes from hypoxia that were not different from control treatments with no drug present . treatment with the two higher concentrations of n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea provides significant protection of hippocampal slices from irreversible loss of synaptic potentials after brief application of conditions that mimic ischemia in vitro . previous studies ( rock d m , mclean m j , macdonald r l , et al , epilepsy res 1991 ; 8 : 197 - 203 ) show that n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea modulates voltage - dependent sodium channels of nerve cell membranes , and the inventors have determined that this modulation provides protection from hypoxia . a previous study with slices also shows that tetrodotoxin , a very selective sodium channel blocker , delays negative shifts from hypoxia . also , phenytoin , another anticonvulsant , has shown effects preventing neuronal damage from ischemia both in vitro and in vivo . the results showed that treatment with n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea improves recovery of epsps at both 2 μm and 20 μm with the 20 μm concentration giving almost complete protection ( 9 out of 10 slices recovered ). n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea is a modulator of neuronal voltage - gated sodium ion channels . however , it is important to point out that none of the concentrations tested reduced epsp or presynaptic action potential amplitude . thus , neuroprotection was obtained by modulating ion channels without simply blocking them . these results suggest that neuroprotection in vivo might be obtained at drug doses that would not greatly alter normal neuronal function . although the results with irreversible loss of epsps do not directly demonstrate that the test drug prevents ischemic neuronal cell loss , this hypothesis can be tested using histological or biochemical techniques . one hypothesis for the neuroprotective action of this compound is that it blocks neuronal hyperactivity or reduces sodium influx ( by modulating sodium channels ) and therefore reduces energy demand and preserves ion homeostasis , preventing depolarization similar to that of spreading depression . a similar hypothesis has been advanced for the protection of white matter from hypoxic injury by local anesthetic compounds . also , a recent report suggests that prevention of spreading depression - like events in vivo underlie the action of certain drugs that prevent tissue infarction from focal ischemia in rats ( gill , et al , j neuro 1992 ; 67 : 236 - 40 ). in conclusion , this study provides evidence that the test drug or similar sodium ion channel modulating drugs prevent neuronal damage from ischemia . this study was identical in design to example 3 except that during the hypoxic period of 12 minutes , glucose was reduced from 10 mm to 2 mm rather than from 10 mm to zero as in example 3 . without addition of drugs , hypoxia / hypoglycemia caused a rapid loss of synaptic potentials in each of 36 control slices . none of the drug treatments altered synaptic potentials at the concentrations used ( data not shown ). however , lidocaine reversibly reduced both presynaptic action potential and epsps at a concentration of 500 μm ( data not shown ). table 2______________________________________table shows effects of the drugs known to interact with voltage - dependent sodium channels on recovery of synaptic activity ( epsp ) in hippocampal slices after hypoxia - hypoglycemia number slices recovered . sup . a / concentration number slices p - value vs compound tested ( μm ) tested control . sup . b______________________________________controls -- 0 / 36 -- phenytoin 5 0 / 8 ( ns ) & gt ; 0 . 1 phenytoin 20 5 / 12 * 0 . 0005 phenytoin 50 3 / 9 * 0 . 0059 carbamazepine 20 2 / 9 * 0 . 036 carbamazepine 50 4 / 10 * 0 . 0013 lidocaine 50 5 / 9 * 0 . 0001 lidocaine 200 9 / 10 * & lt ; 0 . 00001 verapamil 1 . 0 3 / 8 * 0 . 0042 verapamil 10 5 / 9 * 0 . 0001 nimodipine 1 . 0 1 / 9 ( ns ) & gt ; 0 . 1______________________________________ . sup . a slices with ≧ 50 % epsp amplitude recovery after reoxygenatio . sup . b pvalue by fisher &# 39 ; s exact test ( twotailed ) compared to controls * significantly different than controls ( p & lt ; 0 . 05 ) ns = not significantly different than controls ( p & gt ; 0 . 1 ) table 2 summarizes data obtained with drug treatments . seven to 20 slices were recorded in each drug condition and 36 control slices were studied interspersed from time to time over the 4 - month period of experiments . drug treatment enhanced recovery of epsps ( especially with lidocaine , phenytoin , and verapamil ). fig4 shows the significance of epsp recovery for drug treatment in comparison to controls . standard error of the mean p - values for significance compared to controls for the following were found ( students &# 39 ; two - tailed t - test ): drug intervention with four of the five drugs during hypoxia - hypoglycemia provides significant neuroprotection . all four drugs modulate sodium channels . a previous study with slices also shows that tetrodotoxin , a very selective sodium channel blocker delays loss of ion homeostasis from hypoxia . results with phenytoin are similar to those with other models of ischemia in vitro and in vivo with models of focal ischemia and global ischemia . lidocaine treatment improves recovery of epsps at both concentrations tested , with 200 μm concentration giving almost complete protection ( 9 / 10 slices recovered ). although the use of lidocaine for ischemia in vivo is limited by its peripheral hypotensive effects , one study reports that brain damage from global ischemia in rabbits is reduced by lidocaine and another recent study reports neuroprotection by local anesthetics in a model of white matter ischemia . each of the drugs in our study are modulators of neuronal voltage - gated ion channels . however , it is important to point out that none of the drugs reduced epsp or presynaptic action potential amplitude at the concentrations used . thus , neuroprotection was obtained by modulating ion channels without simply blocking them . these results suggest that neuroprotection in vivo might be obtained at drug doses that would not greatly alter normal neuronal function . several of these agents modulate calcium channels as well as sodium channels . phenytoin blocks a variety of calcium channels at concentrations similar to those tested here while carbamazepine and lidocaine are thought to be more selective for sodium channels . in addition to modulating sodium channels , verapamil is a widely studied blocker of l - type calcium channels . however , verapamil prevented ischemic damage at 10 μm but not at 1 μm . the 10 μm concentration is supermaximal for blocking l - type channels but is near the threshold for sodium channel . these results suggest that the neuroprotective action of verapamil is caused by action at sodium channels and not calcium channels . this notion also is supported by results with 1 μm nimodipine which failed to prevent loss of epsps ( nimodipine interacts with sodium channels at concentrations greater than 10 μm ). tetrodotoxin , a highly selective blocker of neuronal sodium channels , previously has been reported to reduce neuronal damage from global ischemia . although the results with irreversible loss of epsps do not directly demonstrate that sodium channel modulators prevent ischemic neuronal cell loss , this hypothesis can be tested using histological techniques . one hypothesis for the neuroprotective action of these compounds is that they block neuronal hyperactivity or reduce sodium influx ( by modulating sodium channels ) and therefore reduce energy demand and preserve ion homeostasis . in conclusion , this study provides evidence that these or similar ion channel modulating drugs prevent neuronal damage from ischemia . an assay was conducted to compare the inhibitory action of various compounds which are the subject of the present invention . the assay measured the oxygen deprivation - induced neuronal cell death from various cortical cultures . the results of the assay are provided in table 3 . lactate dehydrogenase ( ldh ) is a cytosolic enzyme that is only present in the extracellular medium if cell membranes rupture , indicating cell death . therefore , ldh release into the culture medium is a convenient assay of cell death . the results of table 3 indicate that each of the compounds tested decreased neuronal cell death from hypoxia in vitro . these results suggest that each of the compounds reduce damage from brain ischemia , stroke , or neurodegenerative diseases . the uteri of sprague dawley rats in their 18th day of fetal gestation were removed under halothane anesthesia and placed in a chilled bath of magnesium and calcium - free hank &# 39 ; s balanced salt solution ( hbss ). cortical brain hemispheres were removed from individual fetuses and digested in 0 . 1 % trypsin in hbss for 15 minutes at room temperature . digested tissue was washed three times with hbss then dissociated into a single cell suspension by trituration with a glass pipette . using a growth medium containing 42 % delbecco &# 39 ; s modified eagle &# 39 ; s medium with 42 % ham f12 nutrient supplement , 10 % heat inactivated horse serum , and 6t heat inactivated fetal calf serum ( 10 / 6 dme / f12 ), cell density was adjusted to one cortical hemisphere per 10 ml of triturated suspension . one hundred microliters of this cell suspension was pipetted into individual wells of 96 - well tissue culture plates previously coated with poly - l - lysine , then stored in a humidified incubator ( 37 ° c ., 3 % co 2 ). glial cell growth was stopped by the addition of 100 μl of 45 % dme , 45 % ham f12 , and 10 % horse serum ( 10 / 0 dme / f12 ) containing 15 μg / ml of 5 - fluoro - 2 - deoxyuridine and 35 μg / ml of uridine , 3 days after the initial plating . cultures were fed at 2 - or 3 - day intervals thereafter by replacing 100 μl of spent medium with an identical volume of fresh 10 / 0 dme / f12 . sixteen - day - old cultures were prepared for experiments by removing growth medium from each culture well and rinsing once with 250 μl of mg ++ - free hbss containing 1 . 8 mm ca ++ and 1 g / l d - glucose ( 0 mg - hbss ) control and test agent solutions , prepared using 0 mg - hbss medium , were dispensed in 50 μl aliquots into individual test wells ( total volume / well = 50 μl ). all liquid medium preparations to this point were equilibrated with 95 % oxygen , 5 % co 2 . plates were placed into a 37 ° c ., humidified , triple - gas incubator with o 2 and co 2 levels maintained at 1 % and 10 %, respectively . plates were removed after 7 . 5 hours of oxygen deprivation and restored to normoxic conditions ( 20 % o 2 / 10 % co 2 , 37 ° c .) following a 50 μl addition to each well of appropriate control or test agent solutions containing 1 . 8 mm ca ++ , 1 . 6 mm mg ++ , and 7 . 0 g / l d - glucose . final medium concentrations of 1 . 8 mm ca ++ , 0 . 8 mm mg ++ , and 4 g / l d - glucose were present during the reoxygenation period . medium concentrations of lactate dehydrogenase ( ldh ), a cytosolic enzyme normally retained by cells but released upon cell death , were determined for each well following an additional 16 . 5 - hour normoxic exposure period . individual 25 μl medium specimens were collected from each well and placed into wells of a clean 96 - well microtiter plate containing 225 μl of 0 . 1 m kpo 4 buffer ( ph = 7 . 5 at 25 ° c .) and 30 μg nadh ( reduced α - nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide ). after 10 - minute incubation at 37 ° c ., 30 μl of 2 . 4 mm sodium pyruvate was added to each well and plates were gently shaken to mix solution . plates were immediately placed into a multiscan mcc / 340 plate reader and scanned for fluorescence ( excitation at 340 nm ) for 1 minute at 5 - second intervals . a kinetic analysis of the change in medium absorbance resulting from shifts in nadh concentrations was used , in combination with factors to correct for temperature , light path , and volume adjustments to determine medium ldh concentrations ( iu / ml ). normoxic control baseline ldh levels were subtracted from both hypoxic control and test agent values prior to determining test agent effectiveness in preventing oxygen deprivation - induced injury . table 3______________________________________hypoxia - induced lactate dehydrogenase release ( cell injury ) in neuronal / glial cortical cultures test group ldh release % inh . sup . a______________________________________normoxic control 74 ± 4 100 % hypoxic control 163 ± 11 0 % cpp 100 μm 80 ± 8 93 % ttx 3 μm 81 ± 5 92 % lamotrigine 30 μm 102 ± 16 68 % 100 μm 89 ± 6 83 % phenytoin 30 μm 93 ± 6 78 % 100 μm 90 ± 3 82 % n -( 2 , 6 - dichlorophenyl )- 30 μm 107 ± 8 62 % n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea 100 μm 84 ± 6 88 % n -( 2 , 6 - dimethylphenyl )- 30 μm 68 ± 6 106 % n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea 100 μm 91 ± 7 81 % n -( 2 - chloro - 6 - 30 μm 73 ± 6 101 % methylphenyl )- n &# 39 ;- 4 - 100 μm 92 ± 4 80 % pyridinyl urea carbamazepine 30 μm 116 ± 3 53 % 100 μm 78 ± 4 95 % ______________________________________ ldh release determinations : n = 4 for each mean value . . sup . a % inh refers to the percent inhibition of the release of lactate dehydrogenase in comparison to hypoxic control cultures .
the instant invention is novel uses of known n -- n &# 39 ;- 3 - and 4 - pyridinyl ureas and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof . such compounds as n -- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea monohydrochloride or n -- n &# 39 ;- 4 - pyridinyl urea are used for treating neurodegenerative disorders , perinatal asphyxia , alzheimer &# 39 ; s disease , huntington &# 39 ; s disease , parkinson &# 39 ; s disease , and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis . the instant invention is similar novel uses of known anticonvulsant compounds as ralitoline , phenytoin , lamotrigine , tetrodotoxin , lidocaine , and carbamazepine .