The effects of BIII 890 CL on the cortical infarct area in mice that had been subjected to focal cerebral ischemia by unilateral occlusion of the MCA. Mice were treated with BIII 890 CL at doses of 3, 10, and 30 mg/kg administered s.c. at 5 min and 3 h after occlusion. The cortical infarct areas were determined 48 h after occlusion of the MCA by staining with tetrazolium chloride and computer-aided image analysis. The results are expressed as the mean ± SEM of 24–31 animals per group. A one-way ANOVA and Dunnett's multiple comparison test were used to determine which treatment groups were significantly different from the control group. *, P < 0.05; **, P < 0.01; ***, P < 0.001.