Table 3.

Effect of delayed administration of nimesulide (12 mg/kg; i.p.) on neurological deficit score and rotarod performance after permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) in rats. Vehicle or nimesulide was administered 0.5, 1, 2, 3, or 4 h after stroke.

	Neurological Score		Rotarod performance (%)
Time after stroke (h)	Vehicle	Nimesulide	Vehicle	Nimesulide
0.5	3 (2–5)	2 (1–3) **	44 ± 17	81 ± 18 **
1	3 (2–5)	2 (1–4) **	40 ± 21	85 ± 22 **
2	3 (3–5)	2 (1–5) *	50 ± 11	73 ± 13 *
3	3 (2–5)	3 (2–5)	47 ± 16	60 ± 15
4	3.5 (2–5)	3 (2–5)	52 ± 23	59 ± 14

Values represent the median and range (neurological score) and means ± S.D. (rotarod performance). *P < 0.05 and **P < 0.01 compared with the corresponding vehicle-treated group.