Bromocriptine, a dopamine D2 receptor agonist, has widely been used for patients with Parkinson's disease. In this study, we examined its neuroprotective effects against neuronal damage in the CA1 subfield of the hippocampus following experimental cerebral ischemia in the Mongolian gerbil. Forebrain ischemia was induced by occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries for 3 min. Bromocriptine, at a dose of 0.3 or 3 mg/kg, was injected i.p. 30 min before the onset of ischemia. Histopathological observations showed that neuronal damage to hippocampal CA1 neurons, which was seen 7 days after ischemia in vehicle-treated animals, was prevented by bromocriptine treatment. Immunohistochemical staining for copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and manganese superoxide dismutase decreased markedly in the CA1 neurons of vehicle-treated animals 2 days after ischemia when histological neuronal destruction was not yet seen, but was well preserved in bromocriptine-treated animals. The present findings show that bromocriptine protects against ischemia-induced neuronal damage, and that the mechanism of the neuroprotection may relate to the preservation of SODs. Bromocriptine, which was recently shown to be a potent free radical scavenger, may have a potent neuroprotective action against disorders including ischemic stroke.