Abstract
Galangin, a potent scavenger of free radicals, has been used as an herbal medicine for various ailments for centuries in Asia. With complex pathophysiology, ischemic stroke is one of the most frequent causes of death and disability worldwide. We have reported that galangin provides direct protection against ischemic injury as a potential neuroprotective agent and has potential therapeutic effects on the changes of serum amino acids in ischemic stroke; however, the mechanism of the changes of amino acids in the ischemic brain tissue has not yet been clarified. In this paper, we explored brain tissue amino acid biomarkers in the acute phase of cerebral ischemia and the effect of galangin on those potential biomarkers. Finally, we identified that glutamic acid, alanine and aspartic acid showed significant changes (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) in galangin-treated groups compared with vehicle-treated rats and the four enzymes associated with these three AAs’ metabolic pathways; GLUD1, SLC16A10, SLC1A1 and GPT were identified by multiplex interactions with the three amino acids. By metabolite-protein network analysis and molecular docking, six of 28 proteins were identified and might become potential galangin biomarkers for acute ischemic stroke. The data in our study provides thoughts for exploring the mechanism of disease, discovering new targets for drug candidates and elucidating the related regulatory signal network.
Highlights
Galangin, a member of the flavonol class of flavonoids, is present in high concentrations in the rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance, which has been used in China for centuries as a spice and a traditional Chinese medicine for various ailments [1]
Cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal injury is usually accompanied with significant changes in some neurotransmitters or metabolites, and the effect of galangin on the endogenous metabolites that were significantly changed in the brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia has not been explored yet
In our previous studies [8,24,25], we found that galangin has therapeutic potential on ischemic stroke via regulation of serum amino acids in acute periods of cerebral ischemia
Summary
A member of the flavonol class of flavonoids, is present in high concentrations in the rhizome of Alpinia officinarum Hance, which has been used in China for centuries as a spice and a traditional Chinese medicine for various ailments [1]. As a potent in vitro scavenger of free radicals such as singlet oxygen and superoxide anion [2], galangin has multiple bioactivities and affects many cell systems. In addition to its anti-oxidant, antimutagenic and antitumor effects, galangin has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antiviral activities in a variety of in vitro and in vivo systems [3,4,5]. Galangin has vasodilation [6], anti-ischemic and anti-oxidant properties, which might reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and improve endothelial cell function [7]. Li et al [8] have shown that galangin has therapeutic potential as a neuroprotective agent for ischemic stroke. Cerebral ischemia-induced neuronal injury is usually accompanied with significant changes in some neurotransmitters or metabolites, and the effect of galangin on the endogenous metabolites that were significantly changed in the brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia has not been explored yet
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