Abstract
We investigated the curative effect of Pheretima aspergillum (earthworm, PA) on rats with middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). The MCAo-induced cerebral infarction was established and its underlying mechanisms by counting the infarction areas and evaluating the rats' neurological status. Immunostaining was used to test the expression of NeuN, and glial fibrillary acidic (GFAP), S100B, and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) proteins. Our results showed that oral administration of PA for two weeks to rats with MCAo successfully reduced cerebral infarction areas in the cortex and striatum, and also reduced scores of neurological deficit. The PA-treated MCAo rats showed greatly decreased neuronal death, glial proliferation, and S100B proteins in the penumbra area of the cortex and in the ischemic core area of the cortex, but BDNF did not changed. These results demonstrated novel and detailed cellular mechanisms underlying the neuroprotective effects of PA in MCAo rats.
Highlights
Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a marker of astrocytes, which are potentiated by epilepsy and stroke processes (Foerch et al, 2006; Lin and Hsieh, 2011)
We investigated the curative effects and cellular mechanisms of Pheretima Aspergillum (PA) when used to treat cerebral infarction induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo)
Our results revealed that the curative effects of PA on MCAo-induced stroke in rats were the result of reduced infarction areas, with an associated decrease in the scores of neurological deficit
Summary
Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) is a marker of astrocytes, which are potentiated by epilepsy and stroke processes (Foerch et al, 2006; Lin and Hsieh, 2011). S100B has several regulatory effects on cell proliferation, division, and metabolism, and may be upregulated in kainic acid (KA)-induced epilepsy (Lin and Hsieh, 2011; Liu et al, 2012). S100B protein levels may increase during stroke-induced ischemia, and may serve as a marker of neuronal injury (Hu et al, 2010). Other nervous system growth factors that have been suggested as potential neuroprotective drugs for neurological and psychiatric disorders include brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), and neurturin.
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