Abstract
Moschus compatible with borneolum synthcticum is a well-known herb pair in Traditional Chinese Medicine and the present study aims to assess the neuroprotective effect of a formula composed of this herb pair on ischemia stroke in rats. The middle cerebral artery occlusion model of focal cerebral ischemia in rat was performed by using intraluminal suture method. The behavioral scores, infarct volume, and neuron ultrastructure of model and formula-treated rats were investigated after the 2 h of ischemia and 24 h of reperfusion. Meanwhile the expression levels of caspase-3, caspase-9, Bcl-2, and Bax were measured by western blot analysis. The formula treatment showed obvious neuroprotective effect according to significant decrease of the neurological scores (P < 0.01) and the infarct volumes (P < 0.05) when compared to the MCAO group. We also observed that this formula had antiapoptosis activity on neuron cell under electron microscope. Furthermore, our result supported the idea that pro- and postadministration of this formula had an antiapoptosis effect by decreasing remarkably the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 (P < 0.05) as well as increasing significantly the ratio of Bcl-2 to Bax (P < 0.01). All evidences demonstrated the neuroprotective effect of this formula on ischemia stroke due to decrease of brain infract volume and modulation of the expression of apoptosis-related proteins.
Highlights
Stroke is a cerebrovascular accident that is caused by either the ischemia or rupture hemorrhage of an artery to the brain and results in the interruption of blood flow to the brain [1]
Natural moschus and borneolum synthcticum were purchased from Chinese Herbal Medicine Co., Ltd., of Guangdong province, which were qualified by GC-FID according to Chinese Pharmacopeia 2010 edition. 6-0 nylon monofilaments for middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) were bought from Beijing Shadong Biotech Inc. (Beijing, China); nitrocellulose membrane, 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC), Tween 80, formaldehyde, chloral hydrate, and heparin were purchased from Sigma Company
The formula used in the present study was prepared by the First Hospital Affiliated to Guangzhou Medical University
Summary
Stroke is a cerebrovascular accident that is caused by either the ischemia or rupture hemorrhage of an artery to the brain and results in the interruption of blood flow to the brain [1]. The only US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) within 3 h of symptom onset is available to reestablish cerebral blood flow. This treatment has some limits of the short time window for tPA application, which is restricted to up to 3 hours after symptom onset [5]. With the progress made in the understanding of the mechanisms in ischemia stroke and reperfusion injury, an increasing number of strategies have been developed
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