Protective effects of Chinese herbal medicine Naoshuantong on neurovascular unit in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Abstract

To investigate the protective effects of Naoshuantong, a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on the main components of neurovascular unit in rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. A total of 30 male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham-operated, ischemia/reperfusion, and ischemia/reperfusion plus Naoshuantong groups. The cerebral ischemia was induced by 1.5 h of middle cerebral artery occlusion, followed by unlocking the thread to induce reperfusion injury. After 24 h of reperfusion, neurological functional deficits were assessed, apoptosis of main components of neurovascular unit was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick end-labeling combined with neuronal nuclei antigen, glial fibrillary acidic protein or CD31 immunofluorescence double staining. Naoshuantong significantly reduced neurological functional deficits, and reduced neuron, astrocyte and vascular endothelium cell apoptosis induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury in the border zone of ischemic cortex. Naoshuantong is effective in protecting the neurovascular unit including neurons, astrocytes and vascular endothelium cells against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion-induced apoptosis.