Protective effect of n-butyl alcohol extracts from Rhizoma Pinelliae Pedatisectae against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Ethnopharmacological relevanceRhizoma Pinelliae Pedatisectae (RPP) has been commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for treatment of various neurological related diseases. However, the mechanisms have not been fully clarified yet. The present study was designed to investigate the therapeutic effect of RPP against cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rats models, and more importantly, to explore the underlying mechanism.Materials and methodsCerebral ischemia and reperfusion was established through the classic middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h, followed by 24 h reperfusion. Rats were orally given different doses of n-butyl alcohol extracts (NBES) of RPP or saline for one week before induction of ischemia. Neurological defect scoring, cerebral infarct volume, oxidative stress markers, inflammatory reaction and nerve cell apoptosis were then estimated.ResultsIt showed that NBES could alleviate in a dose-dependent manner neurological deficit and reduce the infarct volume in vivo. The protective effects of NBES were associated with increased Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and decreased malonaldehyde (MDA), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) levels. In addition, ischemia-induced neuron apoptosis was inhibited by NBES pretreatment, and western blot showed NBES upregulated expressions of B-cell leukemia-2 (Bcl-2) and downregulated Bcl-2-associated X (Bax) expression.ConclusionNBES prevent cerebral I/R injury by alleviating neuronal oxidative injury, inflammatory reaction and neuron apoptosis. The research for the traditional use of RPP provided certain theoretical basis.

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