Hippophae salicifolia D.Don berries attenuate cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion

ObjectiveTo investigate the protective effect of Hippophae salicifolia D.Don (H. salicifolia) berries extract against cerebral reperfusion injury induced neurobehavioral and neurochemical changes in a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).MethodsRats were pretreated with alcoholic extract of H. salicifolia (250 and 500 mg/kg) for 14 d and focal cerebral ischemia was induced by MCAO. After 60 min of MCAO, reperfused for 24 h, a battery of behavioral tests were assessed the extent of neurological deficits. Infarct volume and brain edema were measured in 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride stained brain sections. TNF-α, oxidative stress parameters like reduced glutathione, calcium, glutamate, malondialdehyde and apoptotic parameters like caspase-3, and caspase-9 were estimated in the brain homogenates.ResultsPretreatment with alcoholic extract of H. salicifolia at doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg significantly improved the neurobehavioral alterations and reduced the infarct volume, edema induced by ischemia reperfusion injury. H. salicifolia significantly prevented ischemia induced increase in malondialdehyde, glutamate, calcium, caspase-3, caspase-9 and TNF-α levels as compared to ischemic animals.ConclusionsOur results indicate that H. salicifolia mitigated the ischemia reperfusion induced neuronal damage.