scholarly journals Novel Therapeutic Effects of Leonurine On Ischemic Stroke: New Mechanisms of BBB Integrity

2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiu-Yan Zhang ◽  
Zhi-Jun Wang ◽  
De-Miao Sun ◽  
Ying Wang ◽  
Peng Xu ◽  
...  

Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. Leonurine (also named SCM-198), a compound extracted fromHerba leonuri, was effective on the prevention of various cardiovascular and brain diseases. The purpose of this study was to explore the possible therapeutic potential of SCM-198 against ischemia reperfusion injury and underlying mechanisms. In the in vivo transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) rat model, we found that treatment with SCM-198 could decrease infarct volume and improve neurological deficit by protecting against blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown. In the in vitro model of cell oxygen-glucose deprivation and reoxygenation (OGD/R), consistent results were obtained with decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and maintained the BBB integrity. Further study demonstrated that SCM-198 increased the expression of histone deacetylase- (HDAC-) 4 which could inhibit NADPH oxidase- (NOX-) 4 and matrix metalloproteinase- (MMP-) 9 expression, resulting in the elevation of tight junction proteins, including claudin-5, occludin, and zonula occluden- (ZO-) 1. These results indicated SCM-198 protected BBB integrity by regulating the HDAC4/NOX4/MMP-9 tight junction pathway. Our findings provided novel insights into the protective effects and mechanisms of SCM-198 on ischemic stroke, indicating SCM-198 as a new class of potential drug against acute onset of ischemic stroke.

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Ping Zhang ◽  
Wei-Jing Zhang ◽  
Miao Yang ◽  
Hua Fang

Abstract Background Propofol, an intravenous anesthetic, was proven to protect against lung ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. However, the detailed mechanism of Propofol in lung I/R injury is still elusive. This study was designed to explore the therapeutic effects of Propofol, both in vivo and in vitro, on lung I/R injury and the underlying mechanisms related to metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1)/microRNA-144 (miR-144)/glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β). Methods C57BL/6 mice were used to establish a lung I/R injury model while pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) were constructed as hypoxia/reperfusion (H/R) cellular model, both of which were performed with Propofol treatment. Gain- or loss-of-function approaches were subsequently employed, followed by observation of cell apoptosis in lung tissues and evaluation of proliferative and apoptotic capabilities in H/R cells. Meanwhile, the inflammatory factors, autophagosomes, and autophagy-related proteins were measured. Results Our experimental data revealed that Propofol treatment could decrease the elevated expression of MALAT1 following I/R injury or H/R induction, indicating its protection against lung I/R injury. Additionally, overexpressing MALAT1 or GSK3β promoted the activation of autophagosomes, proinflammatory factor release, and cell apoptosis, suggesting that overexpressing MALAT1 or GSK3β may reverse the protective effects of Propofol against lung I/R injury. MALAT1 was identified to negatively regulate miR-144 to upregulate the GSK3β expression. Conclusion Overall, our study demonstrated that Propofol played a protective role in lung I/R injury by suppressing autophagy and decreasing release of inflammatory factors, with the possible involvement of the MALAT1/miR-144/GSK3β axis.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guo Zu ◽  
Jing Guo ◽  
Ningwei Che ◽  
Tingting Zhou ◽  
Xiangwen Zhang

Abstract Ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1) is one of the major bioactive ingredients in Panax ginseng, and it attenuates inflammation and apoptosis. The aims of our study were to explore the potential of Rg1 for the treatment of intestinal I/R injury and to determine whether the protective effects of Rg1 were exerted through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. In this study, Rg1 treatment ameliorated inflammatory factors, ROS and apoptosis that were induced by intestinal I/R injury. Cell viability was increased and cell apoptosis was decreased with Rg1 pretreatment following hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) in the in vitro study. Rg1 activated the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway in both the in vivo and in vitro models, and in the in vitro study, the activation was blocked by DKK1. Our study provides evidence that pretreatment with Rg1 significantly reduces ROS and apoptosis induced by intestinal I/R injury via activation of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that Rg1 could exert its therapeutic effects on intestinal I/R injury through the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and provide a novel treatment modality for intestinal I/R injury.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiang-Wen Yin ◽  
Jia Li ◽  
Yi-Min Ren ◽  
Yan Li ◽  
Rui-Xue Wang ◽  
...  

The complexity of hard-to-treat diseases such as ischemic stroke strongly undermines the therapeutic potential of available treatment options. Therefore, current developments have gently shifted from a focus on monotherapy to combined or multiple therapies. Both dexmedetomidine and Netrin-1 have anti-neuronal apoptosis effects, but the mechanism is still unclear. The study aimed to estimate the efficacy of dexmedetomidine and Netrin-1 combination therapy against ERS-induced apoptosis after cerebral ischemia injury in vivo and in vitro, and whether the mechanism is related to the ERK5/MEF2A pathway. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo, 90 min ischemia and 24 h reperfusion. The hippocampus slices used to establish oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) injury model in vitro. Neterin-1 and Dexmedetomidine were pretreated and post-treated, respectively, before and after the model establishment. MEF2A knockdown was performed by microinjection of AAV9-MEF2A RNAi vector. Orthodromic population spike (OPS) at the end of reoxygenation were recorded. Neurobehavioral tests, TTC staining, Nissl staining, TUNEL staining were performed to assess the effect of the drugs. The expression of CHOP, GRP78, MEF2A, ERK5, and p-ERK5 were investigated by Western blot and immunofluorescence staining. Neurological deficit score, infarct volume, the expression of GRP78, CHOP, and neural apoptotic rate of MCAO group increased markedly. Combination of dexmedetomidine and Netrin-1 resulted in lower infarct volumes and fewer neurological impairments, higher OPS recovery rate, and less damaged and apoptotic cells after cerebral ischemia injury. Furthermore, expression levels of GRP78 and CHOP decreased in the combination therapy group, and it was more effective than the single drug group. Meanwhile, Combination of dexmedetomidine and Netrin-1 increased MEF2A expression and promoted ERK5 phosphorylation. However, the protective effect of dexmedetomidine combined with Netrin-1 in improving neurological function was significantly eliminated by pre-knockdown MEF2A. The neuroprotective effects of dexmedetomidine combined with Netrin on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and hippocampal hypoxia injury in terms of ERS. The synergistic effect of combination therapy is related to the activation of ERK5/MEF2A signaling pathway.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Yanfang Mao ◽  
Yang Qu ◽  
Qingdong Wang

Background: The diterpenoid cryptotanshinone (CTS) has wide biological functions, including inhibition of tumor growth, inflammation and apoptosis. The present study aimed to explore the possible effect of CTS on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Male C57BL/6J mice underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and murine microglia BV2 cells were challenged by Oxygen/glucose deprivation, to mimic I/R and ischemic/hypoxic and reperfusion (H/R) injury, respectively. CTS was administered 0.5 h (10 mg/kg) after the onset of MCAO or 2 h (20μM) post OGD. Infarct volume and neurological deficit were measured. Immunofluorescence, qPCR, and western blot, were performed to detect the expression of cytokines, apoptotic marker, and M1/M2 phenotype-specific genes. Flow cytometry was applied for M1/M2 subpopulation or Annexin V/PI apoptosis assessment. Results: CTS significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume, neurologic deficit scores, pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β), apoptotic protein expression (cleaved caspase-3) of mice after tMCAO challenge. Furthermore, CTS attenuated CD16 + M1-type and elevated CD206 + M2-type microglia in vivo or in vitro. Conclusions: We propose that the neuroprotective effect of CTS in the I/R or H/R context are explained modulation of microglial polarization, suggesting therapeutic potential for cerebral ischemic stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (21) ◽  
pp. 11967
Author(s):  
Songhyun Lim ◽  
Tae Jung Kim ◽  
Young-Ju Kim ◽  
Cheesue Kim ◽  
Sang-Bae Ko ◽  
...  

Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death, and even timely treatment can result in severe disabilities. Reperfusion of the ischemic stroke region and restoration of the blood supply often lead to a series of cellular and biochemical consequences, including generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), expression of inflammatory cytokines, inflammation, and cerebral cell damage, which is collectively called cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. Since ROS and inflammatory cytokines are involved in cerebral IR injury, injury could involve cellular senescence. Thus, we investigated whether senolytic therapy that eliminates senescent cells could be an effective treatment for cerebral IR injury. To determine whether IR induces neural cell senescence in vitro, astrocytes were subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R). OGD/R induced astrocyte senescence and senescent cells in OGD/R-injured astrocytes were effectively eliminated in vitro by ABT263, a senolytic agent. IR in rats with intraluminal middle cerebral artery occlusion induced cellular senescence in the ischemic region. The senescent cells in IR-injured rats were effectively eliminated by intravenous injections of ABT263. Importantly, ABT263 treatment significantly reduced the infarct volume and improved neurological function in behavioral tests. This study demonstrated, for the first time, that senolytic therapy has therapeutic potential for cerebral IR injury.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jinju Wang ◽  
Xiaotang Ma ◽  
Shuzhen Chen ◽  
Xiang Xiao ◽  
Ji Bihl ◽  
...  

Introduction: The promising of neuron progenitor cells (NPCs) or endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) for treating ischemic stroke has been recognized. In this study, we determined the therapeutic effects of NPC and EPC co-transplantation and the underlying mechanisms in a mouse model of ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) stroke. Methods: NPCs and EPCs were generated from human inducible pluripotent stem cells. C57BL/6 adult mice were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO; 90 min) followed by reperfusion (30 min), and treated with (n=10/group): 1) PBS; 2) EPCs; 3) NPCs; 4) EPCs+NPCs (1:1 ratio); 5) EPCs+NPCs (1:1 ratio)+LY294002 (1μM). Cells (3x105/2μl PBS) were injected into ipsilateral striatum at 2 sites (1μl/site). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU, 65 mg/g/day, i.p.) was injected to label the new generated cells. Mice were sacrificed at days 2 and 10. Motor function (Rotarod test and neurologic deficit score), infarct volume, cerebral microvascular density (cMVD), neurogenesis and angiogenesis, and gene expressions of the PI3K/Akt pathway were evaluated. Results: Co-transplantation of EPCs and NPCs exhibited synergistic effects on improving motor function, increasing cMVD in the peri-infarct area, and decreasing infarct volume at days 2 and 10 (refer to table). Moreover, neurogenesis (Brdu+NeuN+) and angiogenesis (Brdu+CD31+) in the peri-infarct area were largely enhanced in the co-transplantation group at day 10 (refer to table). In addition, the protein ratio of p-Akt/Akt was increased in the brain in the co-transplantation group (p<0.05). These effects were significantly reduced by LY294002 administration. Conclusion: Co-transplantation of NPCs and EPCs synergistically increases cMVD, promotes angiogenesis and neurogenesis, and improves functional outcome in I-R injured mice. Activation of the PI3K/Akt signal pathway contributes to the synergistic effects of NPCs and EPCs.


Author(s):  
Pei Jiang

<p class="lead">In this study, puerarin derivatives were designed by adding an active acetonitrile group that inhibits cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) in order to enhance the anti-vascular dementia drug activity. The acetonitrile group was linked to puerarin at the 7/4 'positions by a phenolic hydroxyl to give 7-mono-and 7, 4' di-substituted derivatives of puerarin. These structures were confirmed by <sup>1</sup>H NMR spectroscopy and MS spectroscopy. We compared the affinity of puerarin derivatives and puerarin for cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) using molecular docking. In addition, the anti-vascular dementia activity of the developed puerarin derivatives was studied by water maze, novel object recognition, and the determination of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) enzyme activity at the cerebral cortex of mice. Experimental results showed that the puerarin derivatives have a good affinity for COX-2 with therapeutic effects against vascular dementia. The results of this study suggest that the protective effects of the puerarin derivatives against vascular dementia may be related to suppression of inflammation associated with ischemia-reperfusion injury through inhibition of COX-2.</p>


Molecules ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (9) ◽  
pp. 1838 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Zhang ◽  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Xiao-fei Jin ◽  
Xiao-hong Zhou ◽  
Xian-hui Dong ◽  
...  

Background: Ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) caused by ischemic stroke treatments leads to brain injury, and autophagy plays a role in the pathology. Astragaloside IV is a potential neuroprotectant, but its underlying mechanism on cerebral I/R injury needs to be explored. The objective of this study is to investigate the neuroprotective mechanism of Astragaloside IV against cerebral I/R injury. Methods: Middle cerebral artery occlusion method (MCAO) and oxygen and glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) method were used to simulate cerebral I/R injury in Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats and HT22 cells, respectively. The neurological score, 2,3,5-Triphe-nyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, and transmission electron microscope were used to detect cerebral damage in SD rats. Cell viability and cytotoxicity assay were tested in vitro. Fluorescent staining and flow cytometry were applied to detect the level of apoptosis. Western blotting was conducted to examine the expression of proteins associated with autophagy. Results: This study found that Astragaloside IV could decrease the neurological score, reduce the infarct volume in the brain, and alleviate cerebral I/R injury in MCAO rats. Astragaloside IV promoted cell viability and balanced Bcl-2 and Bax expression in vitro, reduced the rate of apoptosis, decreased the expression of P62, and increased the expression of LC3II/LC3I in HT22 cells after OGD/R. Conclusions: These data suggested that Astragaloside IV plays a neuroprotective role by down-regulating apoptosis by promoting the degree of autophagy.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (18) ◽  
pp. 4361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elena Bresciani ◽  
Laura Rizzi ◽  
Silvia Coco ◽  
Laura Molteni ◽  
Ramona Meanti ◽  
...  

Growth hormone secretagogues (GHS) are a family of synthetic molecules, first discovered in the late 1970s for their ability to stimulate growth hormone (GH) release. Many effects of GHS are mediated by binding to GHS-R1a, the receptor for the endogenous hormone ghrelin, a 28-amino acid peptide isolated from the stomach. Besides endocrine functions, both ghrelin and GHS are endowed with some relevant extraendocrine properties, including stimulation of food intake, anticonvulsant and anti-inflammatory effects, and protection of muscle tissue in different pathological conditions. In particular, ghrelin and GHS inhibit cardiomyocyte and endothelial cell apoptosis and improve cardiac left ventricular function during ischemia–reperfusion injury. Moreover, in a model of cisplatin-induced cachexia, GHS protect skeletal muscle from mitochondrial damage and improve lean mass recovery. Most of these effects are mediated by GHS ability to preserve intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. In this review, we address the muscle-specific protective effects of GHS mediated by Ca2+ regulation, but also highlight recent findings of their therapeutic potential in pathological conditions characterized by skeletal or cardiac muscle impairment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (12) ◽  
pp. 1267-1275 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yidan Wei ◽  
Meijuan Xu ◽  
Yi Ren ◽  
Guo Lu ◽  
Yangmei Xu ◽  
...  

Arachidonic acid (AA) is a precursor that is metabolized by several enzymes to many biological eicosanoids. Accumulating data indicate that the ω-hydroxylation metabolite of AA, 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), is considered to be involved in the myocardial ischemia–reperfusion injury (MIRI). The inhibitors of AA ω-hydroxylase, however, are demonstrated to exhibit protective effects on MIRI. Dihydrotanshinone I (DI), a bioactive constituent of danshen, is proven to be a potent inhibitor of AA ω-hydroxylase by our preliminary study in vitro. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the cardioprotection of DI against MIRI and its effects on the concentrations of 20-HETE in vivo. Rats subjected to 30 min of ischemia followed by 24 h of reperfusion were assigned to intravenously receive vehicle (sham and ischemia–reperfusion), low (1 mg/kg), middle (2 mg/kg), or high (4 mg/kg) doses of DI before reperfusion. The results demonstrated that DI treatment could improve cardiac function, reduce infarct size, ameliorate the variations in myocardial zymogram and histopathological disorders, decrease 20-HETE generation, and regulate apoptosis-related protein in myocardial ischemia–reperfusion rats. These findings suggested DI could exert considerable cardioprotective action on MIRI by the attenuation of 20-HETE generation, subsequent myocardial injury, and apoptosis through inhibition on AA ω-hydroxylase.


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