Dihydromyricetin alleviates cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by attenuating apoptosis and astrogliosis in peri-infarct cortex

This study investigates the potential of DHM, given postreperfusion in middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) model of stroke in rats.METHODS: MCAo surgery was performed in male Wistar rats. Reperfusion was performed after 90 min of ischemia. DHM (50 and 100 mg/kg) was administered 10-15 min and 2 h postreperfusion followed by daily dosing for 2 more days. Neurobehavioral parameters and infarct size (TTC staining) were assessed after 72 h. The effective dose (100 mg/kg) was then used to study reduction in infarct size (measured by MRI) and effect on apoptosis (evaluated by protein expression of Bax, Bcl-2 and cleaved caspase-3 and TUNEL assay) in peri-infarct cortex. Furthermore, effects of DHM on neuronal damage and activation of astrocytes were studied by immunofluorescence.RESULTS: Poststroke DHM (100 mg/kg) administered for 3 days showed significant improvements in motor-coordination and infarct damage (TTC staining and MRI). MCAo-induced altered apoptotic proteins were normalized to a significant extent in peri-infarct cortex with DHM treatment. Data from TUNEL assay were complementary to the effects on apoptotic proteins. Additionally, DHM caused a significant reduction in the number of reactive astrocytes when compared with the MCAo group.DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated the efficacy of subacute DHM treatment in ischemia/reperfusion injury by modulating apoptosis and astrogliosis in the peri-infarct cortex. This suggests the potential of DHM in attenuating disease ...
Source: Neurological Research - Category: Neurology Authors: Source Type: research