RESUMO
OBJECTIVE@#Our previous research showed that Naotaifang (a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine) extract (NTE) has clinically beneficial effects on neurological improvement of patients with acute cerebral ischemia. In this study, we investigated whether NTE protected acute brain injury in rats and whether its effects on ferroptosis could be linked to the dysfunction of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and iron metabolism.@*METHODS@#We established an acute brain injury model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in rats, in which we could observe the accumulation of iron in neurons, as detected by Perl's staining. Using assay kits, we measured expression levels of ferroptosis biomarkers, such as iron, glutathione (GSH), reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malonaldehyde (MDA); further the expression levels of transferrin receptor 1 (TFR1), divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), solute carrier family 7 member 11 (SLC7A11) and GPX4 were determined using immunohistochemical analysis, real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blot assays.@*RESULTS@#We found that treatment with NTE reduced the expression levels of TFR1 and DMT1, reduced ROS, MDA and iron accumulation and reduced neurobehavioral scores, relative to untreated MCAO rats. Treatment with NTE increased the expression levels of SLC7A11, GPX4 and GSH, and the number of Nissl bodies in the MCAO rats.@*CONCLUSION@#Taken together, our data suggest that acute cerebral ischemia induces neuronal ferroptosis and the effects of treating MCAO rats with NTE involved inhibition of ferroptosis through the TFR1/DMT1 and SCL7A11/GPX4 pathways.
RESUMO
Objective:To approach the effect of Naotangfang extracts on expression of vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF) after focal cerebral infarct in rats. Methods:30 Sprague-Dawley(SD) rats were randomly divided into 6 groups:sham operation group,model group,Naotaifang extract groups(low,middle,and high dosage) ,and Naofukang group. Some indexes were detected such as neurological scores,VEGF mRNA expression by RT-PCR,and the number of VEGF positive cells by immunohistochemical methods. Results:The symptoms in nervous function were improved in the Admin. groups,especially in the Naotaifang middle dosage group. The number of VEGF positive cells and VEGF PCR production in Naotaifng middle dosage group was higher than that in the model group. Conclusion:Naotaifang has neuroprotective effect against focal cerebral ischemic injury by improving the expression of VEGF.