The effects of apigenin on the recovery of neurological function following focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion / 中华物理医学与康复杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the effect of apigenin on the recovery of neurological function following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion and investigate its mechanism. Methods Ninety male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomized into a sham-operated group, a model group and an apigenin-treated group. A transient ( 1.5 h) focal cerebral ischemia-reperfu-sion model was established in the rats of the model and apigenin-treated groups. In the sham-operated rats the middle cere-bral artery was not occluded. The rats in the apigenin-treated group received an intra-abdominal injection of apigenin, and the rats in the other two groups received injections of normal saline solution. Neurological behavior scores were assessed in accordance with the Zea Longa method at the 24th, 48th and 72nd hour and the 7th day after reperfusion. Cellular and sub-cellular morphology were observed with an optical microscope and an electron microscope, and the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β were measured using ELISA. Results Neurological function improved by the 7th day after reperfusion in the model group, but improved significantly by the 72nd hour after reperfusion in the apigenin-treated group. Average TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the model group and the apigenin-treated group were significantly higher than in the sham-operated group. Av-erage TNF-α and IL-1β levels in the apigenin-treated group were significantly lower than in the model group at the 48th and 72nd hour after reperfusion. Neurological behavior scores had a positive correlation with the IL-1β and TNF-α levels. In the model group, obvious intracellular and intercellular edema and vacuolization were observed in the ischemic cortices and hippocampuses, with remarkable karyopycnosis and organelle broadening and dissolution and vacuolization in glial cells and neurons. In the apigenin-treated group, similar but significantly milder morphological changes were observed. Conclusion Apigenin can promote the recovery of neurological function in rats by downregulating the expression of TNF-α and IL-1βfollowing focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.