Quercetin Against Cerebral Ischemia-reperfusion Injury： A Review / 中国实验方剂学杂志

ABSTRACT

Cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury （CIRI） is a further injury of brain tissue after the recovery of blood supply in ischemic stroke， which seriously affects the quality of life of patients. The pathological mechanism of CIRI is complex， mainly involving excitatory amino acid toxicity， apoptosis， inflammation， and oxidative stress. Studies have proved that Chinese herbal medicines and their active components have unique advantages and good application prospects in the prevention and treatment of CIRI. Quercetin is a flavonoid ubiquitous in a variety of Chinese medicinal herbs. It can alleviate CIRI and reduce brain injury through inhibiting inflammation， oxidation， and apoptosis， protecting blood-brain barrier， and activating mitophagy. However， little is known about the specific mechanism and molecular targets. In view of the low bioavailability and poor solubility of quercetin， researchers have developed a variety of delivery systems to facilitate the dispersion of quercetin， improve chemical stability， and increase clinical application. Furthermore， researchers have tested the long-term safety of quercetin and confirmed that low-dose quercetin has good safety. By reviewing the relevant studies in recent years， we summarized the targets， mechanism， delivery， and safety of quercetin in the treatment of CIRI， aiming to provide a theoretical basis for the further development and application of quercetin.