Effects of ligustrazine on hippocampal dentate gyrus cell proliferation after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats / 南方医科大学学报

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of ligustrazine on cell proliferation in hippocampal dentate gyrus subgranular zone (SGZ) after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model was established in adult rats by placement of an intraluminal filament at the origin of the MCA. Ligustrazine was administered intraperitoneally at a daily dose of 80 mg/kg starting at 2 h after MCAO, and BrdU (50 mg/kg daily) was also injected intraperitoneally starting at 4 h after MCAO. BrdU-positive cells in the SGZ were counted 7, 14 and 24 days after MCAO, respectively.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with sham operation group, ischemic ipsilateral BrdU-positive cells in the ischemic model group increased 7 days after MCAO, reaching the peak on day 14, and decreased on day 21 (P<0.01). The number of ischemic ipsilateral BrdU-positive cells in ligustrazine group was significantly greater than that in the ischemic model group on days 7, 14 and 21 (P<0.01), and maintained the high level on day 21.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Ligustrazine possesses long lasting effect of promoting cell proliferation in the SGZ after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats.</p>