Neuroprotective effect of vitexin on acute cerebral ischemia reperfusion rats and its effect on Th1/Th2 drift / 中草药

ABSTRACT

Objective: To investigate the neuroprotective effect of vitexin (VT) on acute cerebral ischemia (ACI) reperfusion rats and its effect on helper T cell 1 (Th1)/Th2 drift. Methods: Rat models of ACI reperfusion were established and divided into model group, low, medium and high doses of VT (0.94, 1.88, 3.76 mg/kg) groups and sham operated group. After 1 h of ischemia-reperfusion, rats in different doses of VT were given different concentrations of VT by ip, and rats in sham operated group and model group were given the same amount of saline by ip for three consecutive days. The general state of rats was observed. Longa neurological score before and after administration, and morphological changes of neurons in brain tissue after administration were evaluated and compared. The damage rates of single and double strands breaks of DNA in brain tissue were compared. The levels of Th1 and Th2 markers interferon-γ (INF-γ) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in brain tissue were measured and the INF-γ/IL-4 was calculated. Results: The success rate of ACI reperfusion model was 88.89%. The mental state of rats in the model group was not good, which was improved in the three doses of VT groups after administration. Compared with model group, the neurological function scores of rats in each dose group of VT were significantly decreased 1 d and 3 d after administration (P < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner. The results of HE showed that the volume of neurons and nucleus of neurons in model group were reduced, and the injury of neurons in VT groups was alleviated after administration, especially in high dose group. Compared with the sham operated group, the damage rates of single and double strand breaks of DNA, INF-γ level and INF-γ/IL-4 in the model group were significantly higher (P < 0.05), while IL-4 level was significantly lower (P < 0.05). Compared with the model group, the rate of DNA single- and double-strand breakage damage, INF-γ level and INF-γ/IL-4 were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and the level of IL-4 was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in each dose group of VT in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusion: VT has protective effect on nerve function in ACI reperfusion rats, and with the best protective effect at dose of 3.76 mg/kg, which may be related to regulating the balance of Th1/Th2 cells to shift to Th2 and alleviating DNA damage in brain cells.