Effects of pien-tze-huang on expression of NMDAR1 and GluR2 in cortex of MCAO rats / 中国药理学通报

ABSTRACT

Aim: To investigate the effects of Pien-Tze-Huang (PZH) on mRNA and protein expression of NMDAR1 and GluR2 in cortex of MCAO rats. Methods: Forty healthy adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups sham, MCAO, MCAO + PZH groups. The rats were subjected to focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion with suture-occluded method. Neurological deficit testing was performed with Zea Longa scale. The volume of cerebral infarction was evaluated by TTC staining. The mRNA and protein expression of NMDAR1 and GluR2 in cortex of side cerebral ischemic tissues were determined using qPCR and Western blot analysis. Results: Compared with MCAO group, PZH significantly improved the neurological deficit, decreased the volume of cerebral infarction, and up-regulated the mRNA and protein expression of NMDAR1 and GluR2. Conclusions: PZH attenuates the down-regulation of mRNA and protein expression of NMDAR1 and GluR2 after focal cerebral ischemic injury in rats, which may be associated with the cerebral protective effect of PZH.