Abstract:

Objective    To study the effect of the Buchang naoxintong capsule on focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats and to investigate its corresponding mechanisms. Methods    A rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and reperfusion was established by I/R .Thirty rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, the control group and the naoxintong-treated group, with 10 rats in each group. The neurological impairment score was used to evaluate the degree of neurological impairment of rats. Immunohistochemical stainning and Western blot were respectively used to detect expressions of CD68 and IL-1β. TUNEL and Nissl staining were used to detect neuron apoptosis in rats. Results    Activation of microglial cells, TUNEL- and nissl-positive cells, and expressions of CD68 and IL-1β in the naoxintong-treated group were obviously lower than those in the control group. The differences all had statistical significances(P<0.05). Conclusion     The Naoxintong capsule can significantly relieve the drgree of injury of brain tissues and depress apoptosis of neurocytes. The mechanisms could be that the Naoxintong capsule depresses activation of gitter cells which results in release of  inflammation mediators, and then prevents apoptosis of ischemic neurocytes.

Key words: Hypoxia-ischemia, brain; Tumor necrosis factor; Interleukin-1; Inflammation; Rats, sprague-dawley