Abstract:

Objective      To investigate the effect of astragaloside Ⅳ(AST) on the proliferation of astrocytes after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(IR) injury in rats. Methods       All SD rats were randomly divided into the sham operation group, the IR group and AST treatment groups (10, 40 and 100mg/kg). Treatment groups were injected with AST 30 minutes before operation. The middle cerebral arterial ischemia/reperfusion (IR) rat model was established by a modified Longa occlusion method. Expression level of glial fibrillary acidic protein(GFAP) was observed in core and penumbral areas by the immunohistochemical technique.  Results     Compared to the sham operation group, expression of GFAP was obviously increased in the IR group (P＜0.01). Compared with the IR group, expression of GFAP in the penumbra area diminished in AST 40 and 100 mg/kg groups (P＜0.05). Expression level of GFAP in the core area insignificantly changed  (P＞0.05). Compared with the AST 10mg/kg group, expression of GFAP in the penumbra area diminished in the AST 40mg/kg group (P＜0.05). Conclusion       AST can protect the ischemic brain tissue by inhibiting proliferation of astrocytes in the penumbra area after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion(IR) injury.

Key words: Astragaloside Ⅳ; Cerebral ischemiareperfusion; Penumbra; Glial fibrillary acidic protein;Reperfusion injury