Protective effects of baicalin on oxygen/glucose deprivation- and NMDA-induced injuries in rat hippocampal slices.
Baicalin is a flavonoid derivative from Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi with various pharmacological effects. Recently, the neuroprotective effect of baicalin was reported. To confirm this effect and explore the possible mechanism, we have investigated the protective effect of baicalin on ischaemiclike or excitotoxic injury and the activation of protein kinase C alpha (PKC(alpha)) in rat hippocampal slices. In-vitro ischaemic-like injury was induced by oxygen/glucose deprivation (OGD) and the excitotoxic injury by N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA). The viability and swelling of the slices were detected by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and image analysis of light transmittance (LT), respectively. The translocation of PKC(alpha) was measured by immunoblotting. Baicalin was added during both injuries. Baicalin (0.1, 1, and 10 micromol L(-1)) concentration-dependently inhibited OGD-induced viability reduction and acute neuron swelling, and inhibited the increased portion of PKC(alpha) present in the membrane fraction over the total PKC(alpha). Baicalin ameliorated NMDA-induced viability reduction (not LT elevation) and inhibited the NMDA-increased membrane portion of PKC(alpha) at 1 micromol L(-1). We concluded that baicalin had a protective effect on ischaemic-like or excitotoxic injury in rat hippocampal slices, which might have been partly related to inhibition of PKC(alpha) translocation.
Liu
Lu-Ying
LY
Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 353, Yan An Road, Hangzhou 310031, P. R. of China.
Wei
Er-Qing
EQ
Zhao
Yan-Min
YM
Chen
Fang-Xue
FX
Wang
Meng-Ling
ML
Zhang
Wei-Ping
WP
Chen
Zhong
Z
D000818:Animals; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000172:deficiency; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D005419:Flavonoids; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; C038044:baicalin; D016202:N-Methylaspartate; D005947:Glucose