[Effect of ligustrazine on migration of neuronal precursors after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats].
OBJECTIVE
To study the effect of ligustrazine on the migration of neuronal precursors (NPs) after focal cerebral ischemia in adult rats and explore its acting mechanism on recovery of function.


METHODS
Rat model of left middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established by thread ligation. Ligustrazine 40 mg/kg was injected peritoneally once a day 2 h after modeling. On the 3rd, 7th, 14th and 21st day after operation, the migration of Doublecortin (DCX, the marker of NPs) in subventricular zone (SVZ) and the rostral migratory stream (RMS) were observed with immunohistochemistry.


RESULTS
The migration of DCX-positive cells in SVZ (abbrev. as migration below) through RMS into the olfactory bulb started from the 3rd day after ischemia, and lasted to the 21st day; the migration directly or through RMS into the ischemic penumbra of the adjacent striatum started on the 7th day, and increased significantly on the 14th day; and a few of DCX positive cells migrated through corpus callosum into the ischemic cortex on the 21st day. The migration was similar in the two groups in its pathway, but the extent in the ligustrazine group was more intensive.


CONCLUSIONS
Ligustrazine could promote direct migration of NPs into the ischemic cerebral cortex and striatum, suggesting that it might play an important role in promoting self-recovery of brain function after ischemia through accelerating the migration of NPs.
Qiu
Fen
F
Research Center of Neurosciences, Medical School of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an.
Liu
Yong
Y
Qian
Yi-Hua
YH
D000818:Animals; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects*; D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000096:biosynthesis; D011719:Pyrazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; C000714848:Dcx protein, rat; D000089622:Doublecortin Domain Proteins; D000089662:Doublecortin Protein; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D011719:Pyrazines; C017953:tetramethylpyrazine