Cerebral protection of purified Herba Leonuri extract on middle cerebral artery occluded rats.
OBJECTIVE
Oxidative stress is involved in stroke. In particular, Chinese Herbal Medicine with antioxidant properties is believed to have potential therapeutic effect. In this study, neuroprotective effects of purified Herba Leonuri (pHL) were evaluated in Wistar rats undergone middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO).


METHODS
The rats were treated with their respective treatments for 2 weeks prior to the MCAO, continually treated for another 7 days after MCAO. During the post-surgery treatment period, neurological deficit score was measured. At the end of treatment, animals were sacrificed and samples were collected for analysis of infarct volume, apoptosis and antioxidant analysis.


RESULTS
Under the treatment of pHL, the infarct volume was reduced significantly from 20.75+/-0.03% to 15.19+/-0.02% (p<0.05). The neurological impairment was alleviated to 1.82 as compared to vehicle (2.43). Plasma antioxidant concentration was increased from 0.31+/-0.03 mM to 0.42+/-0.05 mM (p<0.05). DNA oxidative damage was reduced to 1.19+/-0.03 in stroke pHL treated group (p<0.05 as compared to vehicle group, 1.78+/-0.03). pHL could reduce the level of apoptosis and also the pro-apoptotic proteins, but increase the level of anti-apoptotic proteins.


CONCLUSIONS
pHL is believed to have promising therapeutic effect for stroke treatment through antioxidant mechanisms.
Loh
Kok Poh
KP
Department of Pharmacology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Clinical Research Centre MD11, Singapore.
Huang
Shan Hong
SH
Tan
Benny Kwong Huat
BK
Zhu
Yi Zhun
YZ
D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D004249:DNA Damage / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy*; D031332:Leonurus / Q000737:chemistry*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy
D000975:Antioxidants; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents