title: Neuroprotective effects of a standardized flavonoid extract from Diospyros kaki leaves.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Flavonoids, extracted from the leaves of Diospyros kaki, are the main therapeutic components of NaoXingQing (NXQ), a potent and patented Chinese herbal remedy widely used in China for the treatment of apoplexy syndrome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the neuroprotective effects of FLDK-P70, a standardized flavonoid extract, using in vivo rat models of both focal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and on transient global brain ischemia induced by four-vessel occlusion (4-VO). We also aim to examine the effects of FLDK-P70 on glutamate-induced cell injury of hippocampal neurons as well as on hypoxia-induced injury of cortical neurons in primary cell culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Administration of FLDK-P70 for 12 days (40, 80 mg/kg body weight, p.o., 5 days before and 7 days after 4-VO) increased the survival of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons after transient global brain ischemia. Similarly, administration of FLDK-P70 for 7 days (40, 80 mg/kg body weight, p.o., 3 days before and 4 days after MCAO) significantly reduced the lesion of the insulted brain hemisphere and improved the neurological behavior of rats. In primary rat hippocampal neuronal cultures, pretreatment with FLDK-P70 (5, 10 microg/ml) protected neurons from glutamate-induced excitotoxic neuronal death in a dose-dependent manner. In primary rat cerebral cortical neuronal culture, pretreatment with FLDK-P70 (25, 100 microg/ml) also reduced hypoxia-reoxygen induced neuronal death and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These in vivo and in vitro results suggest that FLDK-P70 significantly protects rats from MCAO and 4-VO ischemic injury in vivo and protects hippocampal neurons from glutamate-induced excitotoxic injury as well as cortical neurons from hypoxia-induced injury in vitro. The mechanisms of these effects may be due to the antioxidative activity of the flavonoids. These results convincingly demonstrate that FLDK-P70 may be useful for the prevention and treatment of ischemia/reperfusion injury and other related neurodegenerative diseases.
authors: The Institute of Chinese Medicinal Sciences, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre, Guangzhou, PR China.
authors: Weijian
authors: W
authors: Bei
authors: Linquan
authors: L
authors: Zang
authors: Jiao
authors: J
authors: Guo
authors: Wenlie
authors: W
authors: Peng
authors: Anlong
authors: A
authors: Xu
authors: David A
authors: DA
authors: Good
authors: Yinming
authors: Y
authors: Hu
authors: Wei
authors: W
authors: Wu
authors: Dehui
authors: D
authors: Hu
authors: Xinghong
authors: X
authors: Zhu
authors: Ming
authors: M
authors: Wei
authors: Chuyuan
authors: C
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D016923:Cell Death / Q000187:drug effects*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000633:toxicity; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: C547104:FLDK-P70; D005419:Flavonoids; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D018698:Glutamic Acid