title: Amelioration of cerebral infarction and improvement of neurological deficit by a Korean herbal medicine, modified Bo-Yang-Hwan-O-Tang.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Modified Bo-Yang-Hwan-O-Tang (mBHT) is an improved herbal formula of BHT, which has been widely used to treat ischaemic stroke in East Asia, by the addition of five herbs having anti-ischaemic properties. In this study, we investigated whether mBHT would reduce cerebral ischaemic injury in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and subsequent 22-h reperfusion. mBHT was administered either intraperitoneally twice 15 min before and 15 min after, or orally once 30 min or 120 min after the onset of MCAO (50 or 200 mg/kg each).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Intraperitoneal administration of mBHT markedly reduced the cerebral infarct size and neurological deficit caused by MCAO/reperfusion. mBHT treatment also significantly improved long-term survival rate after cerebral ischaemic injury. Oral administration of mBHT 30 min after ischaemia also markedly reduced the infarct size after cerebral ischaemia. The anti-ischaemic effect of mBHT was significantly, but not fully, reduced when mBHT-induced hypothermia was abolished. In cultured cortical neurons, we further found that mBHT decreased oxygen-glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation-evoked neuronal injury by inhibiting production of reactive oxygen species, decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and activation of caspase-3. However, mBHT did not inhibit N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitotoxicity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Taken together, our data suggest that mBHT has multiple anti-ischaemic properties and would be a good therapeutic herbal prescription for the treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yookeum
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Seul-Ki
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: In-Young
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Chung
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ju
authors.forename: Kung-Woo
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Nam
authors.forename: Sunyoung
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.forename: Byung-Woo
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Min Ji
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Moo-Ho
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Won
authors.forename: Yong-Ki
authors.initials: YK
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Won-Ki
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002544:Cerebral Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D054022:Cerebrum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D007036:Hypothermia, Induced; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; D008297:Male; D055670:Medicine, Korean Traditional; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; C479639:bo-yang-hwan-o-tang; D053148:Caspase 3; D005947:Glucose; D010100:Oxygen