title: Puerarin protects hippocampal neurons against cell death in pilocarpine-induced seizures through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms.
abstract: Puerarin extracted from Radix puerariae has been shown to exert neuroprotective effects. However, it is still not known whether puerarin protects hippocampal neurons against cell death in pilocarpine-induced seizures. In this study, we found that pretreatment with puerarin significantly attenuated the neuronal death in the hippocampus of rats with pilocarpine-induced epilepsy. In addition, puerarin decreased the level of seizure-induced reactive oxygen species in mitochondria isolated from the rat hippocampi. Terminal deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling staining showed that puerarin exerted an anti-apoptotic effect on the neurons in the epileptic hippocampus. Western blot analysis showed that puerarin treatment significantly decreased the expression of Bax and increased the expression of Bcl-2. Moreover, puerarin treatment restored the altered mitochondrial membrane potential and cytochrome c release from the mitochondria in the epileptic hippocampi. Altogether, the findings of this study suggest that puerarin exerts a therapeutic effect on epilepsy-induced brain injury through antioxidant and anti-apoptotic mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450052, China, hnxienanchang@163.com.
authors.forename: Nanchang
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.forename: Cui
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Yajun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lian
authors.forename: Chuanjie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Haifeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045304:Cytochromes c / Q000378:metabolism; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000473:pathology*; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D053078:Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / Q000187:drug effects; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010862:Pilocarpine; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D012640:Seizures / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D013194:Staining and Labeling
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D007529:Isoflavones; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D010862:Pilocarpine; D045304:Cytochromes c; D053148:Caspase 3; C033607:puerarin