title: Pretreatment with Danhong injection protects the brain against ischemia-reperfusion injury.
abstract: Danhong injection (DHI), a Chinese Materia Medica standardized product extracted from Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae and Flos Carthami tinctorii, is widely used in China for treating acute ischemic stroke. In the present study, we explored the neuroprotective efficacy of DHI in a rat model of temporary middle cerebral artery occlusion, and evaluated the potential mechanisms underlying its effects. Pretreatment with DHI (0.9 and 1.8 mL/kg) resulted in a significantly smaller infarct volume and better neurological scores than pretreatment with saline. Furthermore, DHI significantly reduced the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, increased occludin protein expression and decreased neutrophil infiltration, as well as profoundly suppressing the upregulation of matrix metallopeptidase-9 expression seen in rats that had received vehicle. Matrix metallopeptidase-2 expression was not affected by ischemia or DHI. Moreover, DHI (1.8 mL/kg) administered 3 hours after the onset of ischemia also improved neurological scores and reduced infarct size. Our results indicate that the neuroprotective efficacy of DHI in a rat model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury is mediated by a protective effect on the blood-brain barrier and the reversal of neutrophil infiltration.
authors.affiliation: Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Shaoxia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Pharmacology, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Xumei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.affiliation: Tianjin State Key Laboratory of Modern Chinese Medicine, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: Buchang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Buchang Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Buchang
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Pharmacology, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoxu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: Tianjin Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Pharmacology, Tianjin University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Tianjin, China.
authors.forename: Feifei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Jia
keywords: Danhong injection; Flos Carthami; NSFC grant; Radix Salviae Miltiorrhiae; blood-brain barrier; cerebral ischemia-reperfusion; matrix metallopeptidase; nerve regeneration; neural regeneration; neutrophil infiltration