title: Puerarin decreases hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha in the hippocampus of vascular dementia rats.
abstract: In this study, a rat vascular dementia model was established by permanent bilateral common carotid arterial occlusion. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with puerarin 3 days before modeling, for 45 successive days. Results demonstrated that in treated animals hippocampal structures were clear, nerve cells arranged neatly, and cytoplasm was rich in Nissl bodies. The number of cells positive for hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha, erythropoietin and endothelial nitric oxide synthase was reduced; and the learning and memory abilities of rats were significantly improved. Our experimental findings indicate that puerarin can significantly improve learning and memory in a vascular dementia model, and that the underlying mechanism may be associated with the regulation of the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Haiqin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Huqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Guilian
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Ru
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, the Second Affiliated Hospital, Medical College of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710004, Shaanxi Province, China.
authors.forename: Lingfeng
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
keywords: endothelial nitric-oxide synthase; erythropoietin; hypoxia-inducible factor-1 alpha; puerarin; vascular dementia