title: Vitexin protects brain against ischemia/reperfusion injury via modulating mitogen-activated protein kinase and apoptosis signaling in mice.
abstract: Vitexin is a major bioactive flavonoid compound derived from the dried leaf of hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida), a widely used conventional folk medicine in China. Recent studies have shown that vitexin presents neuroprotective effects in vitro. Whether this protective effect applies to the cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury remains elusive. In the present study, we examined the potential neuroprotective effect of vitexin against cerebral I/R injury and underlying mechanisms. A focal cerebral I/R model in male Kunming mice was induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 22 h. The neurological function and infarct volume were assessed by using Long's five-point scale system and triphenyl-tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining technique, respectively. Neuronal damage was evaluated by histological staining. Extracellular signal-regulated kinases 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK) and p38 phosphorylation, and apoptosis were measured via Western blot at 24 h after reperfusion. As a result, systemic vitexin treatment significantly reduced neurological deficit, cerebral infarct volume and neuronal damage when compared with the I/R group. Western blot analyses revealed that vitexin markedly upregulated p-ERK1/2 and downregulated p-JNK and p-p38. Meanwhile, vitexin increased Bcl-2 expression and suppressed the overexpression of Bax in the I/R injury mice. In conclusion, the results indicate that vitexin protects brain against cerebral I/R injury, and this effect may be regulated by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and apoptosis signaling pathways.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Yanan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Yilan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Xian
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Hefei Qi-xing Medicine and Technology Co. Ltd, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoliang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China.
authors.forename: Zhiwu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China. Electronic address: gongliangzhang@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Gongliang
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Anhui Medical University, 81 Meishan Road, Hefei, Anhui 230032, China. Electronic address: dongly@ahmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Liuyi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D047310:Apigenin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000494:pharmacology; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D020935:MAP Kinase Signaling System / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010766:Phosphorylation; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494827:Bax protein, mouse; D005419:Flavonoids; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C052617:Bcl2 protein, mouse; C061097:breviscapine; D047310:Apigenin; C032731:vitexin; D048049:Extracellular Signal-Regulated MAP Kinases; D048031:JNK Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; D048051:p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
keywords: Apoptosis; Ischemia/reperfusion injury; Mice; Mitogen-activated protein kinase; Vitexin