title: Herbal Formula Danggui-Shaoyao-San Promotes Neurogenesis and Angiogenesis in Rat Following Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion.
abstract: Current studies demonstrated that traditional Chinese herbal formula Danggui-Shaoyao-San (DSS) is not only used for the treatment of menstrual disorder, but has also found its use in neurological diseases. However, the neuroprotective role of DSS on ischemia-induced brain injury is still unclear. The aim of the present study is to explore the effect of DSS in ischemic brain injury. Total 30 adult female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent 90 min transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). DSS (600 mg/kg) was administered through the intragastric route at the time of reperfusion and then performed every day thereafter until sacrifice. Results showed that DSS treatment significantly improved neurobehavioral outcomes (N=10 per group, P<0.05). Immunohistochemical staining showed that microvessel density in the perifocal region of DSS-treated rats was significantly increased compared to the saline-treated group (N=4 per group, P<0.01). Similarly, the numbers of BrdU(+)/DCX(+) cells in the subventricular zone were increased in DSS-treated rats compared to the saline-treated group (P<0.05). Furthermore, we demonstrated that DSS treatment activated vascular endothelial growth factor (N=4 per group, P<0.05) and promoted eNOS phosphorylation (N=4 per group, P<0.05). Thus, we concluded that DSS promoted focal angiogenesis and neurogenesis, and attenuated ischemia-induced brain injury in rats after MCAO, suggesting that DSS is a potential drug for ischemic stroke therapy.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hypoxia Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China ; Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
authors.forename: Changhong
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hypoxia Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Ning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA.
authors.forename: Kunlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: Institute of Hypoxia Medicine, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China ; Department of Neurosurgery, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100053, China.
authors.forename: Xunming
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Ji
keywords: Angiogenesis; Dangui-Shaoyao San; Ischemic stroke; Neurogenesis