title: Effects of the main active components combinations of Astragalus and Panax notoginseng on energy metabolism in brain tissues after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in mice.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Astragalus and Panax notoginseng are traditional Chinese medicines used for the treatments of cardio-cerebrovascular ischemic diseases, astragaloside IV (AST IV) and ginsenoside Rg1 (Rg1), ginsenoside Rb1 (Rb1), notoginsenoside R1 (R1) are their active components.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this work was to investigate the effect of AST IV combined with Rg1, Rb1, R1 on energy metabolism in brain tissues after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in mice.
  
  
  METHODS
  C57BL/6 mice were randomly divided into 11 groups, treated for 3 days. At 1 h after the last administration, the model of cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was established, and brain tissues were detected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All drugs increased the contents of adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), adenosine monophosphate (AMP) and the level of total adenine nucleotides (TAN), the combinations increased energy charge (EC), the effects of four active components combination were better. The phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinaseα1/2 (p-AMPKα1/2) was increased in AST IV, R1, four active components combination, AST IV + Rg1 and AST IV + R1 groups, the increased effect of four active components combination was greater than that of the active components alone and AST IV + Rb1. All drugs increased glucose transporter 3 (GLUT3) mRNA and protein, and the increases of four active components combination were more obvious than those of the active components alone or some two active components combinations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Four active components combination of Astragalus and P. notoginseng have the potentiation on improving of energy metabolism, the mechanism underlying might be associated with promoting the activation of AMPKα1/2, enhancing the expression of GLUT3, thus mediating glucose into nerve cells, increasing the supply and intake of glucose.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, People's Republic of China ; Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Prevention and Treatment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, People's Republic of China ; Key Laboratory of Hunan Universities for Cell Biology and Molecular Techniques, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Ping
authors.initials: XP
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Hunan Universities for Cell Biology and Molecular Techniques, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Prevention and Treatment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Bei
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Prevention and Treatment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong-Yuan
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Qiu
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Hunan Universities for Cell Biology and Molecular Techniques, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ying-Hong
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Prevention and Treatment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: Molecular Pathology Laboratory, Hunan University of Chinese Medicine, People's Republic of China ; Key Laboratory of Hunan Province for Prevention and Treatment of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine on Cardio-Cerebral Diseases, People's Republic of China ; Key Laboratory of Hunan Universities for Cell Biology and Molecular Techniques, Changsha, Hunan Province, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chang-Qing
authors.initials: CQ
authors.lastname: Deng
keywords: AMP-activated protein kinase; Active components combinations; Astragalus and Panax notoginseng; cerebral ischemia; energy metabolism; glucose transporter 3