title: 3H-1,2-Dithiole-3-thione as a novel therapeutic agent for the treatment of ischemic stroke through Nrf2 defense pathway.
abstract: Cerebral ischemic stroke accounts for more than 80% of all stroke cases. During cerebral ischemia, reactive oxygen species produced in brain tissue induce oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. D3T, the simplest compound of the cyclic, sulfur-containing dithiolethiones, is found in cruciferous vegetables and has been reported to induce antioxidant genes and glutathione biosynthesis through activation of Nrf2. In addition to antioxidant activity, D3T was also reported to possess anti-inflammatory effects. In this study, we evaluated the therapeutic potential of D3T for the treatment of ischemic stroke and investigated the mechanisms underlying the protective effects of D3T in ischemic stroke. Mice subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (tMCAO/R) were administered with vehicle or D3T to evaluate the effect of D3T in cerebral brain injury. We observed D3T reduced infarct size, decreased brain edema, lessened blood-brain barrier disruption, and ameliorated neurological deficits. Further investigation revealed D3T suppressed microglia (MG) activation and inhibited peripheral inflammatory immune cell infiltration of CNS in the ischemic brain. The protective effect of D3T in ischemic stroke is mediated through Nrf2 induction as D3T-attenuated brain injury was abolished in Nrf2 deficient mice subjected to tMCAO/R. In addition, in vitro results indicate the induction of Nrf2 by D3T is required for its suppressive effect on MG activation and cytokine production. In summary, we demonstrate for the first time that D3T confers protection against ischemic stroke, which is mediated through suppression of MG activation and inhibition of CNS peripheral cell infiltration, and that the protective effect of D3T in ischemic stroke is dependent on the activation of Nrf2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Ping-Chang
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Kuo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: I-Chen
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Barbara A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Scofield
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manchester University College of Pharmacy, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Dennis A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Eric T
authors.initials: ET
authors.lastname: Curfman
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Hallel C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Paraiso
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States.
authors.forename: Fen-Lei
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Fort Wayne, IN, United States. Electronic address: jimyen@iu.edu.
authors.forename: Jui-Hung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Yen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D013871:Thiones / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013876:Thiophenes / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D051267:NF-E2-Related Factor 2; D017382:Reactive Oxygen Species; D013871:Thiones; D013876:Thiophenes; C049325:1,2-dithiol-3-thione
keywords: D3T; HO-1; Ischemic stroke; Microglia; Neuroinflammation; Nrf2