title: N-Butylphthalide Improves Cognitive Function in Rats after Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
abstract: Cognitive impairment is the most common neurologic sequelae after carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, and the previous investigations have demonstrated thatN-Butylphthalide (NBP) could exert a broad spectrum of neuroprotective properties. The current study aimed to investigate the effect of NBP on cognitive dysfunction in rats after acute severe CO poisoning. Rats were randomly divided into a normal control group, a CO poisoning group and a CO+NBP group. The animal model of CO poisoning was established by exposure to CO in a chamber, and then all rats received hyperbaric oxygen therapy once daily, while rats in CO+NBP group were administered orally NBP (6 mg/ 100g) by gavage twice a day additionally. The results indicated that CO poisoning could induce cognitive impairment. The ultrastructure of hippocampus was seriously damaged under transmission electron microscopy, and the expressions of calpain 1 and CaMK II proteins were significantly elevated after CO exposure according to the analysis of immunofluorescence staining and western blot. NBP treatment could evidently improve cognitive function, and maintain ultrastructure integrity of hippocampus. The expression levels of both calpain 1 and CaMK II proteins in CO+NBP group were considerably lower than that of CO poisoning group (P< 0.05). Taken together, this study highlights the molecular mechanism of cognitive dysfunction in rats after CO exposure via the upregulation of both calpain 1 and CaMK II proteins. The administration of NBP could balance the expressions of calpain 1 and CaMK II proteins and improve cognitive function through maintaining ultrastructural integrity of hippocampus, and thus may play a neuroprotective role in brain tissue in rats with CO poisoning.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao UniversityYantai, China; Emergency Centre, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao UniversityYantai, China.
authors.forename: Ming-Jun
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Bi
authors.affiliation: Emergency Centre, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University Yantai, China.
authors.forename: Xian-Ni
authors.initials: XN
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University Yantai, China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zou
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao UniversityYantai, China; Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Clinical Medicine, Qingdao University Medical CollegeQingdao, China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yu
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.affiliation: The Second Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Medicine, Binzhou Medical University Yantai, China.
authors.forename: Yue-Heng
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Eye Institute, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine Jinan, China.
authors.forename: Da-Dong
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, The Affiliated Yantai Yuhuangding Hospital of Qingdao University Yantai, China.
authors.forename: Qin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
keywords: CO poisoning; Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II; Calpain 1; N-butylphthalide; cognitive function; rat