title: Neuroprotective effects of genistein-3'-sodium sulfonate on focal cerebral ischemia in rats.
abstract: In order to improve the poor water solubility of genistein (4',5,7-trihydroxyisoflavone), which is extracted from food sources such as tofu, soybeans, and kudzu, we sulfonated genistein to synthesize a relatively more water-soluble compound, namely genistein-3'-sodium sulfonate (GSS). Our previous studies demonstrate that GSS protects cortical neurons from injury induced by focal cerebral ischemia. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this protective effect remain unclear. We aimed to investigate the protective effect and potential molecular mechanisms of action of GSS in rat glutamate-induced cortical neuron injury in vitro and middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo models. Our results showed that GSS exhibited a protective effect against glutamate-induced cytotoxicity in rat cortical neurons by reducing lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release, inhibiting cell apoptosis, increasing Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio, and reducing Caspase 3 activity. GSS also decreased the infarcted area and neurological deficits in the rat MCAO model, reduced LDH release from the brain tissue to the serum, increased the Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio, and reduced Caspase 3 activity. These findings suggest that GSS protects rat cortical neurons from injury induced by focal cerebral ischemia in both in vitro and in vivo models, through increased Bcl-2/Bax expression ratio and reduced Caspase 3 activity.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences of Pain, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Yi Xue Yuan Load, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Liangdong
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China; Department of Pathophysiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, PR China.
authors.forename: Jinhua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xue
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Ruizhen
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan medical University, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences of Pain, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Yi Xue Yuan Load, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Lijuan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences of Pain, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Yi Xue Yuan Load, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China.
authors.forename: Jiali
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences of Pain, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Yi Xue Yuan Load, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China. Electronic address: gnyxyhzh@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Zhihua
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Sciences of Pain, Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Gannan Medical University, Yi Xue Yuan Load, Ganzhou 341000, Jiangxi, PR China. Electronic address: huangc6a2013@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Cheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020244:Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D018696:Neuroprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D018696:Neuroprotective Agents; D019833:Genistein
keywords: Apoptosis; GSS; Glutamate; MCAO; Rat cortical neurons