Salvianolic acid A prevented cerebrovascular endothelial injury caused by acute ischemic stroke through inhibiting the Src signaling pathway.

Stroke is an acute cerebrovascular disease caused by ruptured or blocked blood vessels. For the prevention of ischemic stroke, the coagulation state of blood and cerebrovascular protection should be considered. Our previous study has shown that salvianolic acid A (SAA), which is a water-soluble component from the root of Salvia Miltiorrhiza Bge, prevents thrombosis with a mild inhibitory effect on platelet aggregation. In this study we investigated the preventive effects of SAA on cerebrovascular endothelial injury caused by ischemia in vivo and oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) in vitro, and explored the underlying mechanisms. An autologous thrombus stroke model was established in SD rats by electrocoagulation. SAA (10 mg/kg) was orally administered twice a day for 5 days before the operation. The rats were sacrificed at 24 h after the operation. We showed that pretreatment with SAA significantly improved the neurological deficits, intracerebral hemorrhage, BBB disruption, and vascular endothelial dysfunction as compared with model group. In human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs), pretreatment with SAA (10 µM) significantly inhibited OGD-induced cell viability reduction and degradation of tight junction proteins (ZO-1, occludin, claudin-5). Furthermore, we found that SAA inhibited the upregulation of Src signaling pathway in vivo and vitro and reversed the increased expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) after ischemic stroke. In conclusion, our results suggest that SAA protects cerebrovascular endothelial cells against ischemia and OGD injury via suppressing Src signaling pathway. These findings show that pretreatment with SAA is a potential therapeutic strategy for the prevention of ischemic stroke.

Pinocembrin attenuates hemorrhagic transformation after delayed t-PA treatment in thromboembolic stroke rats by regulating endogenous metabolites.

Hemorrhagic transformation (HT) is a common serious complication of stroke after thrombolysis treatment, which limits the clinical use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). Since early diagnosis and treatment for HT is important to improve the prognosis of stroke patients, it is urgent to discover the potential biomarkers and therapeutic drugs. Recent evidence shows that pinocembrin, a natural flavonoid compound, exerts anti-cerebral ischemia effect and expands the time window of t-PA. In this study, we investigated the effect of pinocembrin on t-PA-induced HT and the potential biomarkers for HT after t-PA thrombolysis, thereby improving the prognosis of stroke. Electrocoagulation-induced thrombotic focal ischemic rats received intravenous infusion of t-PA (10 mg/kg) 6 h after ischemia. Administration of pinocembrin (10 mg/kg, iv) prior t-PA infusion significantly decreased the infarct volume, ameliorated t-PA-induced HT, and protected blood-brain barrier. Metabolomics analysis revealed that 5 differential metabolites in the cerebral cortex and 16 differential metabolites in serum involved in amino acid metabolism and energy metabolism were significantly changed after t-PA thrombolysis, whereas pinocembrin administration exerted significant intervention effects on these metabolites. Linear regression analysis showed that lactic acid was highly correlated to the occurrence of HT. Further experiments confirmed that t-PA treatment significantly increased the content of lactic acid and the activity of lactate dehydrogenase in the cerebral cortex and serum, and the expression of monocarboxylate transporter 1 (MCT 1) in the cerebral cortex; pinocembrin reversed these changes, which was consistent with the result of metabolomics. These results demonstrate that pinocembrin attenuates HT after t-PA thrombolysis, which may be associated with the regulation of endogenous metabolites. Lactic acid may be a potential biomarker for HT prediction and treatment.

Ganoderic acid A protects neural cells against NO stress injury in vitro via stimulating ß adrenergic receptors.

Excessive nitric oxide (NO) causes extensive damage to the nervous system, and the adrenergic system is disordered in many neuropsychiatric diseases. However, the role of the adrenergic system in protection of the nervous system against sodium nitroprusside (SNP) injury remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effect of ganoderic acid A (GA A) against SNP injury in neural cells and the role of adrenergic receptors in GA A neuroprotection. We found that SNP (0.125-2 mM) dose-dependently decreased the viability of both SH-SY5Y and PC12 cells and markedly increased NO contents. Pretreatment with GA A (10 µM) significantly attenuated SNP-induced cytotoxicity and NO increase in SH-SY5Y cells, but not in PC12 cells. Furthermore, pretreatment with GA A caused significantly higher adrenaline content in SH-SY5Y cells than in PC12 cells. In order to elucidate the mechanism of GA A-protecting SH-SY5Y cells, we added adrenaline, phentolamine, metoprolol, or ICI 118551 1 h before GA A was added to the culture medium. We found that addition of adrenaline (10 µM) significantly improved GA A protection in PC12 cells. The addition of ß1-adrenergic receptor antagonist metoprolol (10 µM) or ß2-adrenergic receptor antagonist ICI 118551 (0.1 µM) blocked the protective effect of GA A, whereas the addition of α-adrenergic receptor antagonist phentolamine (0.1 µM) did not affect GA A protection in SH-SY5Y cells. These results suggest that ß-adrenergic receptors play an important role in the protection of GA A in SH-SY5Y cells against SNP injuries, and excessive adrenaline system activation caused great damage to the nervous system.

[Effects of the active components of Chinese herbal medicine Xiaoxuming Decoction on memory behavior and brain injury in rats with chronic cerebral ischemia].

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of the active components of Xiaoxuming Decoction (XXM), a compound traditional Chinese herbal medicine, on chronic cerebral ischemia in rats. METHODS: Chronic cerebral ischemia was induced in rats by occlusion of bilateral common carotid arteries. Then, the rats with chronic cerebral ischemia were randomly divided into five groups: model group, extract of Ginkgo biloba group and low-, medium- and high-dose active components of XXM groups. Another 11 rats without occlusion of common carotid arteries were used as the sham-operation group. Memory behavior was investigated by Morris water maze test. The structure of hippocampus and cortex neurons was observed with Nissel staining. The white matter lesion was stained with Klüver-Barrera stain method to observe the pathological changes. The astrocyte activation was observed using immunohistochemical method with glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibody. RESULTS: The active components of XXM could significantly improve the impairment of learning and memory induced by chronic cerebral ischemia in rats. Compared with the model group, the time to reach the platform for rats was shortened by treating with the active components of XXM in Morris water maze test, particularly in the medium-dose group (P<0.05). In addition, the low- and medium-dose active components of XXM improved the decrease of cerebrovascular reactivity induced by chronic cerebral ischemia. The results of the pathological analysis also suggested that the active components of XXM could ameliorate the pathological damage induced by chronic cerebral ischemia in rats with the number of neurons increased, and the morphology and distribution of neurons recovered to normal levels. The low-dose active components of XXM significantly reduced the white matter lesions (P<0.05, P<0.01). Active components of XXM treatment could also reduce the activation of astrocytes. CONCLUSION: The active components of XXM may attenuate the chronic cerebral ischemic injury in rats.

Salvianolic acid A protects against vascular endothelial dysfunction in high-fat diet fed and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Salvianolic acid A (SalA) is one of the main active ingredients of Salvia miltiorrhizae. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of SalA on the diabetic vascular endothelial dysfunction (VED). The rats were given a high-fat and high-sucrose diet for 1 month followed by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (30 mg/kg). The diabetic rats were treated with SalA (1 mg/kg, 90% purity) orally for 10 weeks after modeling, and were given a high-fat diet. Contractile and relaxant responses of aorta rings as well as the serum indications were measured. Our results indicated that SalA treatment decreased the level of serum Von Willebrand factor and ameliorated acetylcholine-induced relaxation and KCl-induced contraction in aorta rings of the diabetic rats. SalA treatment also reduced the serum malondialdehyde, the content of aortic advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity as well as the expression of endothelial NOS protein in the rat aorta. Exposure of EA.hy926 cells to AGEs decreased the cell viability and changed the cell morphology, whereas SalA had protective effect on AGEs-induced cellular vitality. Our data suggested that SalA could protect against vascular VED in diabetes, which might attribute to its suppressive effect on oxidative stress and AGEs-induced endothelial dysfunction.

Rho kinase inhibition activity of pinocembrin in rat aortic rings contracted by angiotensin II.

AIM: To investigate the effects of pinocembrin on angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced vascular contraction, and to explore its molecular mechanism of actions. METHODS: The isometric vascular tone was measured in rat thoracic aortic rings with denuded endothelium. Phosphorylation level of myosin phosphatase target unit 1 (MYPT1), and protein levels of Rho kinase 1 (ROCK1, ROKß or p160ROCK) and angiotensin II type-1 receptor (AT1R) were determined by Western blot analysis. RESULTS: Pinocembrin produced a relaxant effect on endothelium-denuded aortic rings contracted by Ang II (100 nmol·L(-1)) in a dose-dependent manner. In endothelium-denuded aortic rings stimulated by Ang II, pretreatment with pinocembrin (25 and 100 µmol·L(-1)) for 20 min significantly attenuated MYPT1 phosphorylation and ROCK1 protein levels. Meanwhile, the protein level of AT1R in response to Ang II was not affected by pinocembrin in rat aortic rings. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that pinocembrin inhibits vasoconstriction induced by Ang II in rat endothelium-denuded aortic rings, and the mechanism at least in part, is due to the blockade of the RhoA/ROCK pathway.

Cardioprotective effect of salvianolic acid A on isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats.

The present study was designed to evaluate the cardioprotective potential of salvianolic acid A on isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. Hemodynamic parameters and lead II electrocardiograph were monitored and recorded continuously. Cardiac marker enzymes and antioxidative parameters in serum and heart tissues were measured. Assay for mitochondrial respiratory function and histopathological examination of heart tissues were performed. Isoproterenol-treated rats showed significant increases in the levels of lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate transaminase, creatine kinase and malondialdehyde and significant decreases in the activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase in serum and heart. These rats also showed declines in left ventricular systolic pressure, maximum and minimum rate of developed left ventricular pressure, and elevation of left ventricular end-diastolic pressure and ST-segment. In addition, mitochondrial respiratory dysfunction characterized by decreased respiratory control ratio and ADP/O was observed in isoproterenol-treated rats. Administration of salvianolic acid A for a period of 8 days significantly attenuated isoproterenol-induced cardiac dysfunction and myocardial injury and improved mitochondrial respiratory function. The protective role of salvianolic acid A against isoproterenol-induced myocardial damage was further confirmed by histopathological examination. The results of our study suggest that salvianolic acid A possessing antioxidant activity has a significant protective effect against isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction.

Effect of salvianolic acid A on vascular reactivity of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

AIMS: The present study aims to evaluate the beneficial effect of salvianolic acid A (SAA) on the alterations in vascular reactivity of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. MAIN METHODS: Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of STZ (60 mg/kg). Following 16 weeks of SAA treatment (1 mg/kg/day), thoracic aortic rings of rats were mounted in organ baths. Contractile responses to noradrenaline (NA) and KCl and relaxant responses to acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were assessed. KEY FINDINGS: Loss of weight, hyperglycemia, elevated content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and decline of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) were observed in diabetic rats. SAA could reverse these metabolic and biochemical abnormalities. Compared to the control, the maximum contraction (E(max)) to NA, but not sensitivity (pD(2)), increased significantly in diabetic aortas, which was prevented by SAA treatment. However, the response of rat aortas to KCl (E(max) and pD(2)) was not altered either in diabetic group or SAA treatment compared with that of normal control group. We also observed the significant decrease in relaxation to ACh rather than SNP in diabetic group compared with controls, and SAA treatment could revert the ACh response. SIGNIFICANCE: It is concluded that oral administration of SAA can significantly improve glucose metabolism and inhibit oxidative injury as well as protect against impaired vascular responsiveness in STZ-induced diabetic rats.

[Study on biological nutrients removal in loop reactor].

The simultaneity nitrification and denitrification (SND) was studied in a loop reactor. In the experiment, the research of biological nutrients removal was carried by changing carbon source and the method of adding carbon source, and the concentration of NOx(-)-N and the dissolved oxygen (DO) level were also inspected. The results indicated that the removal of NH4+-N could be enhanced by adding carbon source with COD 800 mg/L + 800 mg/L. And the concentration of NH4+-N in outlet was lower than 3 mg/L; Lower DO level in the reactor could be made easily by using difficultly reduced carbon source. It was useful to improve the biological nutrients removal. When using ethanol or glycerol as carbon source, the removal efficiency of NH4+-N was better than using glucose.