A Comparative Study on the Neuroprotective Effect of Geopung-Chunghyuldan on In Vitro Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation and In Vivo Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion Models.

Geopung-Chunghyuldan (GCD), which is a mixture of Chunghyuldan (CD), Radix Salviae Miltiorrhizae, Radix Notoginseng, and Borneolum Syntheticum, is used to treat ischemic stroke in traditional Korean medicine. This study aimed to investigate the effects of GCD and CD on ischemic brain damage using in vitro and in vivo stroke models, as well as to elucidate the synergistic effects of GCD against ischemic insult. To study the effect of GCD in an in vitro ischemia model, SH-SY5Y cells were exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD). Cell death after 16 h of OGD exposure was measured using the MTT assay and live/dead cell counting methods. An in vivo ischemia mice model was established through permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). To determine the neuroprotective effect of GCD, it was orally administered immediately and 2 h after pMCAO. The infarct volume was measured through 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining at 24 h after pMCAO. Compared with the control group, GCD treatment significantly reduced OGD-induced cell death in SH-SY5Y cells; however, CD treatment did not show a significant protective effect. In the pMCAO model, compared with the control group, treatment with GCD and CD significantly and mildly reduced the infarct volume, respectively. Our findings indicate that compared with CD, GCD may allow a more enhanced neuroprotective effect in acute ischemic stroke, indicating a potential synergistic neuroprotective effect. The possibility of GCD as a novel alternative choice for the prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke is suggested.

Development and characterization of a superabsorbing hydrogel film containing Ulmus davidiana var. Japonica root bark and pullulan for skin wound healing.

Ulmus davidiana var. japonica (UD) has widely been used in Korean traditional medicine for the treatment of various types of diseases including inflammation and skin wounds. The UD root bark powders possess gelling activity with an excellent capacity for absorbing water. This distinct property could make the UD root bark powders to be a great material for manufacturing a gel film specifically for the healing of large and highly exudating wounds (e.g., pressure sores and diabetic ulcers). In this research, we separated the UD root bark powder into 4 different samples based on their sizes and then tested their water absorption capacity and flowability. Based on these results, 75-150 µm sized and below 75 µm sized samples of UD root bark powders were chosen, and UD gel films were prepared. The UD gel films showed good thermal stability and mechanically improved properties compared with pullulan only gel film with excellent swelling capacity and favorable skin adhesiveness. Further, in the animal studies with the skin wound mice model, the UD gel films exhibited significant therapeutic effects on accelerating wound closure and dermal regeneration. Overall, this study demonstrated the applicability of UD root bark powders for hydrogel wound dressing materials, and the potential of UD gel films to be superior wound dressings to currently available ones.

Effects of acupuncture at GB20 on CO2 reactivity in the basilar and middle cerebral arteries during hypocapnia in healthy participants.

OBJECTIVES: The acupoint GB20 is known to affect vertebrobasilar blood flow regulation. However, no previous study has used transcranial Doppler imaging to examine whether acupuncture at GB20 has a selective effect on blood flow in various cerebral arteries, such as the basilar artery (BA) and the middle cerebral arteries (MCAs). Therefore, this study sought to determine the specific effects of GB20 acupuncture on cerebral blood flow (CBF). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Blood flow velocity and CO(2) reactivity were measured by transcranial Doppler imaging with a 2-MHz pulsed Doppler probe observed through both temporal windows for the MCAs and through the suboccipital window for the BA before and after GB20 acupuncture treatment in 15 healthy young male volunteers. The changes in hyperventilation-induced CO(2) reactivity and corrected blood flow velocities at 40 mmHg (CV40) were assessed for the BA and both MCAs. Blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after the acupuncture treatment. RESULTS: CO(2) reactivity in the BA increased significantly after GB20 acupuncture treatment compared with baseline (p=0.041). In contrast, CO(2) reactivity in both MCAs remained unchanged. The CV40 in the BA and the MCAs showed no change after the GB20 acupuncture treatment. The mean heart rate decreased significantly after the GB20 acupuncture, whereas the mean blood pressure showed no change. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that acupuncture treatment on GB20 increases CO(2) reactivity specifically in the BA, with no effect in the MCAs. These results clinically support the use of GB20 to treat disorders of posterior cerebral circulation and support the idea that particular acupoints affect specific brain regions and cerebral arteries.

Prevention of inflammation-mediated neurotoxicity by butylidenephthalide and its role in microglial activation.

Microglial cells are the prime effectors in immune and inflammatory responses of the central nervous system (CNS). During pathological conditions, the activation of these cells helps restore CNS homeostasis. However, chronic microglial activation endangers neuronal survival through the release of various proinflammatory molecules and neurotoxins. Thus, negative regulators of microglial activation have been considered as potential therapeutic candidates to target neurodegeneration, such as that in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. The rhizome of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort. (Ligusticum wallichii Franch) has been widely used for the treatment of vascular diseases in traditional oriental medicine. Butylidenephthalide (BP), a major bioactive component from L. chuanxiong, has been reported to have a variety of pharmacological activities, including vasorelaxant, anti-anginal, anti-platelet and anti-cancer effects. The aim of this study was to examine whether BP represses microglial activation. In rat brain microglia, BP significantly inhibited the lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced production of nitric oxide (NO), tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1ß. In organotypic hippocampal slice cultures, BP clearly blocked the effect of LPS on hippocampal cell death and inhibited LPS-induced NO production in culture medium. These results newly suggest that BP provide neuroprotection by reducing the release of various proinflammatory molecules from activated microglia.