Exploring Chinese herbal medicine for ischemic stroke: insights into microglia and signaling pathways.

Ischemic stroke is a prevalent clinical condition affecting the central nervous system, characterized by a high mortality and disability rate. Its incidence is progressively rising, particularly among younger individuals, posing a significant threat to human well-being. The activation and polarization of microglia, leading to pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory responses, are widely recognized as pivotal factors in the pathogenesis of cerebral ischemia and reperfusion injury. Traditional Chinese herbal medicines (TCHMs) boasts a rich historical background, notable efficacy, and minimal adverse effects. It exerts its effects by modulating microglia activation and polarization, suppressing inflammatory responses, and ameliorating nerve injury through the mediation of microglia and various associated pathways (such as NF-κB signaling pathway, Toll-like signaling pathway, Notch signaling pathway, AMPK signaling pathway, MAPK signaling pathway, among others). Consequently, this article focuses on microglia as a therapeutic target, reviewing relevant pathway of literature on TCHMs to mitigate neuroinflammation and mediate IS injury, while also exploring research on drug delivery of TCHMs. The ultimate goal is to provide new insights that can contribute to the clinical management of IS using TCHMs.

Ferroptosis: A new strategy for traditional Chinese medicine treatment of stroke.

Stroke is a serious threat to human survival and health due to its high morbidity and mortality. The pathological mechanism of stroke is complex and involves various regulated cell death (RCD) modalities such as autophagy, apoptosis and necroptosis. ferroptosis, a novel form of RCD characterised by iron-dependent accumulation of lipid peroxides and reactive oxygen radicals, has been found to be closely associated with the prognosis and outcome of stroke. At the same time, ferroptosis is also associated with other forms of RCD with varying degrees of crosstalk. Traditional Chinese medicine(TCM), with its multi-component, multi-pathway and multi-target action characteristics, has unique advantages and good prospects for application in stroke prevention and treatment. Using ferroptosis and its crosstalk with other forms of RCD as an entry point, we review the research on TCM with anti-stroke effects discovered in the past 10 years, with a view to providing reference for further scientific development and application of anti-stroke therapeutic drugs.