Schisandrin B improves cerebral ischemia and reduces reperfusion injury in rats through TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway inhibition
Xingjuan Fan, Kenneth Elkin, Yunwei Shi, Zhihong Zhang, Yaqin Cheng, Jingxiao Gu, Jiale Liang, Caiping Wang, Xunming Ji
Abstract
It has been established that poor outcomes in ischemic stroke patients are associated with the post-reperfusion inflammatory response and up-regulation of TLR4. Therefore, suppression of the TLR4 signaling pathway constitutes a potential neuroprotective therapeutic strategy. Schisandrin B, a compound extracted from Schisandra chinensis, has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. However, the mechanism remains unclear. In the present study, the therapeutic effect of schisandrin B was assessed following cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in a model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion (MCAO/R) in rats. The effects of schisandrin B were investigated with particular emphasis on TLR4 signal transduction and on the inflammatory response. Schisandrin B treatment conferred significant protection against MCAO/R injury, as evidenced by decreases in infarct volume, neurological score, and the number of apoptotic neurons and inflammatory signaling molecules.Abbreviations I/R: schemia/reperfusion; IL: interleukin; MCAO/R: middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion; NF-κB: nuclear; TLR4: Toll-like receptor 4; TNF-α: tumor necrosis factor-α