Astragaloside IV protects against ischemic brain injury in a murine model of transient focal ischemia

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 363; no. 3; pp. 218 - 223
• Main Authors: Luo, Yumin, Qin, Zhen, Hong, Zhen, Zhang, Xinmin, Ding, Ding, Fu, Jian-Hui, Zhang, Wei-Dong, Chen, Jun
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier Ireland Ltd 17.06.2004; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Antioxidant; Astragaloside IV; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Chemistry - drug effects; Brain Ischemia - enzymology; Brain Ischemia - etiology; Brain Ischemia - prevention & control; Cardiotonic Agents - chemistry; Cardiotonic Agents - therapeutic use; Catalase - metabolism; Cerebral Infarction - etiology; Cerebral Infarction - pathology; Cerebral Infarction - prevention & control; Cerebral ischemia; Disease Models, Animal; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - chemistry; Drugs, Chinese Herbal - therapeutic use; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glutathione peroxidase; Glutathione Peroxidase - metabolism; Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery - complications; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Male; Malondialdehyde; Malondialdehyde - metabolism; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurology; Reperfusion Injury - enzymology; Reperfusion Injury - prevention & control; Saponins - chemistry; Saponins - therapeutic use; Superoxide dismutase; Superoxide Dismutase - metabolism; Triterpenes - chemistry; Triterpenes - therapeutic use; Vascular diseases and vascular malformations of the nervous system; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Glutathione peroxidase; Superoxide dismutase; Cerebral ischemia; Antioxidant; Astragaloside IV; Malondialdehyde; Nervous system diseases; Enzyme; Central nervous system; Cardiovascular disease; Encephalon; Vascular disease; Peroxidases; Ischemia; Models; Oxidoreductases; Lesion
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.03.036

Astragalus membranaceus is a herbal medicine that has been used clinically in stroke patients in China for decades, but its potential neuroprotective effect against ischemic brain injury has not been experimentally tested. In this study, we investigated the effect of Astragaloside IV, a purified extract from Astragalus membranaceus, in a murine model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion produced by transient (1.5 h) middle cerebral artery occlusion. As determined at 72 h after ischemia, post-ischemic treatment of Astragaloside IV (20 or 40 mg/kg) markedly and significantly ( P<0.03 vs. vehicle-treated animals) reduced infarct volume. Astragaloside IV treatment also decreased the levels of malondialdehyde, an indicator of lipid peroxidation, and increased the levels of the antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in ischemic tissues. The results presented here provide the first evidence of a neuroprotective effect of Astragaloside IV in the model of ischemic brain injury. We suggest that the anti-infarction effect by Astragaloside IV may be derived at least in part from its antioxidant properties.