Galectin-3 Mediated Inflammatory Response Contributes to Neurological Recovery by QiShenYiQi in Subacute Stroke Model

• Published in: Frontiers in pharmacology Vol. 12; p. 588587
• Main Authors: Wang, Yule, He, Shuang, Liu, Xinyan, Li, Zhixiong, Zhu, Lin, Xiao, Guangxu, Du, Xiaoli, Du, Hongxia, Zhang, Wen, Zhang, Yiqian, Orgah, John, Feng, Yuxin, Zhang, Boli, Zhu, Yan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 19.04.2021
• Subjects: cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury; galectin-3; inflammatory response; Pharmacology; qishenyiqi; TMT-based quantitative proteomics analysis; TMT-based quantitative proteomics analysis; cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury; inflammatory response; qishenyiqi; galectin-3
• ISSN: 1663-9812; 1663-9812
• DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2021.588587

Effective therapies for stroke are still limited due to its complex pathological manifestations. QiShenYiQi (QSYQ), a component-based Chinese medicine capable of reducing organ injury caused by ischemia/reperfusion, may offer an alternative option for stroke treatment and post-stroke recovery. Recently, we reported a beneficial effect of QSYQ for acute stroke modulation of the neuroinflammatory response. However, if QSYQ plays a role in subacute stroke remains unknown. The pharmacological action of QSYQ was investigated in experimental stroke rats which underwent 90 min ischemia and 8 days reperfusion in this study. Neurological and locomotive deficits, cerebral infarction, brain edema, and BBB integrity were assessed. TMT-based quantitative proteomics were performed to identify differentially expressed proteins following QSYQ treatment. Immunohistochemistry, western blot analysis, RT-qPCR, and ELISA were used to validate the proteomics data and to reveal the action mechanisms. Therapeutically, treatment with QSYQ (600 mg/kg) for 7 days significantly improved neurological recovery, attenuated infarct volume and brain edema, and alleviated BBB breakdown in the stroke rats. Bioinformatics analysis indicated that protein galectin-3 and its mediated inflammatory response was closely related to the beneficial effect of QSYQ. Specially, QSYQ (600 mg/kg) markedly downregulated the mRNA and protein expression levels of galectin-3, TNF-α, and IL-6 in CI/RI brain as well as serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6. Overall, our findings showed that the effective action of QSYQ against the subacute phase of CI/RI occurs partly regulating galectin-3 mediated inflammatory reaction.