Protective effects of Acanthopanax polysaccharides on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury and its mechanisms

A kind of Acanthopanax polysaccharides extracted from the root of Acanthioanax senticosus was named CASPs. The protective effect of CASPs on the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury was observed and the underlying mechanism was explored. Wistar male rats were randomly divided into six groups, namely, sham-operated group, model group, nimodipine group (15 mg/kg/day) and CASPs groups (50, 100 and 200 mg/kg/day). The suture method was used to embolize the middle cerebral artery to establish a rat cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury model. On day 15 before the surgery, the intragastric administration of agents started once daily. The results confirmed that the CASPs could improve the symptoms of rats with the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, and reduce the brain infarct volume and brain water content. In addition, CA5Ps could elevate SOD and GSH-Px activities and IL-10 levels, and reduce MDA, IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha levels in the brain tissue of rats with the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. The results indicate that CASPs can play a certain protective role in the cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury, and the protective effect may be related to the improvement of CASPs on the antioxidant capacity of brain tissue and the inhibition of overproduction of inflammatory cytokines. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.