Amelioration of Oxygen and Glucose Deprivation-Induced Neuronal Death by Chloroform Fraction of Bay Leaves (Laurus nobilis)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether the Laurus nobilis chloroform fraction (LNCF) protects against cerebral ischemia neuronal damage. Human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells and brain slices from rats were subjected to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD), followed by reoxgenation with and without LNCF. The viabilities of SH-SY5Y cells and brain slices from the rats were 58.5 +/- 4.9% and 79.7 +/- 5.9% in the group subjected to OGD, and 80.4 +/- 0.4% and 97.2 +/- 1.9% at 4 mu g/ml of LNCF, respectively. LNCF also significantly inhibited death-associated protein kinase (DAPK) dephosphorylation. Pretreatment with LNCF at 4 mg/kg significantly decreased infarct size by 79% of vehicle control in the middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) in vivo model. LNCF is a neuroprotective drug candidate against cerebral ischemia neuronal damage.