Protective effects of Shengmai San and its three fractions on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

AIM: To investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Shengmai San (SMS) and its ethyl acetate extract (SEa), n-butanol extract (SBu), and aqueous extract (SWe), and clarify the material base of SMS and the roles played by its fractions. METHODS: A mouse model of transient forebrain ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) by means of common carotid artery occlusion (CCAO) was used to investigate the effects of SMS and its three fractions. Histopathological damage, blood-brain barrier disruption, and antioxidant and inflammation-related parameters, including malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), myeloperoxidase (MPO), nitric oxide (NO), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured. The chemical constituents of each fraction were identified by LC-MS. RESULTS: Eighteen lignans in SEa, and thirteen steroidal glycosides and ginsenosides in SBu were determined. SMS significantly inhibited I/R induced formation of histological injury and cerebral MPO activity. SMS showed the strongest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against the I/R-caused injuries. SEa showed higher antioxidant activity than the other two fractions and SBu has a slightly stronger inhibition on the productions of NO and TNF-alpha. CONCLUSION: SMS as a whole had the most effective protection against cerebral I/R-caused injuries compared with its fractions, which inferred that it contains different groups of compounds that contribute together to its protective effect.