Amelioration of cerebral infarction and improvement of neurological deficit by a Korean herbal medicine, modified Bo-Yang-Hwan-O-Tang.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

Modified Bo-Yang-Hwan-O-Tang (mBHT) is an improved herbal formula of BHT, which has been widely used to treat ischaemic stroke in East Asia, by the addition of five herbs having anti-ischaemic properties. In this study, we investigated whether mBHT would reduce cerebral ischaemic injury in rats.

METHODS:

Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to a 90-min middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and subsequent 22-h reperfusion. mBHT was administered either intraperitoneally twice 15 min before and 15 min after, or orally once 30 min or 120 min after the onset of MCAO (50 or 200 mg/kg each).

KEY FINDINGS:

Intraperitoneal administration of mBHT markedly reduced the cerebral infarct size and neurological deficit caused by MCAO/reperfusion. mBHT treatment also significantly improved long-term survival rate after cerebral ischaemic injury. Oral administration of mBHT 30 min after ischaemia also markedly reduced the infarct size after cerebral ischaemia. The anti-ischaemic effect of mBHT was significantly, but not fully, reduced when mBHT-induced hypothermia was abolished. In cultured cortical neurons, we further found that mBHT decreased oxygen-glucose deprivation/re-oxygenation-evoked neuronal injury by inhibiting production of reactive oxygen species, decrease in mitochondrial transmembrane potential, and activation of caspase-3. However, mBHT did not inhibit N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor-mediated excitotoxicity.

CONCLUSIONS:

Taken together, our data suggest that mBHT has multiple anti-ischaemic properties and would be a good therapeutic herbal prescription for the treatment of cerebral ischaemic stroke.

• Authors: Yookeum Choi, Seul-Ki Kim, In-Young Choi, Chung Ju, Kung-Woo Nam, Sunyoung Hwang, Byung-Woo Kim, Min Ji Yoon, Moo-Ho Won, Yong-Ki Park, Won-Ki Kim
• Journal: The Journal of pharmacy and pharmacology (J Pharm Pharmacol) Vol. 63 Issue 5 Pg. 695-706 (May 2011) ISSN: 2042-7158 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 21492172 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2011 The Authors. JPP © 2011 Royal Pharmaceutical Society.

Chemical References

• Plant Extracts
• Reactive Oxygen Species
• bo-yang-hwan-o-tang
• Caspase 3
• Glucose
• Oxygen

Topics

• Animals
• Brain Ischemia (drug therapy)
• Caspase 3 (metabolism)
• Cells, Cultured
• Cerebral Infarction (complications, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Cerebrum (cytology, drug effects, metabolism)
• Cognition Disorders (etiology, metabolism, prevention & control)
• Glucose (metabolism)
• Hypothermia, Induced
• Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery
• Male
• Medicine, Korean Traditional
• Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial (drug effects)
• Neurons (drug effects, metabolism)
• Oxygen (metabolism)
• Phytotherapy
• Plant Extracts (pharmacology, therapeutic use)
• Rats
• Rats, Sprague-Dawley
• Reactive Oxygen Species (antagonists & inhibitors)
• Reperfusion Injury (complications, metabolism, prevention & control)