Orientin is a
flavonoid monomer. In recent years, its importance as a source of pharmacological active substance is growing rapidly due to its properties such as anti-
myocardial ischemia, anti-apoptosis, anti-radiation, anti-
tumor, and anti-aging. However, the
neuroprotective effects of
Orientin on
stroke injury have not been comprehensively evaluated. The aim of the present study was thus to investigate the neuroprotective capacity and the potential mechanisms of Cyperus esculentus L.
orientin (CLO) from Cyperus esculentus L. leaves against
ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury using standard
orientin as control. For in vitro studies, we treated HT22 cells with CoCl2 as an in vitro ischemic injury model. HT22 cells in the control group were treated with CoCl2. For in vivo studies, we used rat models of
middle cerebral artery occlusion, and animals that received
sham surgery were used as controls. We found that CLO protected CoCl2-induced HT22 cells against
ischemia/reperfusion injury by lowering lipid peroxidation and
reactive oxygen species formation as well as decreasing
protein oxidation. However, CLO did not reduce the release of
lactate dehydrogenase nor increase the activity of
superoxide dismutase. Results showed that CLO could decrease neurological deficit score, attenuate brain water content, and reduce
cerebral infarct volume, leading to neuroprotection during
cerebral ischemia-
reperfusion injury. Our studies indicate that CLO
flavonoids can be taken as a natural
antioxidant and bacteriostastic substance in food and pharmaceutical industry. The molecular mechanisms of CLO could be at least partially attributed to the
antioxidant properties and subsequently inhibiting activation of casepase-3. All experimental procedures and protocols were approved on May 16, 2016 by the Experimental Animal Ethics Committee of Xinjiang Medical University of China (approval No. IACUC20160516-57).