Resveratrol is a natural polyphenol widely present in plants, particularly in the skin of red grapes and in wine. It possesses a wide range of biological effects and exhibits neuroprotective effects in numerous diseases. However, data evaluating the effects of resveratrol in vascular dementia (VaD) are lacking. In the present study, the permanent, bilateral common carotid artery occlusion rat model was used to study the effects of resveratrol on VaD. The Morris water maze was used to test the spatial learning and memory performance of the rats. The expression levels of Bax, Bcl-2, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) in the hippocampus were measured. The results showed that resveratrol inhibited memory impairment in the VaD rat model, and attenuated the increases in the expression levels of Bax, cleaved caspase-3 and cleaved PARP and the reductions in the expression levels of Bcl-2 that were induced by VaD. These results provide a novel insight into the neuroprotective effects of resveratrol and its possible therapeutic role in VaD.
Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is atherapeutic candidate for stroke that has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Data from preclinical and clinical studies have suggested the safety and efficacy of G-CSF in stroke; however, the exact effects and utility of this cytokine in patients remain disputed. We performed a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of G-CSF in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke to assess its clinical safety and efficacy. Electronic databases were searched for relevant publications in English and Chinese. A total of 14 trials met the inclusion criteria. G-CSF (cumulative dose range, 1–135μg/kg/day) was tested against placebo in a total of 1037 participants. There was no difference in the rate of mortality between groups (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.76–1.97, p = 0.40). Moreover, the rate of serious adverse events did not differ between groups and provided evidence for the safety of G-CSF administration in stroke patients (odds ratio, 1.11; 95% confidence interval, 0.77–1.61, p = 0.57). No significant outcome benefits were noted with respect to the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (mean difference, -0.16; 95% confidence interval, -1.02–0.70, p = 0.72); however, improvements were noted with respect to the Barthel Index (mean difference, 8.65; 95% confidence interval 0.98–16.32; p = 0.03). In conclusion, it appears to be safe in administration of G-CSF, but it will increase leukocyte count. G-CSF was weakly significant benefit with improving the BI scores, while there was no improvement in the NIHSS scores. Larger and more robustly designed trials of G-CSF in stroke are needed to confirm the results.
In this study, the putative involvement of the Notch-1 signaling pathway in the neuronal differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) was investigated through RNA interference (RNAi). We found that mNotch-1shRNA could efficiently block expression of Notch-1 in BMSCs. After induction, immunohistochemistry, reverse transcriptase-PCR and Western blot analyses, all indicated that the expression of neuron-specific markers such as neuron-specific enolase and neurofilament 200 was much higher in mNotch-1shRNA BMSCs than that in control groups, whereas the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein was lower in mNotch-1shRNA BMSCs. The percentage of apoptotic cells in mNotch-1shRNA BMSCs, however, was significantly higher than that in control groups. These data indicate that Notch signaling plays a role in the differentiation of BMSCs into neurons in vitro. Pharmacological or genetic interference with Notch signaling may provide a novel method to obtain neurons for therapeutic use.
These data suggested that the efficacy of catalpol pretreatment on CI/R injury may be attributed to reduction of free radicals and inhibition of lipid peroxidation and ET-1 production.
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