SummaryInfarction in adult rat brain was induced by middle cerebral arterial occlusion (MCAO) followed by reperfusion to examine whether taxifolin could reduce cerebral ischemic reperfusion (CI/R) injury. Taxifolin administration (0.1 and 1.0 lg/kg, i.v.) 60 min after MCAO ameliorated infarction (by 42%±7% and 62%±6%, respectively), which was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in malondialdehyde and nitrotyrosine adduct formation, two markers for oxidative tissue damage. Overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and nitric oxide (NO) via oxidative enzymes (e.g., COX-2 and iNOS) was responsible for this oxidative damage. Taxifolin inhibited leukocyte infiltration, and COX-2 and iNOS expressions in CI/R-injured brain. Taxifolin also prevented Mac-1 and ICAM-1 expression, two key counter-receptors involved in firm adhesion/transmigration of leukocytes to the endothelium, which partially accounted for the limited leukocyte infiltration. ROS, generated by leukocytes and microglial cells, activated nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-jB) that in turn signaled up-regulation of inflammatory proteins. NF-jB activity in CI/R was enhanced 2.5-fold over that of sham group and was inhibited by taxifolin. Production of both ROS and NO by leukocytes and microglial cells was significantly antagonized by taxifolin. These data suggest that amelioration of CI/R injury by taxifolin may be attributed to its antioxidative effect, which in turn modulates NF-jB activation that mediates CI/R injury.

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phosphate buffer; RMCA, right middle cerebral artery; RNS, reactive nitrogen species; ROS, reactive oxygen species; STAT-1, signal transducer and activator of transcription-1; TNF, tumor necrosis factor. AbstractDimemorfan, an antitussive and a sigma-1 (r 1 ) receptor agonist, has been reported to display neuroprotective properties. We set up an animal model of ischemic stroke injury by inducing cerebral ischemia (for 1 h) followed by reperfusion (for 24 h) (CI/R) in rats to examine the protective effects and action mechanisms of dimemorfan against stroke-induced damage. Treatment with dimemorfan (1.0 lg/kg and 10 lg/ kg, i.v.) either 15 min before ischemia or at the time of reperfusion, like the putative r 1 receptor agonist, PRE084 (10 lg/kg, i.v.), ameliorated the size of the infarct zone by 67-72% or 51-52%, respectively, which was reversed by pretreatment with the selective r 1 receptor antagonist, BD1047 (20 lg/kg, i.v.). Major pathological mechanisms leading to CI/ R injury including excitotoxicity, oxidative/nitrosative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis are all downstream events initiated by excessive accumulation of extracellular glutamate. Dimemorfan treatment (10 lg/kg, i.v., at the time of reperfusion) inhibited the expressions of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and interleukin-1b, which occurred in parallel with decreases in neutrophil infiltration, activation of inflammationrelated signals (p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor-jB, and signal transducer and activator of transcription-1), expression of neuronal and inducible nitric oxide synthase, oxidative/nitrosative tissue damage (lipid peroxidation, protein nitrosylation, and 8-hydroxy-guanine formation), and apoptosis in the ipsilateral cortex after CI/R injury. Dimemorfan treatment at the time of reperfusion, although did not prevent an early rise of glutamate level, significantly prevented subsequent glutamate accumulation after reperfusion. This inhibitory effect was lasted for more than 4 h and was reversed by pre-treatment with BD1047. These results suggest that dimemorfan activates the r 1 receptor to reduce glutamate accumulation and then suppresses initiation of inflammation-related events and signals as well as induction of oxidative and nitrosative stresses, leading to reductions in tissue damage and cell death. In conclusion, our results demonstrate for the first time that dimemorfan exhibits protective effects against ischemic stroke in CI/R rats probably through modulation of r 1 receptor-dependent signals to prevent subsequent glutamate accumulation and its downstream pathologic events.

This study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which andrographolide protects against hypoxia-induced oxidative/nitrosative brain injury provoked by cerebral ischemic/reperfusion (CI/R) injury in mice. Hypoxia IN VITRO was modeled using oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) followed by reoxygenation of BV-2 microglial cells. Our results showed that treatment of mice that have undergone CI/R injury with andrographolide (10-100 µg/kg, i. v.) at 1 h after hypoxia ameliorated CI/R-induced oxidative/nitrosative stress, brain infarction, and neurological deficits in the mice, and enhanced their survival rate. CI/R induced a remarkable production in the mouse brains of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and a significant increase in protein nitrosylation; this primarily resulted from enhanced expression of NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and the infiltration of CD11b cells due to activation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF- κB) and hypoxia-inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF-1 α). All these changes were significantly diminished by andrographolide. In BV-2 cells, OGD induced ROS and nitric oxide production by upregulating NOX2 and iNOS via the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT-dependent NF- κB and HIF-1 α pathways, and these changes were suppressed by andrographolide and LY294002. Our results indicate that andrographolide reduces NOX2 and iNOS expression possibly by impairing PI3K/AKT-dependent NF- κB and HIF-1 α activation. This compromises microglial activation, which then, in turn, mediates andrographolide's protective effect in the CI/R mice.

Background and Purpose: Caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), a phenolic compound isolated from propolis, displays a variety of biological activities. The aim is to examine the protective effect and mechanisms of CAPE on an eccentric exercise-induced muscle injury model. Experimental Approach: An intermittent downhill eccentric exercise protocol was used. The oxidative tissue injury and expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß), monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1), and activation of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) were examined. CAPE was applied in a dose of 5 and 10 mg/kg/day, p.o. Key Results: The eccentric exercise induced remarkable skeletal muscle damage uncovered by a dramatic elevation of creatine kinase in the serum and severe degenerative myopathy. These pathophysiological changes were accompanied by an upregulation of the inflammatory responses including protein nitrotyrosylation, poly-ADP-ribose-polymerase (PARP) upregulation, lipid peroxidation as measured by malondialdehyde (MDA) formation, and leukocyte infiltration as measured by myeloperoxidase (MPO). The inflammatory responses primarily resulted from enhanced expression of COX2, iNOS, and production of IL-1ß and MCP-1, possibly through activation of NF-κB. All these pathological changes were suppressed by treatment of CAPE. Conclusions and Implications: Our results indicate that CAPE exhibits protective effects against eccentric exercise-induced skeletal muscle damage in rats by blocking the NF-κB-dependent activation of the inflammatory responses.