Neuroprotective effect of Indobufen against pyroptosis following cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury both in vivo and in vitro

Abstract

Background: Indobufen is a new generation of antiplatelet agents and has been shown to have antithrombotic effects in animal models. However, the efficacy of Indobufen on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and its mechanisms remain to be investigated. Methods: In this study, the efficacy of Indobufen with both pre- (5days) and post- (15days) treatment on rats suffering middle cerebral artery occlusion/reperfusion (MCAO/R, 2h of ischemia and 24h/15days of reperfusion) was investigated. Furthermore, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured and underwent oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) injury for in vitro studies. Relationship between Indobufen and pyroptosis associated NF-κB/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway was preliminarily discussed. Results: The pharmacodynamic tests revealed that Indobufen ameliorated I/R injury by decreasing the platelet aggregation, infarct size, brain edema and neurologic impairment in rats and rescuing cell apoptosis/pyroptosis in HUVECs. The underlying mechanisms were probably related to pyroptosis suppression by platelet inhibition induced regulation of the NF-κB/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway. Conclusion: Overall, these studies indicates that Indobufen exerts protective and therapeutic effects against I/R injury by pyroptosis suppression via downregulating NF-κB/Caspase-1/GSDMD pathway.