Review of Plants and Their Constituents in the Therapy of Cerebral Ischemia

Abstract

Cerebral ischemia is a condition in which there is insufficient blood flow to the brain to meet metabolic demand. This leads to cerebral hypoxia and thus to the death of neuronal cells or stroke. The limited number of medicines currently available for patients following ischemic stroke and insufficient data on efficiency of these chemicals in the treatment of stroke led us to the search for novel therapeutic approaches. Recent studies have focused on the possible capacity of natural compounds extracted from vegetables and fruits, to prevent human disabilities caused by cerebral ischemia. In this review, we will discuss some plants and their constituents that may protect brain ischemia or delay the neurological disorders following a stroke. We have reviewed different studies in scientific databases that investigate herbal compounds and their effects on cerebral ischemia.

Rehabilitation Training and Resveratrol Improve the Recovery of Neurological and Motor Function in Rats after Cerebral Ischemic Injury through the Sirt1 Signaling Pathway

“…The incidence of the disease is increasing rapidly as the population ages and recovery of motor functions after ischemic stroke has attracted increasingly attentions [1–3]. While rehabilitation training has been shown to be effective for improving the conditions of stroke patients for motor function and cognitive ability [4–7], the molecular mechanisms are still poorly understood.…”

“…Ischemia resulting from middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) accounts for nearly 80% of cerebrovascular diseases, which have higher incidence, disability, and mortality rate and are heavy burden to the patient's family and society [1–3]. At present, the clinical treatments of ischemic cerebral vascular diseases is mainly relied on early thrombolysis, nerve protection and rehabilitation.…”

Berberine and barberry (Berberis vulgaris): A clinical review

“…Few numbers of medicines are presently available for ischemic stroke. Herbal medicines appear to be possible candidates for treatment of cerebral ischemia (Behravan, Razavi, & Hosseinzadeh, ). Berberine has shown neuroprotective effects in several brain injury models in animals (Imanshahidi & Hosseinzadeh, ; Abdel Moneim, ; Sadeghnia, Kolangikhah, Asadpour, Forouzanfar, & Hosseinzadeh, ).…”

“…It also induced ROS-mediated cell death and apoptosis in pancreatic, breast, and colon cancer through activation of apoptosis-inducing factor (Park, Sung, Kim, & Chung, 2015;Wang et al, 2012;Xie et al, 2015). Herbal medicines appear to be possible candidates for treatment of cerebral ischemia (Behravan, Razavi, & Hosseinzadeh, 2014).…”

Improvement of Antioxidant Defences and Mood Status by Oral GABA Tea Administration in a Mouse Model of Post-Stroke Depression

“…Our research group put forward the hypothesis that polyphenols could have a positive role in the management of post-stroke depression on the basis of their antioxidant properties [17,18,19]. …”