Kongsui Ratchaniporn, Thongrong Sitthisak, Jittiwat Jinatta
Division of Physiology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand.
Division of Anatomy, School of Medical Sciences, University of Phayao, Phayao 56000, Thailand.
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 May 26;26(11):5093. doi: 10.3390/ijms26115093.
Ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and poses a major global health challenge due to its high mortality and lasting disability impact. The onset and progression of ischemic stroke are largely linked to oxidative stress and inflammatory responses. Alpinetin, a natural flavonoid found in the ginger family, exhibits various pharmacological properties, including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. In this study, the neuroprotective potential of alpinetin in attenuating oxidative stress and inflammation against cerebral ischemic stroke was evaluated. Ninety male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the sham operation group, the Rt.MCAO group, the Rt.MCAO+piracetam group, and the Rt.MCAO+alpinetin groups (25, 50, and 100 mg/kg BW). Cerebral infarction size, neuronal density, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were measured. Three days of treatment with alpinetin markedly reduced the infarct volume by 30% compared to the Rt.MCAO+vehicle-treated group. Additionally, rats treated with alpinetin exhibited a significant increase in neuronal density in the cortex, as well as in the CA1 and CA3 regions of the hippocampus. Furthermore, treatment with alpinetin ameliorated both the Rt.MCAO-induced increase in malondialdehyde (MDA) activity and the Rt.MCAO-induced decrease in catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities in the cortex and hippocampus. Moreover, COX-2 and IL-6 protein levels were assessed using western blotting. The results showed that treatment with alpinetin (100 mg/kg BW) significantly reduced the expression levels of COX-2 and IL-6 in both the cortex and hippocampus. Our findings suggest that alpinetin significantly mitigates the effects of cerebral ischemia-induced brain damage through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and could potentially be developed as a therapeutic agent for stroke treatment.
缺血性中风是最常见的中风类型，因其高死亡率和长期残疾影响，对全球健康构成重大挑战。缺血性中风的发病和进展在很大程度上与氧化应激和炎症反应有关。山姜素是姜科植物中发现的一种天然黄酮类化合物，具有多种药理特性，包括抗氧化和抗炎活性。在本研究中，评估了山姜素在减轻氧化应激和炎症以对抗脑缺血性中风方面的神经保护潜力。将90只雄性Wistar大鼠随机分为假手术组、右侧大脑中动脉闭塞（Rt.MCAO）组、Rt.MCAO+吡拉西坦组和Rt.MCAO+山姜素组（25、50和100mg/kg体重）。测量脑梗死体积、神经元密度以及抗氧化和抗炎活性。与Rt.MCAO+赋形剂处理组相比，山姜素治疗三天使梗死体积显著减少了30%。此外，用山姜素治疗的大鼠在皮层以及海马体的CA1和CA3区域的神经元密度显著增加。此外，山姜素治疗改善了Rt.MCAO诱导的皮层和海马体中丙二醛（MDA）活性增加以及Rt.MCAO诱导的过氧化氢酶（CAT）、谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶（GSH-Px）和超氧化物歧化酶（SOD）活性降低。此外，使用蛋白质印迹法评估COX-2和IL-6蛋白水平。结果表明，山姜素（100mg/kg体重）治疗显著降低了皮层和海马体中COX-2和IL-6的表达水平。我们的研究结果表明，山姜素通过其抗氧化和抗炎特性显著减轻脑缺血诱导的脑损伤影响，并有可能开发成为一种中风治疗药物。
