Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms
Stroke affects over 12 million people annually, leading to high mortality, long-term disability, and substantial healthcare costs. Although East Asian herbal medicines are widely used for stroke treatment, the pathways of operation they use remain poorly understood. Our study investigates the neurop...
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2025-01-01
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| author | Yongjae Hong Geon Ko Yeong-Jae Jeon Hyeon-Man Baek Juni Lee Donghun Lee Jieun Park Jaehong Kim Keun-A Chang |
| author_facet | Yongjae Hong Geon Ko Yeong-Jae Jeon Hyeon-Man Baek Juni Lee Donghun Lee Jieun Park Jaehong Kim Keun-A Chang |
| author_sort | Yongjae Hong |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Stroke affects over 12 million people annually, leading to high mortality, long-term disability, and substantial healthcare costs. Although East Asian herbal medicines are widely used for stroke treatment, the pathways of operation they use remain poorly understood. Our study investigates the neuroprotective properties of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> (AM) in acute ischemic stroke using photothrombotic (PTB) and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse models, as well as an <i>in vitro</i> oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model. Post-OGD treatment with AM improved cell viability in mouse neuroblastoma cells, likely by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mice received short-term (0–2 days) or long-term (0–27 days) AM treatment post-stroke. Infarct size was assessed using a 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining procedure alongside magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neuroprotective metabolites including inositol (Ins), glycerophosphocholine+phosphocholine (GPc+ PCh), N-acetylaspartate+N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA+NAAG), creatine + phosphocreatine (Cr+PCr), and glutamine+glutamate (Glx) were analyzed via magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Gliosis was assessed using GFAP and Iba-1 immunohistochemical markers, while neurological deficits were quantified with modified neurological severity scores (mNSS). Motor and cognitive functions were assessed using cylinder, rotarod, and novel object recognition (NOR) tests. AM treatment significantly reduced ischemic damage and improved neurological outcomes in both acute and chronic stages of PTB and tMCAO models. Additionally, AM increased neuroprotective metabolites levels, reduced gliosis, and decreased oxidative stress, as evidenced by reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). These findings highlight the antioxidant properties of AM and its strong therapeutic potential for promoting recovery after ischemic stroke by alleviating neurological deficits, reducing gliosis, and mitigating oxidative stress. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2073-4409 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-3475af2109144b3da5c25fecb3c615852025-01-24T13:26:44ZengMDPI AGCells2073-44092025-01-0114211710.3390/cells14020117Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory MechanismsYongjae Hong0Geon Ko1Yeong-Jae Jeon2Hyeon-Man Baek3Juni Lee4Donghun Lee5Jieun Park6Jaehong Kim7Keun-A Chang8Department of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Herbal Pharmacology, College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Herbal Pharmacology, College of Korean Medicine, Gachon University, Seongnam-si 13120, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Neurology, College of Medicine, Dongguk University, Ilsan 10326, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Biochemistry, College of Medicine, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Health Sciences and Technology, Gachon Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology, Gachon University, Incheon 21999, Republic of KoreaStroke affects over 12 million people annually, leading to high mortality, long-term disability, and substantial healthcare costs. Although East Asian herbal medicines are widely used for stroke treatment, the pathways of operation they use remain poorly understood. Our study investigates the neuroprotective properties of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> (AM) in acute ischemic stroke using photothrombotic (PTB) and transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse models, as well as an <i>in vitro</i> oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) model. Post-OGD treatment with AM improved cell viability in mouse neuroblastoma cells, likely by reducing reactive oxygen species (ROS). Mice received short-term (0–2 days) or long-term (0–27 days) AM treatment post-stroke. Infarct size was assessed using a 2,3,5-triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining procedure alongside magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Neuroprotective metabolites including inositol (Ins), glycerophosphocholine+phosphocholine (GPc+ PCh), N-acetylaspartate+N-acetylaspartylglutamate (NAA+NAAG), creatine + phosphocreatine (Cr+PCr), and glutamine+glutamate (Glx) were analyzed via magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS). Gliosis was assessed using GFAP and Iba-1 immunohistochemical markers, while neurological deficits were quantified with modified neurological severity scores (mNSS). Motor and cognitive functions were assessed using cylinder, rotarod, and novel object recognition (NOR) tests. AM treatment significantly reduced ischemic damage and improved neurological outcomes in both acute and chronic stages of PTB and tMCAO models. Additionally, AM increased neuroprotective metabolites levels, reduced gliosis, and decreased oxidative stress, as evidenced by reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). These findings highlight the antioxidant properties of AM and its strong therapeutic potential for promoting recovery after ischemic stroke by alleviating neurological deficits, reducing gliosis, and mitigating oxidative stress.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/2/117stroke<i>Astragalus mongholicus</i>brain injurycognitive impairmentphotothrombotic-induced mouse modeltransient middle cerebral artery occlusion |
| spellingShingle | Yongjae Hong Geon Ko Yeong-Jae Jeon Hyeon-Man Baek Juni Lee Donghun Lee Jieun Park Jaehong Kim Keun-A Chang Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms Cells stroke <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> brain injury cognitive impairment photothrombotic-induced mouse model transient middle cerebral artery occlusion |
| title | Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms |
| title_full | Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms |
| title_fullStr | Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms |
| title_full_unstemmed | Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms |
| title_short | Neuroprotective Efficacy of <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> in Ischemic Stroke: Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Mechanisms |
| title_sort | neuroprotective efficacy of i astragalus mongholicus i in ischemic stroke antioxidant and anti inflammatory mechanisms |
| topic | stroke <i>Astragalus mongholicus</i> brain injury cognitive impairment photothrombotic-induced mouse model transient middle cerebral artery occlusion |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4409/14/2/117 |
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