Affiliations: Department of Neurology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, Liaocheng, Shandong, China
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Qingdong Wang, Department of Neurology, Liaocheng People’s Hospital, No. 67 Dongchang West Road, Liaocheng 252000, Shandong, China. Tel./Fax: +86 186 6358 1522; E-mail: [email protected].
Note: [1] These authors contributed equally to this work.
Abstract: Background:The diterpenoid cryptotanshinone (CTS) has wide biological functions, including inhibition of tumor growth, inflammation and apoptosis. The present study aimed to explore the possible effect of CTS on cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury and the underlying mechanisms. Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) and murine microglia BV2 cells were challenged by Oxygen/glucose deprivation, to mimic I/R and ischemic/hypoxic and reperfusion (H/R) injury, respectively. CTS was administered 0.5 h (10 mg/kg) after the onset of MCAO or 2 h (20μM) post OGD. Infarct volume and neurological deficit were measured. Immunofluorescence, qPCR, and western blot, were performed to detect the expression of cytokines, apoptotic marker, and M1/M2 phenotype-specific genes. Flow cytometry was applied for M1/M2 subpopulation or Annexin V/PI apoptosis assessment. Results:CTS significantly reduced cerebral infarct volume, neurologic deficit scores, pro-inflammatory cytokine production (IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-1β), apoptotic protein expression (cleaved caspase-3) of mice after tMCAO challenge. Furthermore, CTS attenuated CD16+ M1-type and elevated CD206+ M2-type microglia in vivo or in vitro. Conclusions:We propose that the neuroprotective effect of CTS in the I/R or H/R context are explained modulation of microglial polarization, suggesting therapeutic potential for cerebral ischemic stroke.
