Acute Treatment of Herbal Extracts Reduces Ischemic Cell Death and Improves Motor and Neurological Functions in Stroke Models

초록

Plant extracts have been indicated as potent therapeutic compounds in a number of neurological disorders. Here, we examined the prophylactic and restorative benefits of cacao and sage using both in vitro and in vivo models of stroke. For the in vitro study, we initially exposed primary rat cells to the established oxygen-glucose deprivation (OGD) stroke model followed by reperfusion under normoxic conditions, then added different cacao and sage concentrations to the cell culture media. Trypan blue cell viability results revealed specific cacao and sage dosages exerted significant therapeutic effects against OGD-induced cell death compared to cultured cells treated with extract vehicle. Based on these robust poststroke restorative benefits of the extracts in the cell culture study, we next embarked on testing the therapeutic effects of cacao and sage extracts when treatment commenced either 1 h prior to or 1 h after transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo). Significant reduction in ischemic cell death within the peri-infarct area coupled with better performance in routine motor and neurological tasks were demonstrated by stroke animals that received cacao or sage extracts prior to MCAo compared to those that received the extracts or vehicle after MCAo. Taken together, these results demonstrate that neuroprotective effects were afforded by plant extract treatment, and that the in vitro stroke paradigm partially approximates in vivo efficacy when considering prophylactic treatment for stroke. The novel finding here is that acute treatment (i.e., single oral administration) of the extracts produces robust neuroprotection against stroke.