PMID- 32891816 OWN - NLM STAT- MEDLINE DCOM- 20210226 LR - 20210226 IS - 1872-7573 (Electronic) IS - 0378-8741 (Linking) VI - 265 DP - 2021 Jan 30 TI - Benzoinum from Styrax tonkinensis (Pierre) Craib ex Hart exerts a NVU protective effect by inhibiting cell apoptosis in cerebral ischaemia rats. PG - 113355 LID - S0378-8741(20)33239-6 [pii] LID - 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113355 [doi] AB - ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Benzoinum (Styraceae) is a traditional Chinese medicine used to treat stroke and other cardio-cerebrovascular diseases for thousands of years. Benzoinum has also proven to have diverse pharmacological activity, but the neuroprotection mechanism of apoptosis in ischaemic stroke was not determined. AIM OF THIS STUDY: To investigate the protective effect of a neurovascular unit (NVU) and the mechanisms of benzoinum on cerebral ischaemic rats. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The neuroprotective activity of benzoinum against middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO)-induced cerebral ischaemic injury. Neurological scores, 2,3,5-Triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining, and hematoxylin-eosin staining (HE) staining were conducted to evaluate the neurological damage. Infarction rate and denatured cell index (DCI) were also calculated. The ultrastructure of neuron and blood-brain-barrier (BBB) was observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Immunohistochemistry and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used to detect Bax, Bcl-2 and Caspase 3 expression. Furthermore, Claudin 5 also was detected through immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: Benzoinum could significantly improve neurological function score and reduce cerebral infarction rate and DCI. In addition, benzoinum alleviated pathomorphological change and apoptosis in the brain tissue of MCAO rats. The results of TEM and claudin 5 expression of immunohistochemistry showed that benzoinum could play a neuroprotective effect in NVU. Also, benzoinum-enhanced Bcl2, and reduced Bax and Bax/Bcl-2 and Caspase 3, suggest that benzoinum provided a neuroprotective effect by inhibited cell apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Benzoinum could play a neuroprotective role and regulate apoptosis for repair and stabilisation of NVU. This anti-apoptosis activity might be associated with the downregulation of Bax and Caspase 3, and the upregulation of Bcl2. Our present findings provide a promising medication for the treatment of ischaemic stroke. CI - Copyright (c) 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. FAU - Xie, Qian AU - Xie Q AD - School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: 1015369801@qq.com. FAU - Ma, Rong AU - Ma R AD - School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: 648510213@qq.com. FAU - Guo, Xiaoqing AU - Guo X AD - School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: 2462266215@qq.com. FAU - Chen, Hai AU - Chen H AD - School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: 43062817@qq.com. FAU - Wang, Jian AU - Wang J AD - School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. Electronic address: lczyx712@163.com. LA - eng PT - Journal Article DEP - 20200903 PL - Ireland TA - J Ethnopharmacol JT - Journal of ethnopharmacology JID - 7903310 RN - 0 (Drugs, Chinese Herbal) RN - 0 (Neuroprotective Agents) RN - 0 (benzoinum) SB - IM MH - Animals MH - Apoptosis/drug effects MH - Brain/drug effects/pathology MH - Brain Ischemia/drug therapy/physiopathology MH - Disease Models, Animal MH - Down-Regulation/drug effects MH - Drugs, Chinese Herbal/isolation & purification/*pharmacology MH - Infarction, Middle Cerebral Artery MH - Ischemic Stroke/*drug therapy/physiopathology MH - Male MH - Neuroprotective Agents/isolation & purification/*pharmacology MH - Rats MH - Rats, Sprague-Dawley MH - Styrax/*chemistry MH - Up-Regulation/drug effects OTO - NOTNLM OT - Apoptosis OT - Benzoinum OT - NVU protection OT - Permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion EDAT- 2020/09/07 06:00 MHDA- 2021/02/27 06:00 CRDT- 2020/09/06 20:25 PHST- 2020/07/14 00:00 [received] PHST- 2020/08/21 00:00 [revised] PHST- 2020/08/31 00:00 [accepted] PHST- 2020/09/07 06:00 [pubmed] PHST- 2021/02/27 06:00 [medline] PHST- 2020/09/06 20:25 [entrez] AID - S0378-8741(20)33239-6 [pii] AID - 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113355 [doi] PST - ppublish SO - J Ethnopharmacol. 2021 Jan 30;265:113355. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113355. Epub 2020 Sep 3.