Endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury:PERK as a potential target for intervention

Several studies have shown that activation of unfolded protein response and endoplasmic reticulum(ER)stress plays a crucial role in severe cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Autophagy occurs within hours after cerebral ischemia,but the relationship between ER stress and autophagy remains unclear.In this study,we established experimental models using oxygen-glucose deprivation/reoxygenation in PC12 cells and primary neurons to simulate cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.We found that prolongation of oxygen-glucose deprivation activated the ER stress pathway protein kinase-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(PERK)/eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 subunit alpha(e IF2α)-activating transcription factor 4(ATF4)-C/EBP homologous protein(CHOP),increased neuronal apoptosis,and induced autophagy.Furthermore,inhibition of ER stress using inhibitors or by si RNA knockdown of the PERK gene significantly attenuated excessive autophagy and neuronal apoptosis,indicating an interaction between autophagy and ER stress and suggesting PERK as an essential target for regulating autophagy.Blocking autophagy with chloroquine exacerbated ER stress-induced apoptosis,indicating that normal levels of autophagy play a protective role in neuronal injury following cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.Findings from this study indicate that cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury can trigger neuronal ER stress and promote autophagy,and suggest that PERK is a possible target for inhibiting excessive autophagy in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

A matrix metalloproteinase-responsive hydrogel system controls angiogenic peptide release for repair of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Vascular endothelial growth factor and its mimic peptide KLTWQELYQLKYKGI(QK)are widely used as the most potent angiogenic factors for the treatment of multiple ischemic diseases.However,conventional topical drug delivery often results in a burst release of the drug,leading to transient retention(inefficacy)and undesirable diffusion(toxicity)in vivo.Therefore,a drug delivery system that responds to changes in the microenvironment of tissue regeneration and controls vascular endothelial growth factor release is crucial to improve the treatment of ischemic stroke.Matrix metalloproteinase-2(MMP-2)is gradually upregulated after cerebral ischemia.Herein,vascular endothelial growth factor mimic peptide QK was self-assembled with MMP-2-cleaved peptide PLGLAG(TIMP)and customizable peptide amphiphilic(PA)molecules to construct nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK.PA-TIMP-QK was found to control the delivery of QK by MMP-2 upregulation after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion and had a similar biological activity with vascular endothelial growth factor in vitro.The results indicated that PA-TIMP-QK promoted neuronal survival,restored local blood circulation,reduced blood-brain barrier permeability,and restored motor function.These findings suggest that the self-assembling nanofiber hydrogel PA-TIMP-QK may provide an intelligent drug delivery system that responds to the microenvironment and promotes regeneration and repair after cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Treatment with β-sitosterol ameliorates the effects of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by suppressing cholesterol overload, endoplasmic reticulum stress, and apoptosis

β-Sitosterol is a type of phytosterol that occurs naturally in plants.Previous studies have shown that it has anti-oxidant,anti-hyperlipidemic,anti-inflammatory,immunomodulatory,and anti-tumor effects,but it is unknown whetherβ-sitosterol treatment reduces the effects of ischemic stroke.Here we found that,in a mouse model of ischemic stroke induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion,β-sitosterol reduced the volume of cerebral infarction and brain edema,reduced neuronal apoptosis in brain tissue,and alleviated neurological dysfunction;moreover,β-sitosterol increased the activity of oxygen-and glucose-deprived cerebral cortex neurons and reduced apoptosis.Further investigation showed that the neuroprotective effects ofβ-sitosterol may be related to inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum stress caused by intracellular cholesterol accumulation after ischemic stroke.In addition,β-sitosterol showed high affinity for NPC1L1,a key transporter of cholesterol,and antagonized its activity.In conclusion,β-sitosterol may help treat ischemic stroke by inhibiting neuronal intracellular cholesterol overload/endoplasmic reticulum stress/apoptosis signaling pathways.

The action mechanism by which C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-6 alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in diabetic mice

Studies have shown that C1q/tumor necrosis factor-related protein-6 (CTRP6) can alleviate renal ischemia/reperfusion injury in mice. However, its role in the brain remains poorly understood. To investigate the role of CTRP6 in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury associated with diabetes mellitus, a diabetes mellitus mouse model of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury was established by occlusion of the middle cerebral artery. To overexpress CTRP6 in the brain, an adeno-associated virus carrying CTRP6 was injected into the lateral ventricle. The result was that oxygen injury and inflammation in brain tissue were clearly attenuated, and the number of neurons was greatly reduced. In vitro experiments showed that CTRP6 knockout exacerbated oxidative damage, inflammatory reaction, and apoptosis in cerebral cortical neurons in high glucose hypoxia-simulated diabetic cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. CTRP6 overexpression enhanced the sirtuin-1 signaling pathway in diabetic brains after ischemia/reperfusion injury. To investigate the mechanism underlying these effects, we examined mice with depletion of brain tissue-specific sirtuin-1. CTRP6-like protection was achieved by activating the sirtuin-1 signaling pathway. Taken together, these results indicate that CTRP6 likely attenuates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury through activation of the sirtuin-1 signaling pathway.

Homer1a reduces inflammatory response after retinal ischemia/reperfusion injury

Elevated intraocular pressure(IOP)is one of the causes of retinal ischemia/reperfusion injury,which results in NRP3 inflammasome activation and leads to visual damage.Homerla is repo rted to play a protective role in neuroinflammation in the cerebrum.However,the effects of Homerla on NLRP3inflammasomes in retinal ischemia/reperfusion injury caused by elevated IOP remain unknown.In our study,animal models we re constructed using C57BL/6J and Homer1^(flox/-)/Homerla^(+/-)/Nestin-Cre^(+/-)mice with elevated IOP-induced retinal ischemia/repe rfusion injury.For in vitro expe riments,the oxygen-glucose deprivation/repe rfusion injury model was constructed with M uller cells.We found that Homerla ove rexpression amelio rated the decreases in retinal thickness and Muller cell viability after ischemia/reperfusion injury.Furthermore,Homerla knockdown promoted NF-κB P65^(Ser536)activation via caspase-8,NF-κB P65 nuclear translocation,NLRP3 inflammasome formation,and the production and processing of interleukin-1βand inte rleukin-18.The opposite results we re observed with Homerla ove rexpression.Finally,the combined administration of Homerla protein and JSH-23 significantly inhibited the reduction in retinal thickness in Homer1^(flox/-)Homer1a^(+/-)/Nestin-Cre^(+/-)mice and apoptosis in M uller cells after ischemia/reperfusion injury.Taken together,these studies demonstrate that Homer1a exerts protective effects on retinal tissue and M uller cells via the caspase-8/NF-KB P65/NLRP3 pathway after I/R injury.

N-acetylserotonin alleviates retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury via HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB pathway in rats

AIM:To observe the effects of N-acetylserotonin(NAS)administration on retinal ischemia-reperfusion(RIR)injury in rats and explore the underlying mechanisms involving the high mobility group box 1(HMGB1)/receptor for advanced glycation end-products(RAGE)/nuclear factor-kappa B(NF-κB)signaling pathway.METHODS:A rat model of RIR was developed by increasing the pressure of the anterior chamber of the eye.Eighty male Sprague Dawley were randomly divided into five groups:sham group(n=8),RIR group(n=28),RIR+NAS group(n=28),RIR+FPS-ZM1 group(n=8)and RIR+NAS+FPS-ZM1 group(n=8).The therapeutic effects of NAS were examined by hematoxylin-eosin(H&E)staining,and retinal ganglion cells(RGCs)counting.The expression of interleukin 1 beta(IL-1β),HMGB1,RAGE,and nod-like receptor 3(NLRP3)proteins and the phosphorylation of nuclear factorkappa B(p-NF-κB)were analyzed by immunohistochemistry staining and Western blot analysis.The expression of HMGB1 protein was also detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA).RESULTS:H&E staining results showed that NAS significantly reduced retinal edema and increased the number of RGCs in RIR rats.With NAS therapy,the HMGB1 and RAGE expression decreased significantly,and the activation of the NF-κB/NLRP3 pathway was antagonized along with the inhibition of p-NF-κB and NLRP3 protein expression.Additionally,NAS exhibited an anti-inflammatory effect by reducing IL-1βexpression.The inhibitory of RAGE binding to HMGB1 by RAGE inhibitor FPS-ZM1 led to a significant decrease of p-NF-κB and NLRP3 expression,so as to the IL-1βexpression and retinal edema,accompanied by an increase of RGCs in RIR rats.CONCLUSION:NAS may exhibit a neuroprotective effect against RIR via the HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB signaling pathway,which may be a useful therapeutic target for retinal disease.

Effect of nuclear factor kappa B on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression and neutrophil infiltration in lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion in rats

AIM： To investigate the role of nuclear factor kappa B （NF-κB） in the pathogenesis of lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion （I/R）, and its effect on intercellular adhesion molecule-1 （ICAM-1） expression and neutrophil infiltration. METHODS： Twenty-four Wistar rats were divided randomly into control, I/R and pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate （PDTC） treatment groups, n = 8 in each. I/R group and PDTC treatment group received superior mysenteric artery （SMA） occluding for 1 h and reperfusion for 2 h. PDTC group was administrated with intraperitoneal injection of 2% 100 mg/kg PDTC 1 h before surgery. Lung histology and bronchia alveolus lung fluid （BALF） protein were assayed. Serum IL-6, lung malondialdehyde （MDA） and myeloperoxidase （MPO） as well as the expression level of NF-κB and ICAM-1 were measured.RESULTS： Lung injury induced by intestinal I/R, was characterized by edema, hemorrhage and neutrophil infiltration as well as by the significant rising of BALF protein. Compared to control group, the levels of serum IL-6 and lung MDA and MPO increased significantly in I/R group （P=0.001）. Strong positive expression of NF-κB p65 and ICAM-1 was observed. After the administration of PDTC, the level of serum IL-6, lung MDA and MPO as well as NF-κB and ICAM-1 decreased significantly （P〈 0.05） when compared to I/R group.CONCLUSION： The activation of NF-κB plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung injury induced by intestinal I/R through upregulating the neutrophil infiltration and lung ICAM-1 expression. PDTC as an inhibitor of NF-κB can prevent lung injury induced by intestinal I/R through inhibiting the activity of NF-κB.

Ginkgo biloba extract(EGb 761) attenuates lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/reperfusion in rats:Roles of oxidative stress and nitric oxide

AIM： To investigate the effect of ginkgo biloba extract （EGb 761） on lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia/ reperfusion （ Ⅱ/R）. METHODS： The rat model of Ⅱ/R injury was produced by damping the superior mesenteric artery for 60 min followed by reperfusion for 180 min. The rats were randomly allocated into sham, Ⅱ/R, and EGb ＋Ⅱ/R groups. In EGb ＋Ⅱ/R group, EGb 761 （100 mg/kg per day） was given via a gastric tube for 7 consecutive days prior to surgery. Rats in Ⅱ/R and sham groups were treated with equal volumes of the vehicle of EGb 761. Lung injury was assessed by light microscopy, wet-todry lung weight ratio （W/D） and pulmonary permeability index （PPT）. The levels of malondialdehyde （MDA） and nitrite/nitrate （NO2/NO3）, as well as the activities of superoxide dismutase （SOD） and myeloperoxidase （MPO） were examined. Western blot was used to determine the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase （iNOS）. RESULTS： EGb 761 markedly improved mean arterial pressure and attenuated lung injury, manifested by the improvement of histological changes and significant decreases of pulmonary W/D and PPT （P 〈 0.05 or 0.01）.Moreover, EGb 761 markedly increased SOD activity, reduced MDA levels and MPO activity, and suppressed NO generation accompanied by down-regulation of iNOS expression （P 〈 0.05 or 0.01）. CONCLUSION： The results indicate that EGb 761 has a protective effect on lung injury induced by Ⅱ /R, which may be related to its antioxidant property and suppressions of neutrophil accumulation and iNOS- induced NO generation. EGb 761 seems to be an effective therapeutic agent for critically ill patients with respiratory failure related to Ⅱ/R.

N-acetylcysteine inhibits activation of toll-like receptor 2 and 4 gene expression in the liver and lung after partial hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice

BACKGROUND: Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 (TLR2/4) may play important roles in ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, and N-acetylcysteine (NAC) can prevent the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by I/R injury. This study aimed to investigate the changes in TLR2/4 gene expression in the liver and lung after I/R injury with or without NAC pretreatment. METHODS: BALB/c mice were used in a model of partial hepatic I/R injury and randomly assigned to a sham-operated control group (SH), a hepatic ischemia/reperfusion group (I/R) or a NAC pretreated, hepatic I/R group (I/R-NAC). The levels of TNF-alpha in the portal vein and plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) were measured at 1 and 3 hours after reperfusion. The lung wet-to-dry ratio was measured, and the expression of TLR2/4 mRNA and protein in the liver and lung were assessed with RT-PCR and Western blotting at the same time points. RESULTS: Compared with the I/R group, the expression of TLR2/4 mRNA and protein in the liver and lung in the I/R-NAC group was decreased at the same time point (P<0.05). The levels of portal vein TNF-a and plasma ALT increased continuously in the l/R group at I and 3 hours of reperfusion compared with the SH group; however, they declined significantly in the group pretreated with NAC (P<0.05). The extent of lung edema was relieved in the I/R-NAC group compared with the I/R group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: TLR2/4 was activated in the liver and lung in the process of partial hepatic I/R injury. NAC inhibited the activation of TLR2/4 and the induction of TNF-alpha resulting from I/R injury via modulating the redox state, thus it may mitigate liver and lung injury following partial hepatic I/R in mice.

Effect of sevoflurane on tissue permeability of lung ischemia-reperfusion injury in rats

Objective:To investigate the effect of sevoflurane on tissue permeability of lung ischemiareperfusion injury(LIRI)in rats.Methods:A total of 45 wistar rats were randomly divided into3 groupsⅠ,Ⅱ,Ⅲ.Modified Eppinger method was adopted to establish the rat lung ischemiareperfusion injury model.GroupⅠserved as the control group,groupⅡas ischemia reperfusion group,groupⅢas sevoflurane ischemia-reperfusion group.Blood gas index,lung permeability index(LPI)change,lung tissue pathology change and lung water content were observed and compared between groups of rats at different time points.Results:During ischemia reperfusion,all rats kept balance of the MAP during different time points,SPO_2 of groupⅡandⅢdecreased significantly thanⅠgroup(P<0.05);after reperfusion lung permeability index in GroupⅡandⅢwas higher than the control group significantly(P<0.05),120 min after reperfusion LPI change and iujury of groupⅢwas significantly lower thanⅡgroup(P<0.05);interstitial and alveolar cavity effusion in of groupⅢwere lower than that of groupⅡ.Conclusions:Sevoflurane pretreatment can reduce the lung tissue permeability,and LIRI plays a protective role in LIRI.

Gene Expression Profile of Pulmonary Tissues in Different Phases of Lung Ischemia-reperfusion Injury in Rats

In order to provide us new clues to induce some endogenous protective molecular mechanisms, the changes in gene expression profile induced by ischemia-reperfusion in pulmonary tissues of rats were investigated and the dynamic mechanism of pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury was elucidated. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 6 groups： 5 ischemia-reperfusion （I/R） groups （I/R 0-h, I/R 1-h, I/R 3-h, I/R 6-h, I/R 24-h） and control group （n=5 in each）. An in situ ischemia-reperfusion lung injury rat model was established by occluded hilus of lung. The RatRef-12 Expression Beadchip （22 226 gene probes per array） was used to analyze the pattern of gene expression in all groups. The results showed that 648, 340, 711, 1279 and 641 genes were differentially expressed in I/R 0-, 1-, 3-, 6- and 24-h groups respectively. The differentially expressed genes were classified as following 7 functional categories： cytokine, adhesion molecule, growth factor and apoptosis-related factor, oxidation and antioxidation molecule, metabolic enzyme, ion channel and aquaporin, signal transduction molecule. It was suggested that gene chip technology was an effective and quick method for screening differentially expressed genes. Many differentially expressed genes with different functions interacted each other to result in pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury.

Comparison of Protective Effects of Safflor Injection and Extract of Ginkgo Biloba on Lung Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Rabbits

Objective：To observe the protective effects of safflor Injection（SI） and extract of Ginkgo biloba（EGB） on lung ischemia-reperfusion injury（LIRI） and investigate its mechanism.Methods：In vivo rabbit model of LIRI was reconstructed.Forty rabbits were randomly and equally divided into four groups：sham-operation group（sham group）,ischemia-reperfusion group（model group）,ischemia-reperfusion plus SI group（safflor group） and ischemia-reperfusion plus EGB injection group（EGB group）.Malondialdehyde（MDA） content,superoxide dismutase（SOD） and xanthine oxidase（XO） activity in serum were measured.The wet/dry weight ratio（W/D） of the lung tissue and activity of myeloperoxidase（MPO） were also tested.Ultrastructure change of the lung tissue was observed by the electron microscope.The expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1（ICAM-1） was measured by immunohistochemistry（IHC）.Results：In the model group,MDA and XO increased and SOD decreased in serum compared with the sham group（P〈0.01）.The values of W/D,MPO and ICAM-1 of the model group were higher than those of the sham group（P〈0.01）,but those of the safflor group and EGB group were significantly lower than those of the model group（P〈0.01）.The IHC demonstrated that ICAM-1 expression in lung tissue of the model group was significantly higher than those of the safflor group（P〈0.01）.Compared with safflor group,in the EGB group MDA,XO,MPO decreased,SOD and ICAM-1expression increased（P〈0.05）,but the change of W/D was not statistically significant（P〉0.05）.Conclusions：SI and EGB may attenuate LIRI through antioxidation,inhibition of neutrophil aggregation and down-regulation of ICAM-1expression.But EGB had more effect on the antioxidation,while SI did better on regulating ICAM-1 expression.

Protective effect and mechanism of clemastine fumarate on acute lung injury in mice with intestinal ischemia-reperfusion

Objective:To evaluate the protective effect and mechanism of clemastine fumarate(CLE)on acute lung injury(ALI)in intestinal ischemia-reperfusion(I/R)mice.Methods:Twenty-four SPF Balb/c mice were randomly divided into sham operation group(sham group),ischemia-reperfusion group(I/R group),and clemastine fumarate pretreatment group(I/R+C group).In the I/R group,an intestinal ischemia-reperfusion model was established(ischemia for 40 minutes,reperfusion for 2 hours).In the I/R+C group,CLE 5 mg/kg was intraperitoneally injected before the operation.Lung tissue morphology was observed and scored by HE staining;and the ratios of wet weight to dry weight(W/D)were recorded.the levels of MDA,SOD,GSH-px,NF-κB and TNF-αin lung tissue of each group were determined by ELISA;Western blot method was used to determine the expression of TLR4 protein in lung tissue.Results:Compared with the Sham group,the I/R group had significantly higher lung tissue injury score and wet/dry ratio(P<0.05),increased lung tissue MDA level(P<0.05),decreased SOD and GSH-px levels(P<0.05),and increased NF-κB and TNF-αlevels,the expression of TLR4 protein in lung tissue increased(P<0.05);compared with the I/R group,the lung tissue injury score and wet/dry ratio of the I/R+C group decreased(P<0.05),the level of MDA in lung tissue decreased(P<0.05),the levels of SOD and GSH-px increased(P<0.05),and the levels of NF-κB and TNF-毩decreased(P<0.05),the expression of TLR4 protein in lung tissue decreased(P<0.05).Conclusion:Clemastine fumarate can alleviate acute lung injury after intestinal ischemia-reperfusion in mice,and the mechanism may be related to the inhibition of oxidative stress and inflammatory response in lung tissue.

Isoflurane protects the isolated rat lungs against ischemia-reperfusion injury

Objective To study the effects of isoflurane on ischemia-reperfusion(IR)-induced injury in isolated rat lungs.Methods This study was performed on an isolated buffer-perfused rat lung model.There were four groups:CON group(n=6):perfusion for60min without ischemia;IR group(n=6):after perfusion for30min,then interruption of perfusion and ventilation for45min followed by reperfu-sion for30min;ISO1group(n=6):1.38%isoflurane was administered for30min before45min ischemia,then followed by30min reper-fusion;ISO2group(n=6):1.38%isoflurane was administered during the period of reperfusion.The Myeloperoxidase(MPO)activity of lung,neutrophils counts,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),superoxide dismutase(SOD)activity,malondialdehyde(MDA)in perfusate,and the Wet-to-Dry lung weight ratios were measured.Results IR caused significant increases in the wet-to-dry lung weight ratios,the activity of lung MPO,the contents of MDA and TNF-αin perfusate,but decreasess in the SOD activity and neutrophils counts.Administration of isoflu-rane(both ISO1and ISO2groups)significantly protected against IR-induced injury the via inhibiting increases of MPO activity and contents of MDA and TNF-αin perfusate.Isoflurane significantly increased the SOD activity and neutrophils counts in perfusate.No difference was found between ISO1and ISO2groups.Conclusion Our results suggest that isoflurane protects the lungs against IR-induced injury in isolated rat lung model.

Expression of bradykinin as a substrate of CD26 /DPP IV in rats ischemia/reperfusion injury following lung transplantation

Objective To investigate the expression of bradykinin as a substrate of CD26 /DPP IV in rats with ischemia/reperfusion injury following lung transplantation ( LTx) . Methods Thirty - six syngeneic male SD rats were randomly allocated into control group and experimental group ( n = 18 each) ,and 36 rats served as do-

Resveratrol inhibits the P38MAPK pathway as well as downstream apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress molecule expression in secondary lung injury in intestinal ischemia-reperfusion

Objective:To study the protective effect of resveratrol on secondary lung injury in intestinal ischemia reperfusion and its effect on P38MAPK pathway.Methods:Adult male SPF SD rats were selected and divided into control group, I/R group, Res-L group, Res-M group and Res-H group, the small intestinal ischemia reperfusion model was made, and Res-L group, Res-M group and Res-H group were given 5.0 mg/kg, 10.0 mg/kg and 15.0 mg/kg resveratrol for intervention. The contents of P38MAPK pathway molecules as well as downstream apoptotic molecules, inflammatory factors and oxidative stress products in the lung were detected.Results:P38MAPK, MAPKK, MAPKKK, Fas, FasL, caspase-8, caspase-9, NF-kB, TNF- and IL-1β expression as well as ROS and MDA contents in lung tissue of I/R group were significantly higher than those of control group;P38MAPK, MAPKK, MAPKKK, Fas, FasL, caspase-8, caspase-9, NF-kB, TNF-α and IL-1β expression as well as ROS and MDA contents in lung tissue of Res-L group, Res-M group and Res-H group were significantly lower than those of I/R group.Conclusion: Resveratrol can inhibit the function of P38MAPK pathway to reduce apoptosis, inflammation and oxidative stress, and then protect the secondary lung injury induced by intestinal ischemia reperfusion.

Protective Effects of Zingiberis and Acniti Praeparatae Decoction on Myocardial IschemiaReperfusion Injury in Rats

This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of zin-giberis and acniti praeparatae decoction on oxidative stress injury induced by my-ocardial ischemia reperfusion in rats. [Method] Myocardial ischemia-reperfusion was performed by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery for 30 min, fol-lowed by reperfusion for 60 min. The effects of zingiberis and acniti praeparatae decoction on ECG ST segment, myocardial infarction percentage, malondialdehyde （MDA） content in the serum, superoxide dismutase （SOD） activity and other indica-tors were observed. [Result] Zingiberis and acniti praeparatae decoction could effec-tively inhibit ECG ST segment elevation caused by myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries, reduce the percentage of myocardial infarction, decline the content of MDA in the serum, and increase the activity of SOD. [Conclusion] Zingiberis and acniti praeparatae decoction exhibits protective effects on oxidative injuries caused by my-ocardial ischemia-reperfusion injuries in rats, which may be involved in reducing the formation of myocardial free radicals and enhancing antioxidant capacity of my-ocardium.

Ligustrazine monomer against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Ligustrazine （2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine） is a major active ingredient of the Szechwan lovage rhizome and is extensively used in treatment of ischemic cerebrovascular disease. The mecha- nism of action of ligustrazine use against ischemic cerebrovascular diseases remains unclear at present. This study summarizes its protective effect, the optimum time window of administra- tion, and the most effective mode of administration for clinical treatment of cerebral ischemia/ reperfusion injury. We examine the effects of ligustrazine on suppressing excitatory amino acid release, promoting migration, differentiation and proliferation of endogenous neural stem cells. We also looked at its effects on angiogenesis and how it inhibits thrombosis, the inflammatory response, and apoptosis after cerebral ischemia. We consider that ligustrazine gives noticeable protection from cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The time window of ligustrazine admin- istration is limited. The protective effect and time window of a series of derivative monomers of ligustrazine such as 2-[（1,1-dimethylethyl）oxidoimino]methyl]-3,5,6-trimethylpyrazine, CXC137 and CXC 195 after cerebral ischemia were better than ligustrazine.

Autophagy: novel insights into therapeutic target of electroacupuncture against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury

Electroacupuncture is known as an effective adjuvant therapy in ischemic cerebrovascular disease. However, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Studies suggest that autophagy, which is essential for cell survival and cell death, is involved in cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury and might be modulate by electroacupuncture therapy in key ways. This paper aims to provide novel insights into a therapeutic target of electroacupuncture against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury from the perspective of autophagy. Here we review recent studies on electroacupuncture regulation of autophagy-related markers such as UNC-51-like kinase-1 complex, Beclin1, microtubule-associated protein-1 light chain 3, p62, and autophagosomes for treating cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. The results of these studies show that electroacupuncture may affect the initiation of autophagy, vesicle nucleation, expansion and maturation of autophagosomes, as well as fusion and degradation of autophagolysosomes. Moreover, studies indicate that electroacupuncture probably modulates autophagy by activating the mammalian target of the rapamycin signaling pathway.This review thus indicates that autophagy is a therapeutic target of electroacupuncture treatment against ischemic cerebrovascular diseases.