Pretreatment with Shuanghe-Tang Extract Attenuates Postischemic Brain Injury and Edema in a Mouse Model of Stroke: An Analysis of Medicinal Herbs Listed in Dongui Bogam

Benefits of a Skull-Interfaced Flexible and Implantable Multilight Emitting Diode Array for Photobiomodulation in Ischemic Stroke

Photobiomodulation (PBM) has received attention due to its potential for improving tissue function and enhancing regeneration in stroke. A lightweight, compact, and simple system of miniaturized electronic devices consisting of packaged light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that incorporates a flexible substrate for in vivo brain PBM in a mouse model is developed. Using this device platform, the preventive and therapeutic effects of PBM affixed to the exposed skull of mice in the photothrombosis and middle cerebral artery occlusion stroke model are evaluated. Among the wavelength range of 630, 850, and 940 nm LED array, the PBM with 630-nm LED array is proved to be the most effective for reducing the infarction volume and neurological impairment after ischemic stroke. Moreover, the PBM with 630 nm LED array remarkably improves the capability of spatial learning and memory in the chronic poststroke phase, attenuates AIM2 inflammasome activation and inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis, and modulates microglial polarization in the hippocampus and cortex 7 days following ischemic stroke. Thus, PBM may prevent tissue and functional damage in acute ischemic injury, thereby attenuating the development of cognitive impairment after stroke.

Weisheng-Tang Ameliorates Acute Ischemic Brain Damage in Mice by Maintaining Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity

Stroke is one of the major causes of death and long-term disability worldwide; the associated breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) aggravates ischemic brain damage. Accordingly, many medicinal herbs and formulas have been used to treat stroke-related symptoms. In this study, we selected two Korean herbal medicine formulas, Weisheng-tang and Tongxuewan, through Dongeuibogam text-mining analysis, and evaluated their protective effect on BBB disruption and brain damage in stroke. Ischemic brain damage was induced in mice by photothrombotic cortical ischemia. The infarct volume, brain edema, neurological deficits, and motor function 24 h after ischemic injury were analyzed. We investigated BBB breakdown by measuring Evans blue extravasation in addition to endothelial cells, tight junction proteins, protease-activated receptor-1 (PAR-1), and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) using immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. Pretreatment with Weisheng-tang significantly reduced infarct volume and edema and improved neurological and motor functions; however, Tongxuewan did not. In addition, Weisheng-tang decreased brain infarction and edema and recovered neurological and motor deficit in a dose-dependent manner (30, 100, and 300 mg/kg). Weisheng-tang pretreatment resulted in significantly less BBB damage and higher brain microvasculature after focal cerebral ischemia. Tight junction proteins, such as zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) and claudin-5, were preserved in Weisheng-tang-pretreated mice. Moreover, the ischemic brain in these mice showed suppressed PAR-1 and MMP-9 expression. In conclusion, our findings show that Weisheng-tang, which was selected through literature analysis but has not previously been used as a stroke remedy, exerts protective effects against ischemic brain damage and suggest its possible application for potential stroke patients, especially in the elderly.