[Neuroprotective agents in stroke: national opinion]

The Brazilian Society of Cerebrovascular Diseases - history

The present article provides the historical background of the Sociedade Brasileira de Doenças Cerebrovasculares (Brazilian Society for Cerebrovascular Diseases), including details on its function, structure, challenges and main achievements.

Effects of pretreatment with methanol extract of Peucedani Radix on transient ischemic brain injury in mice

BACKGROUND

Stroke is the second most common cause of death and may result in various disabilities; thus, identification of neuroprotective therapeutic agents is important. Peucedani Radix (PR), the root of Angelica decursiva, is a well-known remedy for damp and phlegm in Korean medicine and has also been shown to exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study was performed to investigate the mechanism underlying the anti-inflammatory effect of methanol extract of PR (PRex) on cerebral ischemic injury.

METHODS

C57BL/6 male mice were orally administered PRex (20, 60, or 200 mg/kg) at 2 days, 1 day, and 1 h prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Twenty-four hours after MCAO, the infarct volume was measured and the neurological deficit score was assessed. The inflammatory-related substances in the ipsilateral hemisphere were determined by western blotting, DCFH-DA assay, TBARS assay, and ELISA.

RESULTS

PRex pretreatment significantly decreased the infarct volume at 24 h after MCAO. Moreover, PRex effectively suppressed the expression of iNOS, ROS, MDA, and pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as IL-1β and TNF-α, in brain tissue of mice with MCAO-induced brain injury.

CONCLUSIONS

PRex protected neurons from ischemic brain injury in mice through its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Our results suggested that PR could be a promising candidate in the therapy of ischemia-induced brain damage.

Revisiting the Term Neuroprotection in Chronic and Degenerative Diseases

Thanks to the development of several new researches, the lifetime presented a significant increase, even so, we still have many obstacles to overcome - among them, manage and get responses regarding neurodegenerative diseases. Where we are in the understanding of neuroprotection? Do we really have protective therapies for diseases considered degeneratives such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and its variants, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and many others? Neuroprotection is defined by many researches as interactions and interventions that can slow down or even inhibit the progression of neuronal degeneration process. We make some considerations on this neuroprotective effect.