Involvement of apoptosis in the protective effects of Dracocephalum moldavaica in cerebral ischemia reperfusion rat model.

An extract of (DML) was found to exert protective effects on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury (CIRI); however, the mechanisms underlying the observed actions of this plant-derived mixture remain to be determined. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the influence of DML on CIRI rat model induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The following parameters were measured: (1) viable neurons in the infarcted area using Nissl staining; and (2) immunohistochemistry and Western blot were employed to determine protein expression levels of p53, bcl-2 associated X protein (bax) and B-cell lymphoma-2 (bcl-2), three biomarkers of apoptosis.