Osthole, a natural coumarin improves cognitive impairments and BBB dysfunction after transient global brain ischemia in C57 BL/6J mice: involvement of Nrf2 pathway.

Oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption play important roles in cerebral ischemic pathogenesis and may represent targets for treatment. Earlier studies have shown that osthole, a main active constituent isolated from Cnidium monnieri (L.) Cusson, could be considered as an attractive therapeutic agent in the treatment of ischemic stroke.

The effects of chronic copper exposure on the amyloid protein metabolisim associated genes' expression in chronic cerebral hypoperfused rats.

The pathogens of Alzheimer's disease (AD) are still unclear, while accumulating evidences have indicated that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the pathogenesis of AD. Recent studies suggest that AD is primarily a vascular disorder and copper (Cu) may play an important role in AD pathology. However, the consequences of chronic Cu exposure at the presence of other AD risk factors remain to be clarified.

Tacrine-6-ferulic acid, a novel multifunctional dimer, inhibits amyloid-β-mediated Alzheimer's disease-associated pathogenesis in vitro and in vivo.

We have previously synthesized a series of hybrid compounds by linking ferulic acid to tacrine as multifunctional agents based on the hypotheses that Alzheimer's disease (AD) generates cholinergic deficiency and oxidative stress. Interestingly, we found that they may have potential pharmacological activities for treating AD. Here we report for the first time that tacrine-6-ferulic acid (T6FA), one of these compounds, can prevent amyloid-β peptide (Aβ)-induced AD-associated pathological changes in vitro and in vivo.

Osthole, a natural coumarin, improves neurobehavioral functions and reduces infarct volume and matrix metalloproteinase-9 activity after transient focal cerebral ischemia in rats.

Previously we demonstrated that Osthole, a natural coumarin, protects against focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion-induced injury in rats. In the present study, the effects of Osthole on neurobehavioral functions, infarct volume and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) in a rat 2h focal cerebral ischemia model were investigated. Osthole (100mg/kg per dose) was administrated intraperitoneally 30min before ischemic insult and immediately after reperfusion.

The orally combined neuroprotective effects of sodium ferulate and borneol against transient global ischaemia in C57 BL/6J mice.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the possible modification of the neuroprotective effect of sodium ferulate, when orally co-administered with borneol, in transient global cerebral ischaemia-induced functional, histological and cellular alterations in mice.

Methods: The bilateral common carotid artery occlusion was conducted in C57 BL/6J mice for 25 min. The mice were then subjected to a water maze test over an extended recovery period, followed by an assessment of neuronal loss in the CA1 region of the hippocampus (haematoxylin and eosin staining).

Combination of methylprednisolone and minocycline synergistically improves experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57 BL/6 mice.

Combination therapies with existing or novel drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) have great clinical potential to improve MS treatment outcomes. Our previous studies had confirmed that the combined treatment of minocycline and prednisone produced beneficial effects partially through preventing the reduction of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and nerve growth factor mRNA expression in the cerebral cortex of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) mice. As high-dose methylprednisolone administered intravenously has more superior efficacy than oral prednisone and had been provided as a stable therapy for MS patients at the onset of an acute relapse, we further evaluated the effects of combined methylprednisolone and minocycline at suboptimal doses on EAE mice at the acute stage in this study.

Attenuation of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis in C57 BL/6 mice by osthole, a natural coumarin.

Osthole, a natural coumarin, is known to have a variety of pharmacological and biochemical uses and is considered to have potential therapeutic applications. Here we examined the effects of osthole on the central nervous system demyelination in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), a model of multiple sclerosis and its mechanism(s). C57 BL/6 mice immunized with myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein 35-55 amino acid peptide were treated with osthole at day 7 post immunization (7 p.

Alterations in mRNA expression of BACE1, cathepsin B, and glutaminyl cyclase in mice ischemic brain.

The relationship between cerebral ischemia and Alzheimer's disease has been evaluated extensively. However, the association between cerebral ischemia and the deposition of beta-amyloid (Abeta) remains to be clarified. Here, we used mice bilateral common carotid artery ligation model to investigate the alterations in mRNA expression of Abeta precursor protein cleavage enzyme 1(BACE1), cathepsin B, and glutaminyl cyclase after transient global cerebral ischemia.