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Echinacoside Alleviates Cognitive Impairment in Cerebral Ischemia Rats through α 7nAChR-Induced Autophagy

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Chinese Journal of Integrative Medicine Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the effect of echinacoside (ECH) on cognitive dysfunction in post cerebral stroke model rats.

Methods

The post stroke cognitive impairment rat model was created by occlusion of the transient middle cerebral artery (MCAO). The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups by a random number table: the sham group (sham operation), the MCAO group (received operation for focal cerebral ischemia), and the ECH group (received operation for focal cerebral ischemia and ECH 50 mg/kg per day), with 6 rats in each group. The infarct volume and spatial learning were evaluated by triphenyl tetrazolium chloride staining and Morris water maze. The expression of α7nAChR in the hippocampus was detected by immunohistochemistry. The contents of acetylcholine (ACh), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), activities of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT), acetylcholinesterase (AChE), and catalase (CAT) were evaluated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. The neural apoptosis and autophagy were determined by TUNEL staining and LC3 staining, respectively.

Results

ECH significantly lessened the brain infarct volume and ameliorated neurological deficit in infarct volume and water content (both P<0.01). Compared with MCAO rats, administration of ECH revealed shorter escape latency and long retention time at 7, 14 and 28 days (all P<0.01), increased the α7nAChR protein expression, ACh content, and ChAT activity, and decreased AChE activity in MCAO rats (all P<0.01). ECH significantly decreased MDA content and increased the GSH content, SOD, and CAT activities compared with MCAO rats (all P<0.05). ECH suppressed neuronal apoptosis by reducing TUNEL-positive cells and also enhanced autophagy in MCAO rats (all P<0.01).

Conclusion

ECH treatment helped improve cognitive impairment by attenuating neurological damage and enhancing autophagy in MCAO rats.

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Data Availability

The data used to support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon request.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Endocrinology and Metabolic Diseases, Shanghai Pudong Hospital, Fudan University Pudong Medical Center, Shanghai, 201399, China

    Ling Ding, Hong Ye, Long-dian Gu, An-qing Du & Xin-lu Yuan

Authors
  1. Ling Ding
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  2. Hong Ye
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  3. Long-dian Gu
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  4. An-qing Du
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  5. Xin-lu Yuan
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Contributions

Ding L performed experiments and wrote the manuscript; Ye H performed experiments and revised the manuscript; Gu LD and Du AQ performed experiments, provided statistical analysis; Yuan XL conceived the idea, designed and supervised the study. All authors read and approved the final version.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xin-lu Yuan.

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Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Supported by Talents Training Program of Pudong Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University (No. PX202007)

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Ding, L., Ye, H., Gu, Ld. et al. Echinacoside Alleviates Cognitive Impairment in Cerebral Ischemia Rats through α 7nAChR-Induced Autophagy. Chin. J. Integr. Med. 28, 809–816 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-022-2893-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11655-022-2893-4

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