Neuroprotective effect of Buddleja officinalis extract on transient middle cerebral artery occlusion in rats

The flower buds of Buddleja officinalis MAXIM (Loganiaceae) are used to treat headache and inflammatory diseases in traditional Korean medicine. In the present study, the neuroprotective effects of the methanolic extract of B. officinalis (BOME) and of its hexane fraction (BOHF) were investigated in a middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo, 120 min occlusion, 24 h reperfusion) Sprague-Dawley rat model. BOME or BOHF (100 mg/kg, p.o.) was twice administered 30 min before the onset of MCAo and 2 h after reperfusion. BOME and BOHF treated groups showed infarct volumes reduced by 33.9% and 68.2%, respectively, at 2 h occlusion. In BOHF treated animals, cyclooxygenase-2 and iNOS inductions were inhibited in ischemic hemispheres at both the mRNA and protein levels. Furthermore, in vitro studies showed that BOME and BOHF both inhibited LPS-induced nitric oxide production in BV-2 mouse microglial cells. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory and the microglial activation inhibitory effects of B. officinalis extract may contribute to its neuroprotective effects in brain ischemia.