ND-309, a novel compound, ameliorates cerebral infarction in rats by antioxidant action

Extract of danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge.) has been clinically prescribed in China to treat patients with stroke. The novel compound designated ND-309, namely isopropyl-beta-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-alpha-hydroxypropanoate is a new metabolite of danshen in rat brain. The present study was conducted to investigate whether ND-309 has a protective effect on brain injury after focal cerebral ischemia, and to determine the possible mechanism. Adult male SD rats were subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) by bipolar electro-coagulation. Behavioral tests were used to evaluate the damage to central nervous system. The cerebral infarct volume and edema were assessed to evaluate the brain patho-physiological changes. Spectrophotometric or spectrofluorometric assay methods were used to determine the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px), contents of malondialdehyde (MDA) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), as well as respiratory control ratio of the brain mitochondria. The results showed that treatment with ND-309 significantly decreased neurological deficit scores, reduced infarct volume and the edema compared with the model group. Meanwhile, ND-309 significantly increased the brain ATP content, improved mitochondrial energy metabolism, attenuated the elevation of MDA content, the decrease in SOD, GSH-Px activity and the generation of ROS in brain mitochondria. All of these findings indicate that ND-309 has the protective potential against cerebral ischemia injury and its protective effects may be due to the amelioration of cerebral energy metabolism and its antioxidant property.