Neuroprotective effects of sesamin and sesamolin on gerbil brain in cerebral ischemia

Sesamin and sesamolin, abundant lignans found in sesame oil, have been demonstrated to possess several bioactivities beneficial for human health. Excess generation of nitric oxide in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated rat primary microglia cells was significantly attenuated when they were pretreated with sesamin or sesamolin. The neuroprotective effect of sesamin and sesamolin was also observed in vivo using gerbils subjected to a focal cerebral ischemia induced by occlusion of the right common carotid artery and the right middle cerebral artery. Repeated treatment of sesamin or a crude sesame oil extract containing both sesamin and sesamolin significantly reduced the infarct size, visualized via 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining, by approximately 50% when compared with the control group. These results suggest that sesamin and sesamolin exert effective neuroprotection against cerbral ischemia.