Neuroprotective effect of picroside II in brain injury in mice

Various types of brain injury which led to the damage of brain tissue structure and neurological dysfunction continues to be the major causes of disability and mortality. Picroside II (PII) possesses a wide range of pharmacological effects and has been proved to ameliorate ischemia and reperfusion injury of kidney and brain. However, critical questions remain about other brain injuries. We investigated the protective effect of PII in four well-characterized murine models of brain injury. Models showed a subsequent regional inflammatory response and oxidative stress in common, which might be improved by the administration of PII (20 mg/kg). Meanwhile, a series of morphological and histological analyses for reinforcement was performed. In traumatic, ischemic and infectious induced injuries, it was observed that the survival rate, apoptosis related proteins, Caspase-3, and the expression of acute inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) were significantly alleviated after PII injection, but PII treatment alone showed no effect on them as well. The western blot results indicated that TLR4 and NF-κB were clearly downregulated with PII administration. In conclusion, our results suggested that PII with a recommended concentration of 20 mg/kg could provide neuroprotective effects against multi-cerebral injuries in mice by suppressing the over-reactive inflammatory responses and oxidative stress and attenuating the damage of brain tissue for further neurological recovery.