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Updated: Dec 26, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Cerebral Ischemia Research with a Simplified Rat Model
Published on: July 5, 2024
Stigmasterol alleviates cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury by attenuating inflammation and improving antioxidant
Qilong Liang1, Jun Yang1, Jiaji He1
1Department of Neurosurgery, Second Hospital of Lanzhou, Lanzhou City 730046, Gansu Province, P.R. China.
Background/Aims:
The paper aimed to investigate the effects of Stigmasterol on inflammatory factors, antioxidant capacity, and apoptotic signaling pathways in brain tissue of rats with cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.
Methods:
The neurological deficits of the rats were analyzed and HE staining was performed. The cerebral infarct volume was calculated by means of TTC staining, and neuronal apoptosis was detected by TUNEL staining. At the same time, the contents of glutathione peroxidase, glutathione, superoxide dismutase (SOD), nitric oxide, and malondialdehyde in brain tissue were measured. The expression of the relevant protein was detected by means of Western blotting.
Results:
The results showed that the neurological deficit score and infarct area of the I/R rats in the soy sterol treatment group were significantly lower than those in the I/R group. Moreover, the levels of carbon monoxide and malondialdehyde in the soysterol group were significantly lower than those in the I/R group, and the expressions of cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and NF-κB (p65) in the soysterol group were also significantly lower than those in the I/R group. The expression of Nrf2 (nucleus) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) increased significantly, and the activities of antioxidant enzymes and SOD were increased. In addition, the stigmasterol treatment can inhibit apoptosis, down-regulate Bax and cleaved caspase-3 expression, and up-regulate Bcl-Xl expression.
Conclusion:
Stigmasterol protects the brain from brain I/R damage by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation.
