Albiflorin relieves cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury by activating Nrf2/HO-1 pathway

Our work aims to investigate the functions of a natural compound, Albiflorin (AF) in cerebral ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury. The cerebral IR models were established by OGD/R in PC12 cells and MCAO/IR in rats. The cells in a glucose-free medium were placed in an anaerobic chamber containing 95% N₂ and 5% CO₂ for 3h at 37°C, returned to a normal medium, and incubated for 24h to accomplish OGD/R. Focal cerebral ischemia was conducted by thread occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery for 2h followed by 24h reperfusion in rats. CCK-8 assay indicated that AF had no toxicity to PC12 cells. Flow cytometry, Western blot, or TUNEL showed that AF treatment reduced apoptosis of cells or rat brain tissues. qRT-PCR and ELISA showed that AF decreased IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α levels in vitro and in vivo. Elevated levels of MDA, SOD, and ROS induced by IR injury were mitigated by AF in vitro and in vivo. HE and TTC staining revealed that AF ameliorated pathological injury in MCAO/IR rats. Western blot showed that Nrf2, NQO1, and HO-1 expression was activated by AF, and ML385 treatment suppressed the inhibition effects of AF in cerebral IR injury models. Overall, AF alleviates cerebral IR injury via regulating the Nrf2/HO-1 pathway.