Danlou tablet attenuates ischemic stroke injury and blood‒brain barrier damage by inhibiting ferroptosis
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Published on: March 15, 2024
Chang Liu1, Enran Liu2, Zhixi Li1
1Department of Anesthesiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150001, PR China; Heilongjiang Province Key Laboratory of Research on Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150001, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Myocardial Ischemia, Ministry of Education, Heilongjiang Province, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin, 150001, PR China.
Ethnopharmacological Relevance:
Danlou tablet (DLT) is a traditional Chinese medicinal formulation known for replenishing Qi, promoting blood circulation, and resolving stasis. Its pharmacological actions primarily involve anti-inflammatory, antioxidant stress reduction, antiapoptotic, proangiogenic, and improved energy metabolism. DLT has been confirmed to have favorable therapeutic effects on ischemic stroke (IS). However, the underlying mechanism through which DLT affects IS-induced brain injury remains unknown.
Aim Of The Study:
This study aims to investigate the effects and underlying mechanisms of danlou tablet on ischemic stroke based on network pharmacology and experimental verification.
Materials And Methods:
Using a transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO) mouse model, the impact of DLT on the blood‒brain barrier (BBB) and brain injury in mice was assessed. Network pharmacology and bioinformatics analyses were utilized to explore the potential mechanisms of DLT in treating IS. Endothelial cells were cultured to observe the effects of DLT on vascular endothelial cells after oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion, and these findings were validated in the brains of tMCAO mice.
Results:
DLT alleviated oxidative stress and brain damage in tMCAO mice, mitigating BBB damage. A total of 185 potential targets through which DLT regulates IS were identified, including COX2, a known critical marker of ferroptosis, which identified as a key target. In vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrated that DLT significantly (p < 0.05) improved cell death and vascular barrier damage in IS, reducing intracellular oxidative stress and COX2 protein levels while increasing SLC7A11 and GPX4 protein levels.
Conclusions:
This study demonstrated that DLT maintained BBB integrity and alleviated brain injury of tMCAO mice by inhibiting ferroptosis. The study partially unraveled the mechanism through which DLT functioned in treating IS and further clarified the pivotal active components of DLT, thereby providing a theoretical scientific basis for treating IS with DLT.
