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Updated: Aug 28, 2026
Evaluating Cell Death Signaling by Immunofluorescence in a Rat Model of Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 3, 2025
Cordyceps Polysaccharides Attenuate Post-Ischemic Inflammatory Damage in a Rat Stroke Model with Associated
Yifan Chen1, Huizhang Wang1, Cong Gai1
1School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 102488, China.
Background:
Cordyceps polysaccharides (CSP) have shown neuroprotective potential in models of ischemic stroke, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be clarified.
Methods:
In this study, the effects of CSP were evaluated in MCAO rats and OGD-exposed BV-2 cells.
Results:
CSP significantly attenuated ischemic injury and inflammatory responses in both in vivo and in vitro models. Mechanistically, CSP decreased CMPK2 expression, increased TFAM levels, and reduced 8-OHdG expression, suggesting attenuation of oxidative DNA damage and mitochondrial DNA-associated stress. EdU staining further showed that OGD-induced DNA synthesis-related signals were predominantly extranuclear, supporting the possibility of mtDNA-associated alterations under ischemia-like conditions. Moreover, CSP suppressed the upregulation of NLRP3, Caspase-1, N-GSDMD, IL-1β, and IL-18, and reduced LDH release following OGD exposure, suggesting inhibition of inflammasome-associated pyroptotic signaling.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of CSP in ischemic stroke models may be related to the modulation of CMPK2/mtDNA/NLRP3 inflammasome pathway and reduced pyroptosis.