Total glucosides of paeony (Paeonia lactiflora) alleviates blood-brain barrier disruption and cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats via suppressing inflammation and apoptosis.

At present it remains uncertain as to whether total glucosides of paeony (TGP) are able to mediate neuroprotection in the context of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (CIR) injury, and if so, what mechanisms underlie such protection. We employed a rat model of middle cerebral artery occlusion and reperfusion, and then Evans blue (EB), hematoxylin and eosin, Nissl staining, TUNEL staining, ELISAs and immunohistochemistry were used. We observed marked reductions in infarct volume, neurological deficits, and CIR-associated histopathological changes following TGP treatment. We further found that TGP was associated with restoration of the BBB integrity, a reduction in levels of cerebral IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α, and a decrease in overall neuronal apoptotic death that coincided with reduced Cleaved Caspase-3 and Bax expression, and elevated Bcl-2. These results demonstrate that TGP treatment is capable of reducing neurons damage and associated BBB dysfunction via anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory mechanisms in a rodent model of CIR injury.