Study on neuroprotective effect of alpinetin on ischemic stroke rats by regulating Shh/Gli1 signaling pathway.

Objective: To investigate neuroprotective effect of alpinetin on ischemic stroke (IS) rats by regulating Shh/Glil signaling pathway. Methods: Fifteen rats were randomly collected as control group, remaining rats were used to construct an IS model. Rats that successfully modeling were randomly grouped into model group, alpinetin group (5 mg/kg), Shh/Glil signaling pathway inhibitor cycloparamide group (15 mg/kg) and alpinetin+cycloparamide group (5 mg/kg alpinetin+15 mg/kg cycloparamide), with 15 rats in each group, and administered once a day for two consecutive weeks, control group and model group were given equal amounts of physiological saline. Zea-Longa scoring method was applied to evaluate neural function; ELISA was applied to detect inflammatory factors levels; mass of brain tissue was weighed and water content of brain tissue was calculated; TTC staining was applied to measure volume of cerebral infarction; HE staining was applied to observe nerve cell damage; TUN EL staining was applied to detect neuronal apoptosis; qRT-PCR and Western blot were used to detect mRNA and protein expressions of Shh and Glil. Results: There were no abnormalities in hippocampal tissue of control group, while hippocampal tissue structure of model group rats was abnormal, with disordered cell arrangement and nuclear pyknosis of nerve cells, cell damage rate, Zea-Longa score, infarct volume, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, brain tissue water content, and cell apoptosis rate in model group were obviously higher than control group (P< 0.05), mRNA and protein levels of Shh and Glil were obviously decreased (P<0.05) ; compared with model group, cells in alpinetin group were arranged more neatly, and phenomenon of neuronal cell nucleus pyknosis was improved, cell damage rate, Zea-Longa score, infarct volume, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, brain tissue water content, and cell apoptosis rate were obviously decreased (P<0.05), mRNA and protein levels of Shh and Glil were obviously increased (P<0.05), trend of above indicators in cyclophosphamide group was opposite, ciclopramide reversed neuroprotective effect of alpinetin on IS rats. Conclusion: Alpinetin may exert neuroprotective effects on IS rats by activating Shh/Glil signaling pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]