Epigallocatechin gallate alleviates neuronal cell damage against focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Cerebral ischemia is a neurological disorder that causes permanent disability and is sometimes fatal. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a natural polyphenol that exerts beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of EGCG against cerebral ischemia. Middle cerebral artery occlusion was surgically initiated to induce focal cerebral ischemia in adult male rats. EGCG (50 mg/kg) or vehicle was intraperitoneally injected just prior to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) induction. Neuronal behavior tests were performed 24 hr after MCAO. Brain tissues were isolated to evaluate infarct volume, histological changes, apoptotic cell death, and caspase-3 and poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) levels. MCAO injury led to serious functional neurological deficits and increased infarct volume. Moreover, it induced histopathological lesions and increased the numbers of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells in the cerebral cortex. However, EGCG improved MCAO-induced neurological deficits and reduced infarct volume, alleviated histopathological changes, and decreased TUNEL-positive cells in the cerebral cortex of MCAO rats. Western blot analysis showed increases of caspase-3 and PARP expression levels in MCAO rats with vehicle, whereas EGCG administration alleviated these increases after MCAO injury. These results demonstrate that EGCG exerts a neuroprotective effect by regulating caspase-3 and PARP proteins during cerebral ischemia. In conclusion, we suggest that EGCG acts as a potent neuroprotective agent by modulating the apoptotic signaling pathway.