Protective effects of Shengmai San and its three fractions on cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury

AIM:To investigate the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects of Shengmai San(SMS) and its ethyl acetate extract(SEa),n-butanol extract(SBu),and aqueous extract(SWe),and clarify the material base of SMS and the roles played by its fractions.METHODS:A mouse model of transient forebrain ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) by means of common carotid artery occlusion(CCAO) was used to investigate the effects of SMS and its three fractions.Histopathological damage,blood-brain barrier disruption,and antioxidant and inflammation-related parameters,including malondialdehyde(MDA),superoxide dismutase(SOD),glutathione peroxidase(GPx),myeloperoxidase(MPO),nitric oxide(NO),tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α) were measured.The chemical constituents of each fraction were identified by LC-MS.RESULTS:Eighteen lignans in SEa,and thirteen steroidal glycosides and ginsenosides in SBu were determined.SMS significantly inhibited I/R induced formation of histological injury and cerebral MPO activity.SMS showed the strongest antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects against the I/R-caused injuries.SEa showed higher antioxidant activity than the other two fractions and SBu has a slightly stronger inhibition on the productions of NO and TNF-α.CONCLUSION:SMS as a whole had the most effective protection against cerebral I/R-caused injuries compared with its fractions,which inferred that it contains different groups of compounds that contribute together to its protective effect.