Open AccessBaicalin protects neonatal rat brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B signaling pathway
Author(s) -
Zhiqing Zhou,
Yongliang Li,
Zhen-Bo Ao,
Zhi-li Wen,
Qi-wen Chen,
Zheng-Gang Huang,
Bing Xiao,
Xiaohua Yan
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
neural regeneration research/neural regeneration research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.93
H-Index - 38
eISSN - 1876-7958
pISSN - 1673-5374
DOI - 10.4103/1673-5374.217335
Subject(s) - baicalin , scutellaria baicalensis , neuroprotection , ly294002 , pharmacology , pi3k/akt/mtor pathway , protein kinase b , medicine , glutamate receptor , phosphoinositide 3 kinase , anesthesia , chemistry , apoptosis , biochemistry , pathology , receptor , traditional chinese medicine , alternative medicine , high performance liquid chromatography , chromatography
Baicalin is a flavonoid compound extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis root. Recent evidence indicates that baicalin is neuroprotective in models of ischemic stroke. Here, we investigate the neuroprotective effect of baicalin in a neonatal rat model of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Seven-day-old pups underwent left common carotid artery ligation followed by hypoxia (8% oxygen at 37°C) for 2 hours, before being injected with baicalin (120 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and examined 24 hours later. Baicalin effectively reduced cerebral infarct volume and neuronal loss, inhibited apoptosis, and upregulated the expression of p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1. Intracerebroventricular injection of the phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) inhibitor LY294002 30 minutes before injury blocked the effect of baicalin on p-Akt and glutamate transporter 1, and weakened the associated neuroprotective effect. Our findings provide the first evidence, to our knowledge that baicalin can protect neonatal rat brains against hypoxic-ischemic injury by upregulating glutamate transporter 1 via the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.