Total saponins of Panax notoginseng modulate the expression of caspases and attenuate apoptosis in rats following focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Total saponins of Panax notoginseng (TSPN), main constituents extracted from Panax Notoginseng, a highly valued traditional Chinese medicine, have been shown to be an effective agent on cerebral infarction.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The effects of TSPN on apoptosis and expressions of caspase-1, caspase-3 and caspase-8 were studied after cerebral ischemia for 2 h followed by reperfusion for 46 h in rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Rats were subjected to transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) model using the intraluminal thread. TSPN was administered intraperitoneally at 5 min before and 12 h, 24 h and 36 h after MCAO, respectively.

RESULTS: TSPN (at the dose of 25 mg/kg) significantly attenuated TUNEL-positive cells and reduced the expression of caspase-1 and caspase-3 compared to the model group, while it had no obvious effect on the expression of caspase-8.

CONCLUSIONS: The neuroprotective effect of TSPN on focal ischemia may be related to inhibition of apoptosis and caspases activation.