OBJECTIVETo compare the effects of three traditional Chinese medicinal compounds on energy metabolism related enzymes in cerebral tissue of rats after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R).

METHODSThe local cerebral I/R model was established by ligation of the middle cerebral arteries (MCA). The animals were divided into the sham-operative group, the model group, the Yiqi Huoxue Recipe (YHR) group, the Zhengan Xifeng Decoction (ZXD) group and the Xinglou Chengqi Decoction (XCD) group. The mitochondria in brain tissue was obtained by density-centrifugation and differential centrifugation, then the activities of succinate dehydrogenase (SDH), Na+ -K+ -ATPase, creatine kinase-BB (CK-BB) in homogenate of brain tissue were measured by chemical chromometry.

RESULTSActivities of SDH and Na+-K+ -ATPase were lower and that of CK-BB was higher in the model group than those in the sham -operative group at all time points after I/R (P< 0.01). Compared with those in the model group, activity of Na+ -K+ -ATPase was higher only in the ZXD group at 24 h after I/R, while at 48 h and 72 h after I/R, activities of both SDH and Na+ -K+ -ATPase were higher in all the treatment groups. As for the activity of CK-BB, it was lower in all the treatment groups (P < 0.05). The optimal effect was shown in the ZXD group at 24 h, in the XCD group at 48 h, and in the YHR group at 72 h after I/R.

CONCLUSIONThe three traditional Chinese medicinal compounds could reduce pathologic injury after focal cerebral I/R in rats by promoting activity of SDH and Na+ -K+ -ATPase and inhibiting that of CK-BB, the optimal effect of ZXD was shown at 24 h after I/R, that of XCD at 48 h after I/R and of YHR at 72 h after I/R.