Traditional Chinese Medicine Treats Ischemic Stroke by Regulating BDNF/TrkB Signaling Pathway： A Review
10.13422/j.cnki.syfjx.20250923
- VernacularTitle:中医药调控BDNF/TrkB信号通路治疗缺血性脑卒中的研究进展
- Author:
Qingge WANG
1
;
Feixiang LIU
1
;
Yunke ZHANG
1
Author Information
1. The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine， Zhengzhou 450000，China
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
ischemic stroke;
brain-derived neurotrophic factor/tyrosine kinase receptor B （BDNF/TrkB） signaling pathway;
traditional Chinese medicine;
mechanism;
research progress
- From:
Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae
2026;32(5):312-321
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Ischemic stroke （IS） is an acute cerebrovascular disease caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain， resulting in brain tissue necrosis and neurological dysfunction. It is characterized by impaired motor， language， sensory， cognitive， and other functions. The pathogenesis involves inflammatory responses， excitotoxicity of excitatory amino acids， and mitochondrial dysfunction. IS with a high incidence， high mortality， high disability， and a high recurrence rate is the leading cause of death in China. At present， Western medical therapies mainly focus on vascular recanalization， including thrombolysis and mechanical thrombectomy. However， due to the possibility of cerebral hemorrhage and edema， narrow time windows， and contraindications associated with intravascular therapy， only a few patients can benefit from these therapies， which greatly limit their clinical application. IS belongs to the categories such as stroke， hem iplegia， and major syncope in traditional Chinese medicine （TCM）. It is mainly caused caused by wind， fire， phlegm， and stasis， which lead to imbalance of Yin and Yang， disorder of Qi and blood， and invasion of clear orifices. The common treatment methods include calming the liver and dispelling wind， resolving phlegm and unblocking meridians， and activating blood and resolving stasis. TCM acting on multiple pathways and targets with low toxicity and side effects has definite effects in improving the prognosis and reducing the recurrence rate， being worthy of promotion and research. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor （BDNF） plays a key role in promoting neurogenesis and increasing synaptic plasticity. During the progression of IS， BDNF binds to tyrosine kinase receptor B （TrkB） to initiate intracellular signaling cascades， thus exerting neuroprotective effects. Studies have shown that TCM can regulate the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway， treating IS by regulating synaptic plasticity and promoting neural repair. This paper summarizes and generalizes the mechanisms of active components， single herbs， and compound prescriptions of TCM in regulating the BDNF/TrkB signaling pathway in the treatment of IS through the review of domestic and foreign literature in recent years， aiming to provide a theoretical basis and treatment reference for the treatment of IS with TCM.
