Objective:To investigate the role of reactive astrocytes expressing aromatase(ARO)in the penumbra during ischemic stroke.Methods:A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO/R)was prepared using the suture method.Western blot and immunofluorescence staining were used to observe the expression of ARO in the penumbra after ischemia reperfusion.We generated a glial fibrillary acidic protein promoter-driven aromatase knock-out(GFAP-ARO-KO)mouse model in vivo.Neurologic impairment scores,rotarod test,grip strength test and adhesive removal test on the plantar surface of the paw were performed after MCAO/R modeling.Results:In wild type mice,the expression of ARO was significantly increased in astrocytes in the penumbra after MCAO/R(P<0.01).Compared to the control group,the expression of ARO in the GFAP-ARO-KO group was significantly reduced in astrocytes in the penumbra after MCAO/R.And loss of ARO increased cerebral infarction volume and aggravated sensorimotor impair-ment.Conclusion:After ischemic stroke,reactive astrocytes in the penumbra highly express ARO and play a protective role in post-ischemia reperfusion injury.

Objective:To observe the effects of electroacupuncture(EA)on learning and memory ability and nucle-ar factor E2 related factor 2(Nrf2),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4),NAD(P)H-quinone oxidoreductase 1(NQO1),reactive oxygen species(ROS)in hippocampus of neonatal rats with hypoxic-ischemic brain damage(HIBI)and its anti-oxidative stress mechanism.Methods:A total of 76 neonatal rats were randomly divided into Sham opera-tion group(Sham),HIBI model group(HIBI),electroacupuncture group(HIBI+EA),and Nrf2 inhibitor ML385 group(HIBI+EA+ML385).The neonatal rat model of HIBI was established by classical Rice method.The HIBI+EA group was treated with electroacupuncture for 30 min/d for 14 consecutive days.In the HIBI+EA+ML385 group,30 mg/kg ML385 was intraperitoneally injected at 1 h before each electroacupuncture intervention.Morris water maze test was performed on 21 days after modeling to test the learning and memory ability of neonatal rats in each group.Nissl staining and HE staining were used to observe the morphology of neurons in the hippocampal CA1 region,and DHE flu-orescent probe was used to detect the expression of ROS in the hippocampal CA1 region.The contents of Nrf2,GPX4 and NQO1 in hippocampus were detected by Western blot.Results:Compared with the Sham group,the HIBI group had severe pathological damage,a prolonged escape latency,a decreased number of platform crossings,a significantly increased expression of ROS,and a significantly decreased expression of Nrf2,GPX4,and NQO1(P<0.05).Com-pared with HIBI group,the pathological damage was significantly attenuated,the escape latency was shortened,the number of platform crossings was increased,the expression of ROS was decreased,and the expression of Nrf2,GPX4 and NQO1 was increased in HIBI+EA group(P<0.05).Compared with HIBI+EA group,the pathological damage was aggravated,the escape latency was prolonged,the number of crossing the platform was decreased,the expression of ROS was increased,and the expression of Nrf2,GPX4,and NQO1 was decreased in HIBI+EA+ML385 group(P<0.05).Conclusion:Electroacupuncture can effectively improve the learning and memory ability of hypoxic-ischemic neonatal rats,which is related to its effect in reducing oxidative stress in hippocampal neurons by regulating Nrf2 signa-ling pathway.

Objective:To explore the mechanism of Ginkgo biloba extract(EGb)on cerebral ischemia reperfusion injury(CIRI)in rats via the advanced glycation end products(AGEs)/receptor for AGEs(RAGE)pathway.Methods:SD rats were randomly divided into sham operation group(Sham group),CIRI group,CIRI+EGb pretreat-ment group(CIRI+EGb group),CIRI+AGEs inhibitor alagebrium chloride(ALT711)group(CIRI+ALT711 group)and CIRI+EGb+ALT711 group.HE,Nissl and Prussion blue staining were used to observe pathological chan-ges in the cerebral cortical area.The expression of AGEs,RAGE and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxi-dase 4(NOX4)in the cerebral cortical area was detected by immunohistochemistry,the expression of AGEs,RAGE,NOX4,ferritin heavy chain 1(FTH),glutathione peroxidase 4(GPX4)and solute carrier family 7 member 11(SLC7A11)in the cerebral cortical area was detected by Western blot,and the expression of RAGE and NOX4 mRNA in the cerebral cortical area was detected by RT-qPCR.Results:Compared with the Sham group,the pathological dam-age in the brain tissue of rats in the CIRI group was observed;the expression of AGEs,RAGE and NOX4 was increased(P<0.01),the expression of FTH,GPX4 and SLC7A11 was reduced(P<0.01),the expression of RAGE and NOX4 mRNA was increased(P<0.01);compared with the CIRI group,the pathological damage in the brain tissue of rats in the CIRI+EGb group and CIRI+ALT711 group was reduced,the expression of AGEs,RAGE and NOX4 was reduced(P<0.01),the expression of FTH,GPX4 and SLC7A11 was increased(P<0.01),the expression of RAGE and NOX4 mRNA was reduced(P<0.05);compared with the CIRI+ALT711 group,the pathological damage in the brain tissue of rats,as well as the expression of AGEs,RAGE and NOX4 in the CIRI+EGb+ALT711 group were re-duced(P<0.01),the expression of FTH,GPX4 and SLC7A11 was increased(P<0.01),the expression of RAGE and NOX4 mRNA was reduced(P<0.01).Conclusion:EGb could protect CIRI by inhibiting NOX4 and ameliorating ferroptosis through the AGEs/RAGE pathway.

Objective:To study the effects of aluminum exposure on learning and memory and the expression of nerve growth factor(NGF)in the hippocampus of offspring rats,and to investigate the mechanism by which aluminum impairs learning and memory function.Methods:Forty pregnant Wistar rats were randomly assigned to the Control group(Control),low-dose Al group(Al-L),medium-dose Al group(Al-M)and high-dose Al group(Al-H).The off-spring rats were fed with Al through breast milk from birth to weaning,while the rats in the control group were fed with distilled water.The maternal rats Al-L,Al-M and Al-H groups drank distilled water solution containing 2.0,4.0 and 8.0 g/L AlCl3,respectively.After weaning,the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group drank distilled water so-lution containing 2.0,4.0 and 8.0 g/L AlCl3 by themselves until the 90th day after birth to establish the offspring rat model of subchronic aluminum exposure.After aluminum exposure,the shuttle box test was used to detect the learning and memory ability of offspring rats,and the body weight of offspring rats and hippocampus were weighed to evaluate the effect of aluminum exposure.The expression of nerve growth factor(NGF)protein in hippocampus of offspring rats was detected by Western blot,and the expression of NGF mRNA in hippocampus of offspring rats was detected by real time RT-PCR.Results:The body weight of offspring rats in Al-H group was significantly lower than that in the other three dose groups.In the shuttle box test,compared with the control group,the active avoidance response and passive avoid-ance response of the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group showed a downward trend with the increase of alumi-num exposure dose,indicating that the learning and memory ability of the offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group was impaired.Compared with the control group,the NGF protein content and NGF mRNA expression in the hippocam-pus of offspring rats in the aluminum exposure group were significantly decreased.Conclusion:Subchronic aluminum exposure down-regulates the expression of NGF in the hippocampus,which may cause learning and memory impairment in offspring rats.

Objective:To observe the therapeutic effects of electroacupuncture(EA)stimulation on chronic pain and associated negative emotions,and to investigate the activity changes of glutamatergic neurons in the primary motor cortex(M1)following EA stimulation.Methods:Male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into four groups:sham surgery(Sham),pure electroacupuncture stimulation(EA),nerve injury(SNI)and electroacupuncture treatment of nerve injury(SNI+EA).Thirty days after the SNI model establishment,EA stimulation was administered bilaterally to the Zusanli(ST36)acupoints in mice.von Frey filaments and Hargreaves heat sensitivity testing were used to detect mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia.The elevated plus maze test was conducted to assess the impact on anxiety-like behaviors in mice.Dual immunofluorescence staining was employed to observe changes in c-Fos expression in M1 gluta-matergic neurons.Results:As compared to Sham group,SNI-treated mice exhibited significant mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in bilateral hindpaws at 30 days post-modeling(P＜0.01)and displayed obvious anxiety-like behaviors(P＜0.01).The SNI+EA group showed significant relief in pain and anxiety-like behaviors(P＜0.01).c-Fos expression in M1 glutamatergic neurons was significantly decreased in SNI mice.Conversely,after electroacupuncture(EA)treatment,compared to the SNI group,M1 glutamatergic neurons in the SNI+EA group showed significantly in-creased c-Fos expression(P＜0.01).Conclusion:Electroacupuncture significantly alleviated chronic pain and associ-ated anxiety-like behaviors induced by SNI,which might involve the activation of glutamatergic neurons in the M1 in this process.

Objective:To investigate the effects of spinal cord injury(SCI)on neuropathic pain(NP)and cognitive dysfunction in mice,as well as the activation of neurons in the anterior cingulate cortex(ACC),in order to provide experimental evidence for the connection between NP and cognitive dysfunction following SCI.Methods:Ten 8-week-old male C57BL/6J mice were used to prepare a model of spinal cord hemisection(SCI).Pain behavior and cognitive function of mice after SCI were assessed using von Frey,thermal stimulation,and Morris water maze behavioral experi-ments.Immunofluorescence staining were used to analyze the expression of c-Fos and GAD67/VGLUT2 positive cells in the anterior cingulate cortex(ACC)of the SCI model mice.Results:Compared with the Sham group,the SCI group of mice showed a significant decrease in mechanical threshold and thermal pain threshold(P＜0.05).The Morris water maze results indicated a significantly prolonged escape latency(P＜0.05)and a significant reduction in the use of search strategies for locating the hidden platform.Immunofluorescence results showed a significant increase in the num-ber of c-Fos positive cells in the ACC(P＜0.05),which were mainly co-labeled with excitatory neuron marker VGLUT2 positive cells.Conclusion:SCI leads to abnormal pain behavior and cognitive dysfunction in mice,and it induces the activation of neurons in the ACC,with a predominant activation of excitatory neurons.This study provides morphological evidence for the involvement of excitatory neurons in the ACC in the comorbidity of NP and cognitive impairment following SCI.

Objective:To explore the effects of peripheral nerve injury(PNI)on neuropathic pain(NP)and memo-ry function in mice,as well as the activation of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus(PVT)of the thalamus,so as to provide a basis for studying the relationship between NP and memory impairment.Methods:Twenty one 8-week-old male C57 BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham group and experimental group,and the routine spared nerve inju-ry(SNI)was constructed in the mice of experimental group.The pain behavior and memory impairment of mice after SNI were evaluated with hot plate and eight-arm maze behavioral tests.Pearson correlation analysis was performed to an-alyze the correlation between pain behavior and memory impairment.The c-FOS expression in PVT was detected with immuno-staining.Results:Compared with the sham group,the heat pain threshold of mice in the experimental group was significantly reduced(P＜0.001).The results of the eight-arm maze test showed that the total rest time was signifi-cantly increased(P＜0.001),and the working memory error was increased from 1 to 4 days after SNI(P＜0.01).Correlation analysis indicated that early working memory errors were negatively correlated with heat pain threshold after SNI(P＜0.001).The immunofluorescence revealed that the number of c-FOS positive cells in PVT increased signifi-cantly(P＜0.001).Conclusion:SNI can cause abnormal pain behavior and memory impairment in mice,and cause neuronal activation in PVT.This study provides a basis for neurons in PVT to participate in the regulation of memory impairment in the context of NP.

Objective:To investigate the effects of the novel oral edaravone(EDA)on rats with diabetic encepha-lopathy(DE).Methods:The network pharmacology research methodology was employed to elucidate the mechanism of action of oral EDA in the treatment of diabetes mellitus,identify intersecting targets,and conduct initial validation of these findings in vivo.Thirty male SD rats were randomly assigned to three groups:A normal control(control)group,a diabetic encephalopathy DE(DE)group,and an oral edaravone treatment(DE+EDA)group.Diabetic encephalop-athy was induced in both the DE and DE+EDA groups using the streptozotocin(STZ)method.After successful model-ing,the DE+EDA group received oral administration of EDA,while the other two groups were administered equal doses of saline as controls.Serum samples were examined for lipid release rate,and the protein expression levels of oxidative stress factor 3-nitrotyrosine(3-NT)and apoptotic factor cysteinyl aspartate specific proteinase-3(caspase-3)in brain tissues were detected by Western blot.Brain samples were stained with HE staining to observe the pathological changes.Histopathological changes were observed through hematoxylin-eosin(HE)staining.Results:Network pharmacological analysis yielded 27 core targets,and functional annotation of gene bioprocesses showed that the intersecting targets were mainly enriched in response to oxidative stress and neuronal apoptosis.Serum-related lipid assay showed that the DE+EDA group had significantly improved lipid metabolism disorders compared with the DE group.Additionally,expression levels of 3-NT and caspase-3 were significantly higher in the DE group when compared with controls(P＜0.05);How-ever,both markers exhibited a significant decrease within the DE+EDA treatment cohort as opposed to their counter-parts in the DE group(P＜0.05).HE staining showed that in DE group the cellular arrangement was disordered,the cells were shrunk with intact plasma membrane,and the nuclei were condensed showing karyopyknosis,fragmented and dissolved.Compared with the DE group,the brain tissue in the DE+EDA group was relatively dense and neatly ar-ranged,and the cell karyopyknosis,fragmentation and lysis were significantly improved.Conclusion:Both network pharmacology and in vivo experiments provide preliminary evidence that oral EDA reduces damage in diabetic encepha-lopathy rats.

Objective:To investigate the neuroprotective effect of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation(nVNS)on traumatic brain injury(TBI).Methods:Male SD rats were used to prepare controlled cortical impact(CCI)rat mod-el.nVNS treatment was performed.The motor function of rats was detected by beam walking test.The water content of rats was evaluated by the dry-wet ratio of rat brain tissue.The content of lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)in cerebrospinal fluid was detected by commercial kit.The expression of bain-derived neurotrophic factor(BDNF)and nerve growth fac-tor(NGF)mRNA in rat cortex was detected by RT-qPCR.Results:After nVNS stimulation,CCI rats significantly im-proved the neurological function deficit,improved the motor ability,decreased the cerebral water content,decreased the level of LDH in cerebrospinal fluid,and upregulated the expression of BDNF and NGF mRNA in cortex.Conclusion:nVNS has a neuroprotective effect on TBI rats,and its mechanism may be related to the increased expression of BDNF and NGF.

Objective:To explore the effects three of anesthetics(tribromoethanol,isoflurane,and pentobarbital so-dium)on the outcome of mice with post-stroke dysphagia(PSD)induced by photothrombosis(PT)method,and to e-valuate which anesthetic is more suitable for the preparation of this model.Methods:Sixty-six male C57BL/6J mice were divided into Tribromoethanol group,Isoflurane group,Pentobarbital sodium group and Sham group.The post-stroke dysphagia model was established by PT.Before and 5 min after modeling,a laser speckle imager was used to measure the regional cerebral blood flow(rCBF)decrease rate of mice and record the wake-up time of mice.Forty-eight hours after modeling,the mortality rate of PSD mice in three groups was recorded and the rCBF decrease rate was meas-ured again.The neurological function of mice was evaluated using the neurological deficit score,the water intake of mice was recorded using the 4-min drinking test,the infarct volume ratio was measured using the TTC staining method,and the swallowing counts induced by water administration was recorded using the multichannel physiological recorder MP160 and the myoelectric area of the swallowing muscle was calculated.Results:There was no statistical difference in the percentage of decrease in rCBF,infarct volume ratio,neurological deficit score,water intake,swallowing counts,and myoelectric area of swallowing muscle among the three groups of PSD mice 48 h after modeling(P＞0.05).Com-pared with the Tribromoethanol group and the Pentobarbital sodium group,the rCBF of the mice in the Isoflurane group decreased rapidly within 5 min(P＜0.05),and the mortality rate of the mice was lower and the awakening time was shorter.(P＜0.05).Conclusion:The use of different anesthesia will affect the mortality rate,wake-up time and the downward trend of rCBF within 48 h after modeling of PSD mice.Among the three anesthetics,isoflurane is more suit-able as an anesthetic for the PSD mouse model.