Neuroprotective Effects of Guh-Poong-Chung-Sim-Hwan on Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This study was designed to investigate the neuroprotective effects of Guh-Poong-Chung-Sim-Hwan(GCH) on ischemia induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) in Sprague-Dawley rats. The effects of GCH administration on the size of the brain infarct and the functional status of the rats after ischemia were examined, as well as the expression of COX-2 in acute phase. The recovery of motor functions for 7 days and the brain infarct were examined to find out the delayed effects of daily GCH-administration as well. In conclusion, we found that GCH reduced both functional deficits and brain damage in the MCAO rat model of stroke. In addition, high doses of GCH reduced COX-2 expression in the penumbra. It is well known that herbal medication including GCH is very safe for humans. Accordingly, our results support the clinical use of this GKM for the treatment of stroke and offer the possibility that a potent neuroprotective agent could be developed from Korean herbal medicines.