Neuroprotective effect of Crocus sativus against cerebral ischemia in rats

• Published in: Metabolic brain disease 2020-03, Vol.35 (3), p.427-439
• Main Authors: Abdel-Rahman, Rehab F., El Awdan, Sally A., Hegazy, Rehab R., Mansour, Dina F., Ogaly, H. A., Abdelbaset, Marwan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Apoptosis; BAX protein; Behavior, Animal - drug effects; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain; Brain - drug effects; Brain - metabolism; Brain Ischemia - drug therapy; Brain Ischemia - metabolism; Brain natriuretic peptide; Caspase-3; Cerebral blood flow; Crocus; Crocus sativus; Depletion; Growth factors; Injury prevention; Ischemia; Lipid peroxidation; Lipid Peroxidation - drug effects; Lipids; Male; Metabolic Diseases; Natriuretic Peptide, Brain - metabolism; Neurology; Neuroprotection; Neuroprotective Agents - pharmacology; Neuroprotective Agents - therapeutic use; Neurosciences; Nitric Oxide - metabolism; Occlusion; Oncology; Original Article; Oxidative stress; Peroxidation; Plant Extracts - pharmacology; Plant Extracts - therapeutic use; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Reperfusion; Reperfusion Injury - drug therapy; Reperfusion Injury - metabolism; Saffron; Surgery; Tandem Mass Spectrometry; Vascular endothelial growth factor; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A - metabolism
• ISSN: 0885-7490; 1573-7365
• DOI: 10.1007/s11011-019-00505-1

The present study aimed to investigate the role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in the neuroprotective effect of Crocus sativus (saffron) against cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury (I/R) in rats. Four groups of a total forty I/R rats with 60-min occlusion followed by 48 h reperfusion or sham surgery were used. The sham and left-brain I/R control groups where treated with normal saline. The rats of the other two groups received saffron extract (100 or 200 mg/kg, ip, respectively) for 3 successive weeks prior to left-brain I/R. Other four doses of saffron extract were received by the rats of the last 2 groups 60 min prior to operation, during the surgery, and on days 1 and 2 following reperfusion. I/R group showed marked neurobehavioral, neurochemical and histopathological alterations. The results revealed a significant reduction in neurological deficit scores in the saffron-treated rats at both doses. Saffron significantly attenuated lipid peroxidation, decreased NO and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) contents in I/R-brain tissue. On the other hand, saffron reversed the depletion of GSH in the injured brain. Moreover, saffron treatment evidently reduced apoptosis as revealed by a decrease in caspase-3 and Bax protein expression with a marked decrease in the apoptotic neuronal cells compared to I/R group. In addition, saffron administration effectively upregulated the expression of VEGF in I/R-brain tissue. In conclusion, saffron treatment offers significant neuroprotection against I/R damage possibly through diminishing oxidative stress and apoptosis and enhancement of VEGF.