Neuroprotective Effect of Cactus Polysaccharides on Focal Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

Objective To study the neuroprotective effect of cactus polysaccharides(CP) on ischemia/reperfusion(I/R) injury induced by the middle cerebral artery occlusion(MCAO) in rats.Methods The male SD rats were randomly divided into sham-operated,MCAO/R model group,NS-treated group,CP-treated group(200 mg·kg-1·d-1,ip).The MCAO/R model was made by MCAO method.The neurological deficits were detected at 3 h,6 h and 8 h after MCAO for 2 h and reperfusion;The cerebral infarct volume was detected by TTC staining 8 h later,the brain tissue sections of MCAO for 2 h and reperfusion for 22 h were stained by hematoxylin-eosin(HE) for the morphological observation under microscope.Results Compared to the NS-treated group,the neurological deficit scores of CP-treated group after reperfusion for 8 h was decreased by(2.35±0.47)(P0.05),in company with the loss of infarct volume(P0.05).The rat cortical and hippocampal neuronal cell loss,gliosis,nuclear condensation and nuclear deep dyeing were significantly alleviated(P0.05).Conclusion The CP can attenuate of arterial embolism in rats and ameliorate cerebral ischemia,which possessing a neuroprotective effect.