Effects of Ligustrazine on the Expression of Bcl-2 and Bax Proteins after Focal Cerebral Ischemia and Reperfusion

Objective:To investigate the effects of ligustrazine(LZ) on the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax proteins after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion in rats' brains.Methods: Eighteen SD rats were randomly divided into three groups.Group A: sham-operated group(n=6);group B: ischemia and reperfusion group((n=)6);group C: LZ intervention group(n=6).The immunohistochemistry and MIPS were used to measure the number and mean grey level of Bcl-2 or Bax positive cells in cerebral cortex of the three groups.Results: In ischemic side of group B,the number of Bcl-2 or Bax positive cells was higher and mean grey level was lower than those in sham-operated side of group A(P0.01).In ischemic sides,compared with group B,the number of Bcl-2 positive cells in group C was increased and mean grey level was decreased;while the number of Bax positive cells in group C was reduced and mean grey level was elevated(P0.05).Conclusion: The expression of Bcl-2 or Bax protein was increased after focal cerebral ischemia and reperfusion.LZ could up-regulate the expression of Bcl-2 protein and down-regulate the expression of Bax protein at the same time,which might be one of mechanisms of LZ treating ischemic stroke.