The protective activity of imperatorin in cultured neural cells exposed to hypoxia re-oxygenation injury via anti-apoptosis

Apoptosis is believed to play important roles in neuronal cell death associated with cerebral ischemia. We now provided evidence that imperatorin (IMp), the main composition of the dried root or rhizome of R Radix Angelicae Dahuricae, took advantage on oxygen glucose deprivated/reperfusion (OGD-R) SH-SY5Y cell line through neuronal apoptosis inhibition. Our data had shown that imperatorin reduced the number of apoptosis cells after OGD-R, this effect was associated with the inhibition of the apoptosis factors Bax and caspase-3, and the upregulation of anti-apoptosis factor Bcl-2. In the meantime, the protective factor BDNF was upregulated significantly by imperatorin treatment. In our experiment in vivo, imperatorin decreased the infract volume significantly in dose of 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg, and the behavior ability was increased in the 10 mg/kg of imperatorin. Our observations show that imperatorin exerted protective effect on cerebral ischemia both in vitro and in vivo, this effect is associated with its anti-apoptosis function.