Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
Cerebral ischemic stroke is a major cause of death worldwide due to brain cell death resulting from ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, effective treatment approaches for patients with ischemic stroke are still lacking in clinical practice. This study investigated the potential neuroprotective eff...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-09-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/9/2077 |
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| Summary: | Cerebral ischemic stroke is a major cause of death worldwide due to brain cell death resulting from ischemia-reperfusion injury. However, effective treatment approaches for patients with ischemic stroke are still lacking in clinical practice. This study investigated the potential neuroprotective effects of sildenafil, a phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitor, in a gerbil model of global brain ischemia. We investigated the effects of sildenafil on the expression of glial fibrillary acidic protein and aquaporin-4, which are markers related to astrocyte activation and water homeostasis, respectively. Immunofluorescence analysis showed that the number of cells co-expressing these markers, which was elevated in the ischemia-induced group, was significantly reduced in the sildenafil-treated groups. This suggests that sildenafil may have a potential mitigating effect on astrocyte activation induced by ischemia. Additionally, we performed various behavioral tests, including the open-field test, novel object recognition, Barnes maze, Y-maze, and passive avoidance tests, to evaluate sildenafil’s effect on cognitive function impaired by ischemia. Overall, the results suggest that sildenafil may serve as a neuroprotective agent, potentially alleviating delayed neuronal cell death and improving cognitive function impaired by ischemia. |
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| ISSN: | 2227-9059 |