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: Yeon Hee Yu, Gun Woo Kim, Yu Ran Lee, Dae-Kyoon Park, Beomjong Song, Duk-Soo Kim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-09-01
Series:Biomedicines
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/9/2077
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author Yeon Hee Yu
Gun Woo Kim
Yu Ran Lee
Dae-Kyoon Park
Beomjong Song
Duk-Soo Kim
author_facet Yeon Hee Yu
Gun Woo Kim
Yu Ran Lee
Dae-Kyoon Park
Beomjong Song
Duk-Soo Kim
author_sort Yeon Hee Yu
collection DOAJ
description 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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spelling doaj-art-30ffadd9e4254cbb9f69534dd3cc9e262025-08-20T01:56:10ZengMDPI AGBiomedicines2227-90592024-09-01129207710.3390/biomedicines12092077Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in GerbilsYeon Hee Yu0Gun Woo Kim1Yu Ran Lee2Dae-Kyoon Park3Beomjong Song4Duk-Soo Kim5Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Republic of KoreaResearch Supporting Center for Medical Science, College of Medicine, Dong-A, Busan 49201, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Republic of KoreaDepartment of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan 31151, Republic of KoreaCerebral 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/9/2077global ischemiareperfusionsildenafilbehavioral testneuroprotection
spellingShingle Yeon Hee Yu
Gun Woo Kim
Yu Ran Lee
Dae-Kyoon Park
Beomjong Song
Duk-Soo Kim
Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
Biomedicines
global ischemia
reperfusion
sildenafil
behavioral test
neuroprotection
title Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
title_full Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
title_fullStr Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
title_full_unstemmed Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
title_short Effects of Sildenafil on Cognitive Function Recovery and Neuronal Cell Death Protection after Transient Global Cerebral Ischemia in Gerbils
title_sort effects of sildenafil on cognitive function recovery and neuronal cell death protection after transient global cerebral ischemia in gerbils
topic global ischemia
reperfusion
sildenafil
behavioral test
neuroprotection
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/12/9/2077
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