Synergic Effect of Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort Extract and Borneol in Protecting Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells against Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/Reperfusion Injury

Background and Objective: Ligusticum chuanxiong Hort (LC) and borneol (BO) are usually prescribed as a combination of ischemic stroke patients for a better therapeutic effect in China. However, their synergic mechanism is unclear. Considering the critical role of Brain Microvascular Endothelial Cells (BMECs) in this disorder, the present study was designed to explore their synergic mechanism in protecting BMECs against Oxygen-Glucose Deprivation/Reperfusion (OGD/R) injury. Materials and Methods: The primary cultured BMECs were identified and divided into 5 groups of control, model, ELC (50 mg L-1), BO (50 mu g L-1) and ELC+BO. Then their synergic treatment was evaluated via measuring oxidative stress, [Ca2+]i, apoptosis ratio, levels of apoptosis-related genes and angiogenesis-related proteins. Results: After a comparison between the combined group and their monotherapies, it was shown that the superiority of ELC was in inhibiting oxidative stress and apoptosis, regulating [Ca2+]i and levels of apoptosis-related genes, while that of BO was in promoting angiogenesis. Interestingly, the combined therapy even reduced VEGFR1 expression which was unaffected in both of their monotherapies. Conclusion: ELC and BO might play different roles in protecting BMECs against oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury and their synergic effect was displayed in the present study.