Pre-Ischemic Oxytocin Treatment Alleviated Neuronal Injury via Suppressing NF-κB, MMP-۹, and Apoptosis Regulator Proteins in A Mice Model of Stroke

Background and Objective: This study was designed to determine the effects of pre-ischemic administration of oxytocin (OXT) on neuronal injury and possible molecular mechanisms in a mice model of stroke.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, stroke was induced in the mice by middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for ۶۰ minutes and ۲۴ hours of reperfusion. OXT was given as intranasal daily for ۷ consecutive days before ischemic stroke. Neuronal damage, spatial memory, and the expression levels of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), interleukin-۱β (IL-۱β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase-۹ (MMP-۹), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and apoptosis were assessed ۲۴ hours after stroke.Finding: Pre-ischemic treatment with OXT significantly reduced the infarct size ((P>۰.۰۵)). Moreover, OXT treatment considerably decreased the expressions of NF-κB, TNF-α, IL-۱β, and MMP-۹ (P<۰.۰۰۱) and enhanced the level of BDNF protein. OXT treatment also significantly downregulated Bax expression and overexpressed Bcl-۲ proteins.Conclusions: The results of this study indicated that administration of OXT before ischemia could limit brain injury by inhibiting MMP-۹ expression, apoptosis, inflammatory signaling pathways, and an increase in the BDNF protein level. We suggested that OXT may be potentially useful in the prevention and/or reducing the risk of the cerebral stroke attack, and could be offered as a new prevention option in the clinics.

کلیدواژه ها:

Pre-Ischemic Mice ، Oxytocin Focal Cerebral Ischemia