Effect of pretreatment with Devil's Claw on locomotor activity, infarct volume, and neuronal density in focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Shirzad, Shima; Riyahi Rad, Mona; Rezaei, Mohammad; Tayaranian Marvian, Mitra; Abroumand Gholami, Arman; Forouzanfar, Fatemeh; Sabzalizadeh, Mansoureh; Ghazavi, Hamed; Vafaee, Farzaneh

doi:10.22038/ajp.2024.24294

Effect of pretreatment with Devil's Claw on locomotor activity, infarct volume, and neuronal density in focal cerebral ischemia in rats

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Shima Shirzad ¹

Mona Riyahi Rad ²

Mohammad Rezaei ²

Mitra Tayaranian Marvian ²

Arman Abroumand Gholami ³

Fatemeh Forouzanfar ¹

Mansoureh Sabzalizadeh ⁴

Hamed Ghazavi ²

Farzaneh Vafaee ¹

¹ Department of Neuroscience, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

² Neuroscience Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

³ Department of Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences, School of Medicine Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

⁴ Neuroscience Research Center, Institute of Neuropharmacology, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran

10.22038/ajp.2024.24294

Abstract

Objective: Stroke is a highly prevalent and devastating condition
affecting millions worldwide. The Devil's Claw (DCW) plant is a
native African plant whose anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and
neuroprotective properties have been investigated. We postulated
that DCW could protect the brain injury caused by cerebral
ischemia.
Materials and Methods: The rats were randomly divided into four
groups. The sham and control (Ctrl) groups received pretreatment
with a distilled water vehicle. Doses of 200 and 400 mg/kg were
selected for pretreatment with DCW. The filament or intravascular
occlusion method was used for middle cerebral artery occlusion
(MCAO). The Triphenyl tetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining
method was used to investigate the infarct zone and penumbra
volume. The neuroprotective effect of DCW was measured by
hematoxylin staining. Movement performance was evaluated from
neurological deficit score, rotarod performance, and open field tests.
Results: TTC staining showed that the DCW/400 group could
maintain the penumbra's structure and reduce the infarct volume
compared to the Ctrl group (p<0.001). Histological studies
confirmed the neuroprotective properties of DCW at doses of 200
and 400 mg/kg compared to the Ctrl group (p<0.01 and p<0.0001,
respectively). The results of behavioral tests showed an
improvement in behavioral performance in pretreatment 400 mg/kg
doses compare to Ctrl group (p<0.0001).
Conclusion: The study showed that pretreatment with DCW with
its neuron protection potential reduces the infarct area and restores
motor function after MCAO.

Keywords

Cerebral ischemia

Devil's Claw

Locomotor activity

Neuronal density

Subjects