Stroke Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Stroke, including details on treatment, recovery, rehabilitation, signs, symptoms.

Resveratrol reduces the elevated level of MMP-9 induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in mice.

Gao D, Zhang X, Jiang X, Peng Y, Huang W, Cheng G, Song L

Institute of Neurosurgery, Xijing Hospital, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, 710032, P.R. China.

Stroke is one of the leading causes of mortality; however, its treatment remains obscure and largely empirical. Since matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) has been postulated to be the major contributor of neuronal injury during reperfusion, inhibition of MMP-9 could be a potential approach in maintaining the viability of neurons. Trans-resveratrol (resveratrol), a polyphenolic compound has recently been shown to have neuroprotective activity against cerebral ischemia. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of resveratrol on MMP-9 induced by cerebral ischemia-reperfusion in vivo. Male Balb/C mice were treated with resveratrol for 7 days (50 mg/kg, gavage). Thereafter, middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAo) was performed for 2 h with the help of intraluminal thread. Drug-treated mice showed improvement in necrotic changes in cortex and basal ganglia. Detection of MMP-9 activity and gene expression was performed at various time points after MCAo. The elevated levels of MMP-9 were significantly attenuated in the resveratrol-treated mice as compared to the vehicle MCAo mice. The study suggests that resveratrol has protective effects against acute ischemic stroke, which could be attributed to its property against MMP-9. Thus, resveratrol may be a potential agent for the treatment of neuronal injury associated with stroke.

Published 21 April 2006 in Life Sci, 78(22): 2564-70.
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