Arctium lappa L. roots ameliorates cerebral ischemia through inhibiting neuronal apoptosis and suppressing AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy

Arctium lappa L. roots are very popular cultivated vegetables, which possesses various pharmacological activities. Our previous studies have demonstrated that Arctium lappa L. roots exerted protective effects against H2O2, glutamate and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA)-induced neuronal injury in vitro. However, whether Arctium lappa L. roots could prevent against cerebral ischemia and the underlying mechanism remain unclear. The objective of the present study was to investigate the neuroprotective effects of ethyl acetate extract of Arctium lappa L. roots (EAL) and the active ingredient 4,5-O-dicaffeoyl-1-O-[4-malic acid methyl ester]-quinic acid (DCMQA) in EAL against cerebral ischemia and explore the underlying mechanism. The neuroprotective effects of EAL and DCMQA were investigated in rats with permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and in oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R)-stimulated SH-SY5Y cells, respectively. The infarct volume, brain edema and neurological deficits were measured following MCAO. TUNEL and Nissl staining were performed to detect neuronal loss and apoptosis of neurons in rat brains. Cell survival was measured by MTT and LDH assay. In addition, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) levels were determined by DCFH-DA and JC-1 fluorescent probe, respectively. Hoechst 33342 staining and Annexin V-FITC/PI double staining were performed to evaluate neuronal apoptosis. The expression levels of proteins were evaluated by western blot. EAL reduced brain infarct volume, ameliorated brain edema and improved neurological deficits in MCAO rats. In addition, EAL inhibited oxidative stress and inflammatory responses following MCAO. Besides, active compound DCMQA alleviated cytotoxicity as well as inhibited over-production of intracellular ROS and loss of MMP induced by OGD/R in SH-SY5Y cells. Moreover, EAL and DCMQA inhibited apoptosis by decreasing the expressions of pro-apoptotic proteins including bax, cytochrome c and cleaved caspase-3 while promoting the bcl-2 expression in MCAO rats and OGD/R-stimulated neurons, respectively. In addition, DCMQA suppressed the production of autophagosomes and down-regulated expression of Beclin 1 and LC3. Furthermore, inhibiting AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK)/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway contributed to DCMQA-mediated suppression of autophagy induced by OGD/R. Our findings demonstrate that Arctium lappa L. roots protect against cerebral ischemia through inhibiting apoptosis and AMPK/mTOR-mediated autophagy in vitro and in vivo, providing a theoretical basis for the development of CQAs in Arctium lappa L. roots as neuroprotective drugs for the prevention and treatment of ischemic stroke.