Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS: Tetrandrine (Tet) has been reported to have anti-inflammatory effects and protect from the ischemic strokes. The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a key role in cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced inflammatory lesions. However, the molecular mechanisms of Tet related to the progression of cerebral ischemia are still unclear. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of Tet on cerebral ischemia and the related mechanisms involved in NLRP3 inflammasome. METHODS: C57BL/6J mice used as a cerebral I/R injury model underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 2 h following reperfusion for 24 h. Tet (30 mg/kg/day, i.p.) was administered for seven days and 30 min before and after MCAO. Their brain tissues were evaluated for NLRP3 inflammasome and Sirtuin-1 (Sirt-1) expression. An intracerebroventricular injection of Sirt-1 siRNA was administered to assess the activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome. RESULTS: Tet significantly reduced the neurological deficits, infarction volume, and cerebral water content in MCAO mice. Moreover, it inhibited I/R-induced over expression of NLRP3, cleaved caspase-1, interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-18, and Sirt-1. Sirt-1 knockdown with siRNA greatly blocked the Tet-induced reduction of neurological severity score and infarct volume, and reversed the inhibition of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate that Tet has benefits for cerebral I/R injury, which are partially related to the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome activation via upregulating Sirt-1.