Puerarin was shown to exert anti-oxidative and anti-ferroptosis effects in multiple diseases. The goal of this study was to explore the neuroprotective effect of puerarin on early brain injury (EBI) after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) in rats. A total of 177 adult male Sprague Dawley rats were used. SAH was included via endovascular perforation. Intranasal puerarin or intracerebroventricular dorsomorphin (AMPK inhibitor) and SR18292 (PGC1α inhibitor) were administered. The protein levels of pAMPK, PGC1α, Nrf2, 4HNE, HO1, MDA, ACSL4, GSSG, and iron concentration in the ipsilateral hemisphere were significantly increased, whereas SOD, GPX4, and GSH were decreased at 24 h after SAH. Moreover, puerarin treatment significantly increased the protein levels of pAMPK, PGC1α, Nrf2, HO1, SOD, GPX4, and GSH, but decreased the levels of 4HNE, MDA, ACSL4, GSSG, and iron concentration in the ipsilateral hemisphere at 24 h after SAH. Dorsomorphin or SR18292 partially abolished the beneficial effects of puerarin exerted on neurological dysfunction, oxidative stress injury, and ferroptosis. In conclusion, puerarin improved neurobehavioral impairments and attenuated oxidative-stress-induced brain ferroptosis after SAH in rats. The neuroprotection acted through the activation of the AMPK/PGC1α/Nrf2-signaling pathway. Thus, puerarin may serve as new therapeutics against EBI in SAH patients.
Keywords: early brain injury; ferroptosis; oxidative stress; puerarin; subarachnoid hemorrhage.