Preventive effect of silymarin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles against global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats

Eur J Pharmacol. 2020 Jun 15:877:173066. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173066. Epub 2020 Mar 29.

Abstract

Chitosan-based polymeric nanocarrier has been utilized as a novel drug delivery device in recent years due to its prominent role in the treatment of central nervous system disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of silymarin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles (SM-CS-NPs) on rat model of global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). All rats were randomly distributed into four groups: Control, I/R, SM and SM-CS-NPs. Oral administration of SM and SM-CS-NPs was started 14 days prior to bilateral common carotid artery occlusion (BCCAO). Depressive-like behaviors, infarct volume, some oxidative stress markers and inflammatory factors were assessed after induction of I/R. SM-CS-NPs pretreatment significantly ameliorated depressive-like behaviors and infarct volume after I/R. SM-CS-NPs also significantly decreased the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), and expression of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and significantly increased the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRx), and glutathione (GSH) levels in I/R brain. The current study demonstrated that SM-CS-NPs pretreatment effectively prevents oxidative and inflammatory damage in the brain caused by I/R, and it can be considered as a useful pretreatment to attenuate the negative effects of I/R.

Keywords: Bioavailability; Depression; Inflammation; Ischemia/reperfusion; Oxidative stress; Silymarin-loaded chitosan nanoparticles.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antioxidants / metabolism
  • Behavior, Animal / drug effects
  • Brain Ischemia / complications*
  • Chitosan / chemistry*
  • Drug Carriers / chemistry*
  • Gene Expression Regulation / drug effects
  • Glutathione / metabolism
  • Male
  • Malondialdehyde / metabolism
  • Nanoparticles / chemistry*
  • Rats
  • Rats, Wistar
  • Reperfusion Injury / complications
  • Reperfusion Injury / metabolism
  • Reperfusion Injury / prevention & control*
  • Silymarin / chemistry*
  • Silymarin / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antioxidants
  • Drug Carriers
  • Silymarin
  • Malondialdehyde
  • Chitosan
  • Glutathione