Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating cerebrovascular disease with a high mortality rate affecting individuals worldwide. After ICH, persistent inflammation results in the death of brain cells, as well as the promotion of secondary brain injury. Verbascoside (VB), an active component in herbal medicine, possesses antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. Furthermore, previous studies have shown that VB improves recovery of neuronal function after spinal cord injury in rats. In this study, we investigated whether VB limited inflammation induced by ICH through the targeting of NLRP3, which is associated with acute inflammation and apoptosis. Administration of VB reduced neurological impairment and pathological abnormalities associated with ICH, while increasing cell viability of neurons. This was achieved through NLRP3 inhibition and microglial activation. VB treatment decreased neuronal damage when co-cultured with microglia. Furthermore, knockout of NLRP3 eliminated the ability of VB to inhibit inflammation, cell death or protect neurons. Taken together, VB suppressed the inflammatory response following ICH by inhibiting NLRP3.
Keywords: Inflammation; Intracerebral hemorrhage; NLRP3; Verbascoside.