Effect of Flos Chrysanthemi indici on ischemic cell injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice

Objective To explore the protective effect of Flos Chrysanthemi indici on ischemic injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion and its influence on related neurological functions. Methods A mouse model of middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) was established using the suturing method. Adult male Kunming mice were randomly divided into four groups: a Sham group, an ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) group, and a solvent control (S+P) group and a Flos Chrysanthemi indici injection (FCI) group. The cerebral infarction size was measured by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining method. The effect of ischemia on the neurological function of mice were detected by behavioral experiments. Cell apoptosis in cerebral ischemic areas were examined by TUNEL assay. Results Compared with the I/R group, the FCI group showed remarkably reduced cerebral infarction size (P<0.05), and a significantly decreased number of apoptotic cells in the ischemic area (P<0.05). In the Morris water maze, compared with the I/R group, the FCI group presented a significantly shortened latency to find a platform during navigation (P<0.05). According to the spatial probe test, the FCI group showed a significantly increased number of crossings of the hidden platform, compared with the I/R group. In the fear conditioning test, compared with the I/R group, the freezing time of the FCI group significantly increased (P<0.05). Conclusions Flos Chrysanthemi indici exhibits obvious protective effects on ischemic injury induced by middle cerebral artery occlusion in mice, which may be related to inhibiting cell apoptosis in the ischemic area of mice.