MAPK pathway mediates the anti-oxidative effect of chicoric acid against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury in vivo

The aim of the present study was to investigate the protective effect of chicoric acid on oxidative stress and inflammation in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. A cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury rat model was created via transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) and rats were treated with various doses of chicoric acid (0, 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg). Neurological deficits and infarct volume were used to estimate the protective effects of chicoric acid treatment. Levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-1 beta, nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were assessed. Western blot analysis was also used to measure the expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2, p38-mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK), c-Jun, phosphorylated protein kinase B (p-AKT) and AKT. Chicoric acid exposure was observed to reduce neurological deficits and infarct volume in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury. In addition, ROS production and inflammation were significantly suppressed following treatment with chicoric acid. Chicoric acid was demonstrated to significantly inhibit the upregulation of NO and PGE2 levels in rats following MCAO. Furthermore, chicoric acid significantly suppressed the MCAO-induced promotion of COX-2, p38-MAPK and c-Jun protein expression and enhanced the inhibition of p-AKT/AKT. These results suggest that chicoric acid has a protective effect, preventing oxidative stress and inflammation in rats with cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury via the p38-MAPK, c-Jun and AKT signaling pathways.