Therapeutic effects of herbal compounds in cerebral ischemia with special reference to suppression of microglia activation implicated in neurodegeneration
2019
Cerebral ischemia affects many especially
with the ageing population. The ensuing ischemic
reactions include oxidative stress, inflammation, and
excitotoxicity among others. In the search for effective
therapeutic strategies for cerebral ischemia, activated
microglia which are the key player in neuroinflammation
are now recognized as a potential therapeutic target.
Microglia possess both neurotoxic and neuroprotective
roles. They are protective by continuously surveilling the
microenvironment, phagocytosing dead cells, secreting
trophic factors and sculpting the neuronal connections
by removing axons and pruning excess synapses. On the
other hand, hyperactivated microglia may impair
cerebral oxidative metabolism, and produce excessive
proinflammatory mediators that may exacerbate the
brain damage. In view of this, suppression of microglial
activation has been considered a therapeutic strategy to
mitigate microglia-based neuroinflammation in cerebral
ischemia. However, balancing the neuroprotective and
neurotoxic roles of activated microglia remains a
challenging issue. Many traditional Chinese herbal
agents have been used in clinic for treatment of cerebral
ischemia. Here, we provide an overview of five common
Chinese herbs targeting specifically microglia-mediated
neuroinflammation in cerebral ischemia. It is hoped that
a common parallel may be drawn from their beneficial
effects especially in the latter pathological conditions for
their better and effective use in the future.
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