Effects of Bushen Huoxue Formula on myelin and cognitive function of mice with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion
Li Xinru
Peng Jing
Li Ting
Wei Mingqing
Ni Jingnian
Shi Jing
Tian Jinzhou
Abstract：Objective To determine the effects of Bushen Huoxue Formula(BHF),a clinically vali-dated traditional Chinese herbal compound,on myelin integrity and cognitive function in mice with chronic cerebral hypoperfusion(CCH).Methods A total of 30 SPF male C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into sham operation group(n=8)and model group(n=22).Bilateral com-mon carotid artery stenosis was inflicted to establish a mouse model of CCH,while the mice in the sham operation group only received separation of bilateral vagus nerves.In the model group,6 mice died in 2 d after surgery,the left 16 mice were then randomly divided into a model group and a treatment group,with 8 animals in each group.In 2 weeks after surgery,BHF(0.2 ml/d)or pure water was administered via gavage for 60 d to the corresponding groups.Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze(MWM)test.White matter lesions were evaluated by diffu-sion tensor imaging-fractional anisotropy(DTI-FA).Demyelination in the corpus callosum was visualized using Luxol fast blue(LFB)staining,while neuronal damage in the hippocampal CA1 region was analyzed with Nissl staining.Results Compared to the sham group,the model group exhibited significantly prolonged swimming distance and escape latency on day 5 and reduced platform crossings on day 6 in Morris water maze test,decreased DTI-FA value,lower absorbance value of myelin in LFB staining,and fewer Nissl-stained neurons in the hippocampal region(P＜0.05,P＜0.01).In contrast,the treatment group showed significantly shorter swimming distance[188.14(105.19,342.00)cm vs 280.22(168.47,501.37)cm,P＜0.05]and escape latency[10.22(5.77,19.47)s vs 19.39(13.57,31.09)s,P＜0.01]on day 5,increased platform crossings on day 6[3.00(2.00,4.00)times vs 2.00(1.00,3.00)times,P＜0.05],elevated DTI-FA value(0.340±0.014 vs 0.313±0.012,P＜0.01),enhanced absorbance value of myelin[0.353(0.328,0.364)vs 0.305(0.290,0.350),P＜0.05],and greater neuronal counts(9.94±2.22 cells vs 7.11±2.02 cells,P＜0.01)when compared to the model group.Conclusion BHF can alleviate CCH-induced cogni-tive deficits in mice by promoting repair of white matter microstructure and rescue of neuronal loss.
Keywords：dementiavascularhypoxiabrainreinforcing kidneyactivating blood
Publication Date：2025-08-15
Online Publishing Date：2025-08-21(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：5( 1088-1092 )