Inhibition of iNOS to Protect Intermittent Hypoxia-Induced Hippocampal Neurons Impairment by Astragalus Extract in Rat

摘要

The aim of this paper is to research the protective effect of Astragalus against intermittent hypoxia-induced hippocampal neurons impairment in rat and lay the theoretical foundation for sleep apnea improvement in cognitive function by Astragalus. Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: (1) blank control group; (2) normoxia group; (3) intermittent hypoxia group; (4) Astragalus treated intermittent hypoxia group. After 6-week treatment, the expression of iNOS was detected by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) at mRNA level as well as by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and western blot at protein level. As a result, Astragalus reduced the expression of iNOS at mRNA and protein levels in hippocampus compared with non-treated groups (P ＜ 0.05). In conclusion, Astragalus could protect intermittent hypoxia-induced hippocampal neurons impairment in rat.