Shikonin attenuates blood-brain barrier injury and oxidative stress in rats with subarachnoid hemorrhage by activating Sirt1/Nrf2/HO-1 signaling.

ABSTRACT: Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) is a serious intracranial hemorrhage characterized by acute bleeding into the subarachnoid space. The effects of shikonin, a natural compound from the roots of Lithospermum erythrorhizon, on oxidative stress and blood-brain barrier (BBB) injury in SAH was evaluated in this study. A rat model of SAH was established by endovascular perforation to mimic the rupture of intracranial aneurysms. Rats were then administered 25 mg/kg of shikonin or dimethylsulfoxide after surgery. Brain edema, SAH grade, and neurobehavioral scores were measured after 24 h of SAH to evaluate neurological impairment. Concentrations of the oxidative stress markers superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the brain cortex were determined using the

SUBMITTER: Li G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12012320 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature