Abstract

CEREBRAL ISCHEMIC-REPERFUSION INJURY AND NEUROPROTECTIVE ACTIVITY OF HERBAL DRUGS

Bhagat Singh Jaiswal* and Mukul Tailang

Abstract

Cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury is one of the leading causes of human death and disability throughout the world and has attracted more and more attention in the field of drug discovery. Focal (stroke) and Global (cardiac arrest) cerebral ischemia represents diseases that are common in the human population. Stroke and cardiac arrest, which are major causes of death and disability, affect millions of individuals around the world and are responsible for the leading health care costs of all diseases. After cerebral ischemia/reperfusion, the reactive oxygen species production is dramatically increased and overwhelms endogenous antioxidant systems, leading to oxidative stress. The brain is particularly vulnerable to oxidative stress injury due to its high consumption of oxygen, abundant polyunsaturated fatty acids and low levels of endogenous antioxidants. Antioxidants are significant substances which can protect the body from oxidative damage. The extensive prescription of synthetic antioxidants is ruled out owing to their toxicity and unavoidable side effects. There is an increasing interest in the use of natural antioxidants for prophylaxis or treatment of oxidative stress-related diseases. According to the pharmacological mechanisms underlying neuroprotection, we evaluated some important natural drugs from traditional medicinal herb that posses the neuroprotective effects on cerebral ischemic-reperfusion injury.

Keywords: Cerebral ischemia, Oxidative stress, Herbal drugs, Stroke.