Abstract Purpose:

To investigate the therapeutic benefits of Hydroxysafflor yellow A (HSYA) on blood-brain barrier (BBB) vulnerability after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and identify its potential action of mechanisms on TBIinduced injuries.

Methods:

The rat TBI model was performed by using a controlled cortical impact device. The BBB permeability induced by TBI was measured through Evans Blue dye superflux and western blotting or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for tight junctional proteins (TJPs). The post-TBI changes in oxidative stress markers, inflammatory response and neuron apoptosis in brain tissue were also tested.

Results:

Herein, the results showed that HSYA acutely attenuated BBB permeability via increasing the production of the TJPs, including occludin, claudin-1 and zonula occludens protein 24 h after TBI. Additionally, HSYA could suppress the secretion of proinflammatory factors, such as interleukin-1β, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α (IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α), and also concurrently down-regulate the expression of inflammation-related Toll-like receptor 4/nuclear factor kappa-B (TLR4/NF-kB) protein. These HSYA challenged changes were accompanied by the decreased TBI induced oxidative stress markers and inhibited the expression of apoptosis proteins Bax, caspase-3 and caspase-9.

Conclusions:

Taken together, all findings suggested that HSYA (30 mg/kg) are against TBI through improving the integrity in BBB, which are associated with the antioxidant, anti-inflammation and antiapoptosis via the probable mechanism of down-regulation of the TLR4/NF-kB pathway, and its in-detail protective mechanisms are under study.