Chinese Journal of Tissue Engineering Research ›› 2026, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (36): 9526-9537.doi: 10.12307/2026.919

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Mechanism and effect of aescin intervention against brain injury in a rat model of intracerebral hemorrhage

Ji Lingshan1, Qin Hewei2, Cheng Shuaifang1, Zhao Jing2   

  1. 1Department of Encephalopathy, 2Department of Rehabilitation, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine), Zhengzhou 450002, Henan Province, China
  • Received:2025-10-21 Revised:2026-03-20 Online:2026-12-28 Published:2026-05-23
  • Contact: Qin Hewei, PhD, Associate chief physician, Master’s supervisor, Department of Rehabilitation, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine), Zhengzhou 450002, Henan Province, China
  • About author:Ji Lingshan, PhD, Associate chief physician, Department of Encephalopathy, Henan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine (The Second Affiliated Hospital of Henan University of Chinese Medicine), Zhengzhou 450002, Henan Province, China
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 81704030 (to QHW); Henan Province Traditional Chinese Medicine Top-notch Talent Cultivation Project, No. 2021-24 (to QHW)

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Neuronal apoptosis induced by endoplasmic reticulum stress following intracerebral hemorrhage is a significant cause of secondary brain injury. Aescin has been demonstrated to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic effects in brain injury models. However, whether it exerts neuroprotective effects by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress-related pathways remains to be clarified.
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of aescin on brain injury in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage and its potential mechanism of action.
METHODS: Fifty-four rats were randomly divided into a sham operation group, an intracerebral hemorrhage group, and an intracerebral hemorrhage+aescin group using a random number table method. An intracerebral hemorrhage rat model was established in the latter two groups using autologous blood injection. Rats in the sham operation group underwent the same stereotaxic puncture procedure but without blood injection. After successful modeling, the intracerebral hemorrhage+aescin group received intraperitoneal injection of aescin (10 mg/kg), while the sham operation group and intracerebral hemorrhage group received an equal volume of normal saline. Neurological function of rats was assessed using Longa score, rotarod test, forelimb placing test, and corner turn test. Pathological damage of the brain and brain edema were evaluated using hematoxylin-eosin staining and brain water content measurement. A cell injury model was established in nerve growth factor-incubated PC12 cells under oxygen-glucose deprivation. An endoplasmic reticulum stress cell model was established using tunicamycin, with the endoplasmic reticulum stress inhibitor 4-PBA serving as a positive control; cells were also treated with IXA4 (IRE1 agonist) or CCT020312 (PERK agonist). Cell viability was detected using the cell counting kit-8 assay, and apoptosis was detected using flow cytometry. Expression of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins was detected by western blot. The mechanism of pathway involvement was verified using inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) or protein kinase R-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK) small interfering RNA (IRE1 siRNA or PERK siRNA) and pathway agonists.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Compared with the sham operation group, rats in the intracerebral hemorrhage group showed significantly increased Longa scores (P < 0.05), significantly impaired sensorimotor function, obvious hemorrhagic foci, edema, and neuronal pyknosis in brain tissue, and significantly increased brain water content. In the aescin treatment group, these indicators were significantly improved from 12 hours to 5 days after surgery (P < 0.05). (2) Aescin intervention significantly reduced the expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins (GRP78, CHOP, p-IRE1, p-PERK, etc.) in the brain tissue of intracerebral hemorrhage rats (P < 0.05). (3) Treatment with oxygen-glucose deprivation or the endoplasmic reticulum stress inducer tunicamycin significantly reduced the viability of nerve growth factor-incubated PC12 cells, increased the apoptosis rate (P < 0.05), and upregulated GRP78, CHOP, and the ratios of p-IRE1/IRE1 and p-PERK/PERK (P < 0.05). However, 10 and 20 μmol/L aescin significantly reversed these changes (P < 0.05). (4) Knockdown of IRE1/PERK produced effects consistent with aescin intervention, inhibiting the activation of the IRE1-XBP1 and PERK-eIF2α pathways induced by oxygen-glucose deprivation. Pathway agonists (IXA4 and CCT020312) reversed the protective effect of aescin (P < 0.05). (5) Correlation analysis showed that the expression of GRP78, p-IRE1, and p-PERK in rat brain tissue was positively correlated with brain edema volume and Longa score (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that aescin can alleviate endoplasmic reticulum stress by specifically blocking the IRE1/PERK signaling pathway, thereby ameliorating neurological impairment in rats with intracerebral hemorrhage and oxygen-glucose deprivation-induced injury in nerve growth factor-incubated PC12 cells.

Key words: aescin, intracerebral hemorrhage, apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, signaling pathway, PERK

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