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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Aging Neurosci.
Sec. Neuroinflammation and Neuropathy
Volume 16 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fnagi.2024.1484946

Silymarin administration after cerebral ischemia improves survival of obese mice by increasing cortical BDNF and IGF1 levels

Provisionally accepted
Yesica M. Rodriguez-Cortes Yesica M. Rodriguez-Cortes Ricardo Jair Ramírez-Carreto Ricardo Jair Ramírez-Carreto Julia I. Rodríguez-Barrena Julia I. Rodríguez-Barrena Marelly Salazar-Castro Marelly Salazar-Castro ANAHI CHAVARRIA ANAHI CHAVARRIA *
  • Unidad de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México, Mexico

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Obesity is associated with a systemic inflammatory state that contributes to neuroinflammation and increases the risk of stroke at an early age. Stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of permanent disability. This work aimed to assess whether obesity-induced neuroinflammation can be a prognostic stroke factor that can be improved with oral administration of silymarin, an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective drug.Methods: Male C57/Bl6 mice were used to establish an obesity model through a high-fat diet (HFD) for 12 weeks. Cerebral ischemia was performed with photothrombosis in the left motor cortex at the end of the diet. Following the induction of ischemia, silymarin (100 mg/kg) was administered orally for 14 days. Levels of pro-inflammatory (IL1β, TNFα, and MCP1) and anti-inflammatory markers (IL4, IL10), neurotrophic factors (IGF1, BDNF), and CX3CL1 were assessed in the cortex and striatum using ELISA.Results: Mice on the HFD gained significantly more weight than control subjects and exhibited altered glucose metabolism, which was improved after silymarin treatment. The survival rate was significantly lower in HFD mice (52.2%) compared to control mice (86%). Silymarin treatment improved survival in both ischemic groups (non-diet control: 95.7%, HFD: 78.3%). Silymarin raised cortical TNFα, IL4, IL10, IGF1, BDNF, and CX3CL1 levels in the HFD group with stroke, while the striatum did not present relevant differences.Our findings suggest that silymarin improves glucose metabolism, possibly impacting post-stroke survival in obese mice. The increased levels of neurotrophic factors BDNF and IGF1, along with microglial regulatory factor CX3CL1, may contribute to the improved survival observed. These results indicate that silymarin could be a potential therapeutic option for managing neuroinflammation and enhancing post-stroke outcomes in obese individuals.

    Keywords: BDNF, cerebral ischemia, Neuroinflammation, Obesity, Silymarin, systemic inflammation

    Received: 22 Aug 2024; Accepted: 23 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Rodriguez-Cortes, Ramírez-Carreto, Rodríguez-Barrena, Salazar-Castro and CHAVARRIA. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: ANAHI CHAVARRIA, Unidad de Medicina Experimental, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City, México, Mexico

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