Baicalein Alleviates Brain Tissue Injury in Rats with Posterior Circulation Ischemic Vertigo by Repressing The TLR4/NF-κB Pathway

نویسندگان

1 Department of Neurology, The First People’s Hospital of Lin’an District, Hangzhou, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 311300, China

2 Department of Otolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Shulan (Hangzhou) Hospital, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310000, China

doi
10.22074/cellj.2026.2045778.1715
چکیده

Objective: Posterior circulation ischemic vertigo (PCIV) is a common clinical condition with limited effective treatments.Baicalein, a flavonoid derived from Scutellaria baicalensis, possesses anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties;however, its effects on PCIV remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the function of baicalein on brain tissueinjury in a rat model of PCIV and to explore its underlying mechanism.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 80 rats were randomly divided into sham operation, PCIV, Baicalin,TAK242, and Baicalin+TAK242 groups. The latency to escape from electrical stimulation, blood flow in the vestibularnucleus, and hemorheological indices were measured. Pathological changes and neuronal apoptosis were assessedby HE staining and TUNEL staining, respectively. Western blotting was used to evaluate the protein expression oftoll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), phosphorylated nuclear factor-kappa B p65 (p-NF-κB p65), and phosphorylated inhibitor ofkappa B alpha (p-IκBα) in rat brain tissue.Results: The Baicalin, TAK242, and Baicalin+TAK242 groups showed significantly lower values for latency to escapeelectrical stimulation, reduction rate of vestibular nucleus blood flow, whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, hematocrit,erythrocyte aggregation index, erythrocyte deformability index, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, number of TUNELpositivecells, levels of LAC, LDH, IL-1β, IL-6, TNF-α, and protein expression of TLR4, p-NF-κB p65, and p-IκBα. Thereductions in these indicators were more pronounced in the Baicalein+TAK242 group compared to the Baicalein orTAK242 groups alone. The brain structure and the number of nerve cells were partially restored in the Baicalein andTAK242 groups compared to the PCIV group, and this restoration was more evident in the Baicalein+TAK242 group.The number of nerve cells in the Baicalin+TAK242 group were significantly reduced.Conclusion: Baicalein alleviates vertigo symptoms, improves vestibular nucleus blood circulation, inhibits inflammatoryresponses, and reduces brain tissue damage in PCIV rats, at least in part through inhibition of the TLR4/NF-κB pathway.