Cerebro-protective Effect of Synedrella Nodiflora Linn. against Cerebral Ischemia in Rats

INTRODUCTION Ischemic hypoxic brain injury often causes irreversible brain damage. The cascade of events leading to neuronal injury and death in ischemia includes the release of cytokines and free radicals, and induction of inflammation, apoptosis, and excitotoxicity. Reperfusion of ischemic areas could exacerbate ischemic brain damage through the generation of reactive oxygen species. The lack of effective and widely applicable pharmacological treatments for ischemic stroke patients may explain a growing interest in traditional medicines. Recently, from the point of view of “ selfmedication ” or “ preventive medicine,” several dietary supplements are used in the prevention of life-style related diseases including cerebral ischemia [2]. A silent stroke is a stroke that does not have any outward symptoms, and the patients are typically unaware they have suffered a stroke. Despite not causing identifiable symptoms, a silent stroke still causes damage to the brain, and places the patient at increased risk for both transient ischemic attack and major stroke in the future. Conversely, those who have suffered a major stroke are at risk of having silent strokes [3]. In a broad study in 1998 more than 11